san juan hut systems

I rode the Telluride to Moab route with a group of friends in August. I was pretty excited to spend a week riding the mountain bike, but the trip exceeded my expectations. The huts are stocked well enough that we were able to go fairly light (just carrying larger camelbacks) so the riding was a blast 'cause we didn't fell weighed down too much. I'd heard that most of the riding would be on gravel roads, but there was plenty of super fun single track available as alternates to the easier road riding. I'd guess that we rode more than half of the mileage on single track--enough that I was actually kind of glad for easy spinning on the road sections. And the trails were actually really good! Though we were pretty much dead tired at the end of every day, we enjoyed cooking and eating tasty food at the huts--I was fairly impressed with the set up. How the folks at SJHS keep the huts stocked with food I don't know--it must be a lot of work. Seems like it worked out though--we had what we needed. If you're into riding bikes this was a grand adventure and I'd highly recommend it. I'd like to go back and ride the Durango-Moab route soon!

I just finished the Telluride to Moab trip last week and had a blast. The riding was varied (technical single track to well-packed dirt roads) and there were great options for every level of experience and fitness in our group. The huts were comfy, stocked with great food, and clean. The day-by-day maps, directions, GPS waypoints and additional single-track maps were really above and beyond my expectations. I have already reserved a week for next year.

We did the Durango to Paradox trip in late July. It was a GREAT trip. The SHJS peeps did all in their power to make this an epic trip. The huts were well stocked with food and water, the maps & gps coordinates never got us lost... the views were nothing short of amazing. Ok, so the climbing was a bit rough for us sea-level creatures... but the adventure was worth it. The trip is very affordable. I'm already thinking about doing the Telluride to Moab in the future...

Did the 7 day DTM and had a blast! Every hut was well stocked and perfectly located. My wife had plenty of great food choices even though she is gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan. Weather was not an issue, regardless if it rained or was hot. The riding wasn't difficult, but we certainly got plenty of time in the saddle and also had time to make side trips at each hut. Don't get me wrong - this ride isn't for everyone. You'd better be ready and able to handle whatever might come. The fine folks at SJHS provided .gpx files, detailed maps, and written directions. We preferred to not use a GPS so that we could get the most from this adventure, so I pored over the maps. It turned out that their written directions were so good that we didn't really need the maps. This trip was for our wedding and SJHS was very accommodating. I absolutely plan to do another ride with them!

If you are used to fending for yourself in the wilds, backpacking or whatever, this system is an awesome way to get a little comfort and support without loading up like a pack mule. My sister and I, both in our 50s and experienced mountain bikers, bike tourers and backpackers, did the Telluride to Moab route in early July 2014. We had a GPS which made navigation easy, but just the cue sheets and maps would suffice if you are careful and have good intuition! The huts were clean, well stocked, and nicely hidden so no one passing on the dirt road would ever know they are there.Notes for a happy trip: There is NO ground water available unless listed on the cue sheet, so carry at least 3 liters, more if you sweat a lot. No sag wagon, no guide, no cook, very minimal cell service, only 2 spots the whole time--you are on your own. Don't count on passing motorists to save your bacon in an emergency--you could go several days without seeing another soul even though these are public roads. It is a long walk out if you can't fix your bike or your body, so ride with caution. Afternoon thunderstorms were fierce the first 4 days, starting at exactly 2:15 pm, so set an alarm and get going early. Nothing technical in the riding, but long, steep hills (Jim Brown Canyon goes up to 15% grade--we pushed at about 1 mph on the steepest part). If you are from sea level (we are) absolutely try to get to Telluride a day or so before to acclimate to altitude. We didn't and paid the price climbing to 11.000 feet the first day. We were super comfy with just 2 people in the hut, but I'll bet it gets pretty tight with 8, especially if the weather is too bad to be outside.

Myself & 3 buddies Mtn biked Durango to Paradox mid June and had a blast, The hard climbs payed off with amazing views. The huts are well stocked with food and drink, clean and in great locations.would recommend to anyone who wants to step outside the comfort zone and have an amazing adventure.

I've done three SJHS rides and had a ball every time. One of the rides was nearly ruined by the weather but saved by Kelly, who came looking for us when she figured we might be in trouble. This group is very mountain experienced and will try hard to make you smile.

The past 4 days was our second trip into the North Pole Hut on the winter route. You just can't beat the fact that you've usually got the hut to yourself, there's so few people that make the trek in. All the bare basics are already in the hut - you bring whatever else makes you comfy - but you'd better make it a light backpack AND be ready for anything. If you can do that, you will be rewarded. We've already booked the 7 day Durango/Moab bike trip on the other set of huts! I can't thank SJHS enough for having these gems socked away deep in the mountains, ready for us when we need them!

Wow.Hard, hard, hard.We rode telluride to moab in 2006. We wanted something tougher. We got it!Expect less rideable terrain. Singletrack varied from awesome to barely walkable. Skip singletrack on day 1 if there has been ANY rain lately.As expected, directions vary. There was flat-out a wrong turn on the directions on around day 4 I think.Beer is not included anymore due to legal problems. It's available, but not free. As before, we put all the water on the bike. That worked wonderfully, getting to ride w/o ANY backpack or camelback.Get your racks from freeload. Get a frame bag from revelate designs.Carry a silk bag liner. They are tiny and don't snag/drag on the sleeping bags.I spent the $ and got a shell/jacket from north face. It folds down into something the size and weigh of my wallet. All riders had these and they were a big thumbs up item.Turned both brake rotors blue on day 7 descents.My 19" orbea softtail, with all gear, with all water, ready to ride, weighed 42 lbs. It handled wonderfully by getting the water into the frame bag and using water bottles.Had 2 frame bottles, 2 bottles in the frame bag, and 1 on a 2fish lockblock on the stem. The stem bottle was nice. It stayed clean on the cow trails, and was in your face enough that you would remember to drink.Managed to break a drive side spoke. Be sure you can remove a cassette.Good time. Watch for the cacti around the huts. Spent lots of time picking cactus spines from my flip flops.We did NOT carry a gps. That was a mistake. Having GPS waypoints for singletrack would have been really nice, and would have prevented getting lost on day 2 and putting in 10 extra miles.

Just returned from a 7 day mountain biking trip from Durango to Moab. It was absolutely one of the most demanding yet rewarding trips of any kind that i have taken. The huts are placed with some of the best panoramas of both alpine and desert vistas, that you could ever ask for. The huts were well stocked with food and cold beer in the desert(if optioned for). The alternate routes were not well updated and the lack of single track was a bit disappointing. Be prepared to climb a fair amount on several of the days; this is not a trip to take lightly in preparation (2 broken chains, 3 broken spokes)or training(6000 verticle feet climb on day6). We were unable to access the road to the Porcupine Trail into Moab the last day, and no mention was made and/or other options given. All in all, i would do this trip over and over again as the reward for your hard work is well worth the effort. Kelly and the rest of the team do a very, very admirable job in managing the 250 mile route and support the riders in almost any way they can(picking up spare bike parts and delivering to next hut). There just arent that many opportunities like this to experience the incredible variety of ecosystems and microclimates you ride through every day. its definately a trip i won't forget for a long, long time!

I just got back from a week on the Durango to Moab trail of the San Juan Hut system. The huts were hard perfect for what we needed. A lot of thought has gone into the routing and we had a very spectacular ride through three nights in Alpine huts and three nights in desert huts. The food was plentiful and the beer was always welcome at the end of a hard day of mountain biking. I would really recommend this trip for anyone wanting to make a memory to last a lifetime. It is nothing at all like a walk in the park, this is some of the hardest cycling I have ever done but I loved it. Day 6 was too much walking and I would have liked an easier maybe longer routing option that would have allowed me to do more riding and less walking. Other than that the hut locations were excellent and the routing through the area was perfect. An awesome adventure.

Had a great time overall. Glad to have had the opportunity to do this! If we had one concern it would be that the route info posted in the huts was sometimes outdated. There was mention of a road closure dated 2010 in one hut. Also, a hut posting has Burro Pass as a recommended route on day 7 and several locals told us there were other MUCH better routes (one of our hut mates was familiar with the area and we spoke to another guy from a local shuttle service). Moonlight Meadows is in fact open and awesome (one posting in a hut said the route was not recommended but didn't state why). I also don't remember SJHS recommending a Latitude 40 Moab East map which would have been helpful. In the end, we were glad we had 6 brains and a GPS to find our way. We never went a wrong way...it was just cumbersome to figure out the best route. The huts were well stocked with a large quantity of food. We were careful to conserve water but never felt like we were going to run out. Lawn chairs would be a nice addition (got tired of eating dinner on the hard ground or edge of bed) after riding all day. That said, we did have an amazing adventure and we were glad we did it. The routes are amazing and we had perfect weather (leave your hut by 0730 to avoid the usual afternoon thunderstorms). On the 6th night we fell asleep to the sound of elk and coyotes. Pretty cool! The restaurant breakfast and $7.50 shower in Basin was much appreciated.

Just returned from our second San Juan Hut Systems trip. We had a great ride from Telluride to Gateway and would highly recommend it. Route was fun, huts in great condition, and good food. Thanks SJHS! The single track route on day 5 was the highlight. Other recommendation is to pack light.

If you are a mountain biker with a sense of adventure, this is the ultimate trip for you.It is not a 5 star hotel. It is not easy. It is not for the weak.The sights were unbelievable. The huts were well stocked. The routes were easy to follow.Don't believe the bad reviews..this was AWESOME.

Traveled with 5 other cyclists on the San Juan hut to hut route. Huts were in good condition at each stop, well stocked and with plenty of water. Compost toilets were clean. We had no problem finding the cabins. The selection of food was good - eggs and bacon at each cabin, and plenty of canned food. A myriad of nutrition bars, powdered Gatorade and goo. Plenty of dried fruit and cereal. I have five recommendations: 1. Start your rides early. Very early, before 7AM on hot days. 2. Bring a raincoat. We were rained on three days. It's mountain weather. 3. Stay ahead of your thirst. I was skeptical a bit, but realized quickly that I needed 4-5 liters of water daily on the bike. 4. Coordinate beer deliveries to the cabins. Nothing like a cold beer after a hot ride. 5. Finally, don't pack extra weight. Wash your extra shirt and shorts daily and hang them on the clothesline to dry. All in all, an epic trip, very well organized, beautiful scenery. But it's physical; get in shape.