the colorado trail

I picked up the trail via Little Molas Lake off highway 550. We didn't get to far but you really don't have to in order to get magnificent views. The first section is a good uphill and then levels off. Depending on the time of day you have to make way for mountain bikers but most were friendly and not trail demons. The wildflowers...spectacular!

an awesome hike for those not wanting to travel out of town. It can be accessed right off north main street, giving you great views of town and north over the Animas Valley. You can take a quick 1 1/2 hour loop or a full 3 hour loop

if you are a mtn biker this is a must do. park at junction creek TH just minutes from DT Durango or ride your bike from town. beautiful scenery, flowing awesome singletrack

Durango sits at the southern terminus of the Colorado trail. Take 25th street west for 3.5 miles to the trailhead. Park just past the cattle guard or go another mile to the upper parking area. The trail follows junction creek for a couple of miles until it starts up to Gudys rest. Or you can drive the dirt road up 18 miles to some spectacular camping.

The Colorado Trail runs 483 miles from Durango to Denver. We hiked only the first 2 1/2 miles following Junction Creek until the bridge. The trail starts just 15 minutes from Durango. It was a moderate hike and very scenic as you hike up and down the side of the canyon. It is popular with hikers and mountain bikers.

If you are into the outdoors and you haven't been to the CT yet... you're doing something wrong! This amazing trail system winds from Durango to Denver and offers ~500 miles of some of the most spectacular scenery and challenging terrain around. We normally mtb stretches between Molas Pass and Durango- so that's all I can speak about. If you are into hiking, running, camping, or biking- get up to the CT. Just be prepared in case of inclement weather... it tends to happen frequently!

Fantastic high-elevation hike from Hotel Draw Road to Little Molas Lake (near Molas Pass on US-550 north of Durango) -- We hiked these two segments of the Colorado Trail (32 miles) in three days early in the season (July 1-3) and ran into some snow, but nothing two Texans in their mid-50s could not handle. This hike was breathtaking becasue of both the scenery and the altitude; these segments stay above 11,000’ and pass 12,000’ twice. The trail has plenty of water and is well maintained, but hikers should stay sharp as there are places that can get confusing. Also, unless you know this trail well, be sure to get the book from the Colorado Trail Foundation. This is a shuttle hike, so you will need to leave a car at your destination. We had a Durango taxi service (Buck Horn Limousine) take us from Durango to Hotel Draw Road ($350) and we parked our truck at the Little Molas Lake campground. The hike was challenging but worth it.

Everyone says that southwest Colorado got the best end of the Colorado trail from Denver to Durango and I agree. We live here and have many, many other trails to compare it to. The trail is beautifully maintained by many volunteers, the scenery is wonderful and there are several ways to enjoy it. For an hour to a half day, the trail starts very close to Durango out Junction Creek Road and follows Junction Creek. Try a short walk in an almost wilderness setting or go several miles up to Goudy's Rest with a great view towards Durango and the mesa beyond. Have a day and car? You can find the trail in the very high country at Molas Pass. Wide open high altitude walking. I would head west from the highway to avoid the steeper east heading trail. Easy down but tougher up on the way back. Watch out for possible afternoon lightning in the summer. Take plenty of water, good shoes, a good hat, suntan lotion, some snacks and a light windbreaker in case the weather turns cool. This is about 40 miles north of Durango and near the fun old mining town of Silverton. We recommend the Handlebar restaurant for a pure mountain Colorado experience. Have a day and a four wheel vehicle? Ask for the way to Kennebec Pass. The road goes from pavement to true four wheeling over many mile up to the pass where the trail crosses. I suggest heading west. Beautiful meadows. A small lake. Wildflowers. Amazing views of the La Plata peaks and the San Juan Mountains marching to the north. Big vistas of forest and peaks. Our friends from Baltimore (sea level) flew to Albuquerque (say 5,000') then drove to our home (7,500') in one day. They insisted on hiking the pass (say 11,000') the very next day. Let's just say they had a great time and . . . survived the altitude. I would recommend a few days of acclimation to really get the most out of this area. Have a backpack and some time? The wilderness camping is first class.

Two middle aged people and their grown daughter started down the Colorado trail. Suddenly they felt pain. Minutes later they were covered in mosquito bites and rushed back to the car. After a quick stop at the drug store and heavy application of bug repellent they returned and enjoyed a lovely hike as far as the bridge just before the switch backs began. They returned to the hotel happy but very itchy with over 25 bug bites each. This is my true story. Cover yourself in deet and enjoy !

This trail that connects Durango to Denver is worth taking a hike on. A great destination from town is Gudy's Rest, an easy 2-mile RT hike. There are also other access points off US 550 ( San Juan Skyway ) north of town, including a gorgeous stretch with views of the San Juan Range near Molas Pass ( take the Little Molas Lake campground side road ).

We loved our day hike on the Colorado Trail between Angel of Shavano trailhead/camp and CR228 (or you could go on to Hwy 50 before turning around). Trail was mostly flat with some gentle ups and downs, and views of nearby peaks were spectacular. Great hike for flat landers to acclimate to altitude near Salida before venturing out to any of the many 14ers in the area. This RT stretch took us about 5 hours. Perfect way to spend a gorgeous late-October day in Colorado!

A nice introduction to Colorado hiking. This trail is easily accessible from Durango, and a great way to get a hike in if your time is limited.

Not for the faint of heart(or lungs/legs), but if you are feeling like a challenge the views you get on this adventure are not ones you will ever forget. I highly recommend!

Took the train to the Elk Meadow stop (just before Silverton) and hiked back to Durango on the Colorado Trail. The scenery is the best I've seen in the world. Breathtaking vistas, beautiful colors and the trail is a gem. Well maintained by volunteers. Campsites and water well documented using the Data Book sold via the Colorado Trail (www.coloradotrail,.org). Hiking was moderate to difficult and, as usual in this part of the country, afternoon rain was usually on the docket. But, wilh proper gear and reasonable conditioning, this was a pleasure.

Fabulous expansive views are on offer through most of this section of the reknowned Colorado trail. We joined the trail from the West Willow trailhead north of Creede, hiked east a short ways to climb San Luis Peak, then went west for 7 more days to the Elk Park train stop of the D&SNG train. Snow Mesa was amazing, as was the entire section after climbing to the divide beyond Spring Creek Pass, particularly the high sections from Carson Saddle to the Elk Creek drainage...I would highly recommend this! Lots of jeep trails were a downer, around Spring Creek Pass and Carson Saddle, but the trail was very well marked. Afternoon monsoon rainstorms plagued us every day so we got early starts and got to camp each day by noon. Next we want to do the section over Molas Pass to Durango!