Durango has an astonishing 200+ miles of trail right in town, and riding during lunch break, or before and after work is just part of daily life here due to the accessibility of the trails. Many of us commute to work or school on mountain bike trails. Some town systems like Overend don’t have a parking lot “trailhead”, so feel liberated leaving the car behind and ride to the trails from hotel or home like locals do and enjoy the Durango way.
We generally recommend Horse Gulch/Durango Mesa, Overend Park, and Twin Buttes as great first rides in town. The high elevation alpine trails above treeline are the crown jewels of the San Juan’s should you visit during the summer and fall window. Scroll down and we’ll give route suggestions for all this and more, and it’s still just the tip of the iceburg. There’s simply too many thousands of miles of singletrack to cover it all!
Be respectful and don’t ride muddy trails, yield to other users, and enjoy!
During the transition season of spring many trails are still muddy on north aspects, and some systems are too wet as of March 25th. Here’s a few loops I’ve personally scouted and can vouch for. While everything in Durango isn’t ready, there is some amazing stuff to ride! Click the photos for a RidewqithGPS link!
Most everything on the ridge side of Horse Gulch is awesome. Most of the meadow is also. Telegraph, the connectors, and the flow trails are all muddy or closed for utility work. The bottom of Animas Mountain is great if you want something different. Most everything else is muddy or closed as of March 25th. Driving to Phil’s or Alien Run is the only other option.
A fun ride for all skill levels, a local go-to. As of Tuesday there was only about 50ft of mud in a usual place right near the top.
This is just one of many options on “The Ridge”. The ridge is naturally more rocky and technical than the meadow, and it’s gooood.
I’ll be riding this loop every day for the next couple weeks. It starts off easy and progressively gets more challenging. So good. Basically a combination of the other two loops, with the advanced Snake Charmer trail at the end.
What’s below isn’t ready yet.
Horse Gulch has every style of riding you could want. Some of the east trails get far out there, but it’s easy to ride the river trail back if a shortcut is needed.
A great first ride that gives a fun cross section of the front side of Horse Gulch while avoiding the most technical stuff.
A route that lets you ride some of the longer backside downhills while keeping it short via taking the bike path back.
Want to see all the best stuff in one ride? Buckle up, it's really good. Features some quite advanced trails.
Skull Rock makes this one advanced. Similar to the route above, without the tough loop on the extended ridge.
Overend Park, aka Test Tracks, is tucked into the west side neighborhood, and aside from Horse Gulch is probably the most ridden system in town by locals. There’s no trailhead, so cruise over from your door.
Star Wars is as must hit as it gets, get some!
One of America’s treasures. Completing this is an achievement. Stretching 539 miles from Durango to Denver, you can read about the entire thing HERE, but we’ll keep it simple with a few local day rides using close to town and low elevation trails.
Some of the newer trails in town, they are well built and purpose built for mountain biking and feature a great view of town from behind Hogsback. Bench cut climbs that are easy on out of towners, and a flowy descent with a bit of everything make this a fun 1.5-2 hour ride. There’s one main loop that can be shortcut as needed so you don’t need to stress navigation
Dalla Mountain, Animas mountain, Sailing Hawks, this spot goes by many names.
These trails are the first to dry in the spring and after rain, being south facing and with better draining soil. Pay attention to wildlife closures in the upper trails early season. Featuring one of the longer climbs in the town trail system, you’ll be rewarded with killer views up the valley.
Three Springs, along with Aquaduct, are both perfect places for beginners to learn the ropes. Three Springs is just outside of town to the east. Also a fun system for advanced riders to ride on a gravel bike.
Aquaduct, along with Three Springs, are both perfect places for beginners to learn the ropes. Aquaduct is 30 minutes west near Mancos, and is both well built and has awesome views of Mesa Verde, especially during Golden Hour.
Some of the most raw and challenging trails close to town, these require more logistics involving either lots of pedaling or complex shuttling. Haflin is one of the most unique trails around passing through multiple ecosystems during its 2,900ft of downhill in 3.9 miles.
The scene of a wildfire caused by the Durango-Silverton train in 2018, this area is regaining vibrancy and life. Popular with motos and E-bikes, there’s a little bit of everything here. The descent down Dutch Creek is epic and a great ride for the longer travel crew. You’ll earn the descent.
A 45 minute drive west lies the town of Cortez, and Phil’s World, an iconic southwest trail system. Firmly in the XC genre, there’s enough fun and flowy miles here to ride a 50 mile loop without repeating loops. Trails are well marked and one-way, so logistics are easy, and even when busy you don’t feel crowded.
A 45 Minute drive south across the New Mexico border is Alien Run, named after a claimed UFO crash landing site. These trails are often ridable through the winter, though rain and moisture can make the clay unrideable. It’s a fun system, but the distance makes it mostly ridden when there’s few other options dry.
Three great introductions to Durango
Horse Gulch
10mi, 1,650ft
This park is huge and has something for everyone. From chunk and tech on top of the ridge, smooth jump lines on the Mesa, and flowy connectors and meadow trails. You can ride The Gulch for days and not see everything. Here’s a good introduction.
Twin Buttes
8.5mi, 1,100ft
Twin Buttes takes about 1.5-2 hours, has a great unique final downhill with some approachable rock gardens and smooth berms, and even the climb is one of the easier around. Ride the outside loop counter-clockwise, or use any desired short cuts.
Overend Park
6mi, 900ft
Aka Test Tracks, this is one of the most frequently ridden spots for locals. The north side of the park has longer climbs and descents, and the south is more classic tight and twisty riding.
As this route suggests, up Hidden Valley and down Star Wars is essential Durango riding.
