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Colorado Trail USA:
Itinerary: Day 1- We’ll meet up at Hassle Free Sports in Durango to get packed up for our journey and rolling early for Molas Pass, the launching point of today’s ride. Even the drive is gorgeous today as we cruise the San Juan Skyway!! Setting off at nearly 11,000 feet on the Colorado Trail, riders are treated to 360 degree panoramic views of the San Juan Mountains right from the word go. The first 1/3 of the day will consist of a little up, a little down and a lotta beauty. Vivid red soil set against vibrant green vegetation is the theme today. Guests can expect cascading mountain creeks, wide open meadows, thick forests, and during the right time of year, spectacular wildflower displays. The middle section of today’s leg will challenge your fitness with a steady (but beautiful!!) climb to the day’s high point at over 12,000 feet. From our high point we’ll descend into the Cascade Creek drainage before our final push to camp near Celebration Lake. Ride length is about 20 miles. Day 2- We’ll roll out from Celebration Lake near historic Graysill Mine, where we start with a short climb up the Colorado Trail featuring long views south of the Animas Valley and the La Plata Mountains. We continue on the Colorado Trail on rolling singletrack that hugs the perimeter of Hermosa Peak’s rocky talus fields, ascends up and over Beach Peak and then gently cruises through a thick forest to the base of Blackhawk Pass. This is a choice spot to rest and grab a snack under towering peaks before starting the climb up to Blackhawk Pass. This climb will test your legs and lungs. Its steep pitches may result in a little hiking for some riders. You’ll be at the top in no time, and the payoff is well worth it. The long descent off Blackhawk Pass is one of the best in the whole Durango area and serves as a nice reward for your hard work. Feel free to catch some air off the “whoops” near the end of the descent!! Ride length is about 15 miles. Day 3- Day three is typically sited as the hardest of our 4-day journey back to Durango. The payoff? It’s also frequently sited as the most beautiful, and without a doubt, the most remote. Our day starts with a rolling traverse with long views back toward the Hermosa Creek drainage and even as far as the Weminuche Wilderness. Generally we’ll be gaining altitude for the better half of our day as we start the tughest part of the whole route: Indian Trail Ridge. Above the trees we’ll get views of the La Plata Mountains that some can only dream of. Everyone will spend some time off their bike hiking a bit, but we’ll take our time and take it all in. After a steep descent into Cumberland Basin, we’ll climb one last time over Kennebec Pass and end our day with an amazing descent to Champion Venture Mine Road. Ride length is about 20 miles. Day 4- Our final ride starts at the Champion Venture Road crossing, where the downhill bonanza continues through thick, forested singletrack, past a gorgeous waterfall and finally onto the rocky singletrack cutting through the lush vegetation alongside Junction Creek. Wide-eyed and grinning, we’ll regroup again at the Wall’s Gulch Bridge and start a hefty climb away from Junction Creek….sorry, it can’t ALL be downhill!! The top of the climb makes for a great snack location. Refueled, we’ll take our time traversing up and down on narrow singletrack through a variety of aspen and pine forest. The beauty of the singletrack in this area is the stuff of which magazine photo spreads are made. Finally we’ll reach what the locals call “High Point”, named for its status as a turn around for riders climbing up from Durango. They climb; we descend. The downhill buzz continues for another 2500 feet of great Colorado Trail singletrack to the tour end at Junction Creek Trailhead. Ride length is about 22 miles. Call us to book these trips toll free: 866.758.2267
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