And the views. well you already know about the views! The Trail averages around 10,000 ft in elevation for the majority of the hike. Photo by Steve Hume. It had been too long since my husband and I had done a multi-day backpacking trip together, and we were really looking forward to our first section-hike on the Colorado Trail. Steve was really rollin and said, Im so glad I have plus tires. Steve and I have driven through historic Silverton a few times, but we've never actually stopped. The ticket office for the Silverton train opened at 7am. The Colorado Trail is a 486-mile long-distance trail that spans the distance between Denver and Durango. Our present itinerary brings us to Durango for the railroad trip on Saturday. Nice waterfall in a box canyon. Here Im looking back at the section prior the one I was about to do. A co-worker just told me about this hike/train ride yesterday and was looking for additional information. Gradients are much less steep with long lovely alpine traverses and switchbacks, rather than the NH tendency to go straight up the fall line. There's one significant climb over a 4-mile stretch in the this section, which is otherwise a relatively gentle to rolling descent into Durango. However, after talking about the CT on a backpacking forum, where several people who've done that section said that hiking Silverton to Durango would have more downhill than up, which would be easier for us, we decided to change direction. Sure, the trail is simple. Since then, the trail has welcomed hikers of all skill levels and interests, from experienced thru-hikers to day hikers. For that reason, we'll have some additional emergency gear in the event we'd get separated. You can vary the length of sections, from days to weeks or more, or even as short as day-hikes, to accommodate the time off you have. Not sure what is going on- like a road being built. Turn left onto Cement St, then make your next left, and the RV park will be straight ahead. You could always drive the 30 minutes to Leadville for the mining museum and train ride. It didn't surprise me at all when I realized it was yours. That means summer storms that roll in after lunch, often packinglightning. Wow. We have one week for this trip, with a weekend at either end. Silverton Hiking Trails Ice Lake Distance: 7.8 - 8.2 miles (Round Trip) This wonderful hike visits two gorgeous lake basins, traverses wildflower-filled meadows and passes numerous waterfalls. Plenty of shade from forest, light rain, and rocky views. Indeed, between departing from Highway 550 at Molas Pass and entering the town of Durango, the only sign of human life is the occasional dirt road crossing. In the high mountains or remote conditions, all individuals must be completely autonomous in every situation. We did opt for the B&B to pamper ourselves before and after the hike. There are endless options for bike rides and hikes here. You might want to contact ColoradoTrail.org to ask about camping spots in that section. I had a ride within minutes. That must have taken a long time to build. My plan was to take the train to Silverton. I'm planning a Molas Lake to Coal Bank Pass hike (CT segment 25 to Engineer Mountain Trail then down to Hwy 550) this summer. A unique expert only ski and ride area right out of Silverton Colorado. #5 Scenic Alpine Loop North of Durango Connecting the towns of Silverton, Ophir, Telluride, Ouray, and Lake City, this 75-mile high-elevation loop can be broken up into segments or used as the ultimate multi-day bucket list adventure. My sister and I are doing this hike in late June. This is exactly what I was looking for! How to Survive the West Coast Trail, Canada. Day 3 was mostly downhill to the Junction Creek trailhead in Durango. Arriving at the pass I met a European who was nearly finished the 500 mile Colorado Trail. Gudy's Rest is named after Gudy Gaskill, an active member of the Colorado Mountain Club since 1952 and eventually the club's first female president. A brief introduction to the Colorado Trail The Colorado Trail (CT), completed in 1987, spans 567 miles through the heart of the southern Rocky Mountains. Our final full day of hiking had arrived. Altitude, some hefty climbs and pack weight can definitely combine to slow you down, too, if you're not used to it. (This tourist trap is expensive during high season.). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. It brings back memories of our trips to Colorado. Join evoTrip x Outdoor Leadership xCAPiTAon a 7-dayadventure inKrippenstein, Austria, which offers some of the best free-riding in the world. Thanks for the info! Riding fully loaded bikes hugely affects the balance of the bike. All rights reserved. Rather than arrange for a shuttle from Durango back to our vehicle in Silverton, we decided to treat ourselves to a scenic train ride on the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which has been in continuous operation for 127 years. Like I said, it's all good. They also have rooms with full kitchens. Probably the hottest we got on the entire trip. Interesting hike different terrains would definitely recommend it. We took the train from Durango to Elk Park. This tent and rain fly weighs 5lbs, 4oz and has a zippered door on either side, so we don't have to crawl over each other's head to get out. Also, any additional. Was especially fond of the view of Lizard Head Peak. we decided to go for it! For Rent. accessing station data The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad operates 45.2 miles (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton The steam-powered locomotives used today on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad were built during the 1920s. We spent our morning on a high ridge line then began a long descent that would bring us to town. . Met Brett and Ann working hard on Segment 26 of the Colorado Trail which is always appreciated! The Colorado Trail: 75 Miles from Silverton to Durango - Infinite Geography The Colorado Trail: 75 Miles from Silverton to Durango Posted on August 13, 2017 by Bekah Eaton Leave a Comment Day 33 - 10.3 Miles We pulled ourselves out of Silverton just after noon with enough supplies for our final 75 miles of the Colorado Trail. This entire stretch of singletrack has also been designated by the International Mountain Bike Association as one of their "Epic" rides. The Colorado Trail, South Topographic Map Guide has been designed as the perfect traveling companion when navigating the southern section of The Colorado Trail. " Yummy and quick " 15/01/2023. (Apparently, the next section to the east, from Silverton towards Denver, still has a significant amount of snow, being even higher elevation. Widely variable, narrow trail tread with steeper grades and unavoidable obstacles of 15in/38cm tall or less. Long, steep ascents and descents, particularly around the San Juans. As mentioned, we'll be hiking a little bit of segment 24 from Elk Park to Molas Pass, then segments 25 through 28, heading westward through the San Juan National Forest. 10 miles from San Luis Pass at the intersection of Segments 20 and 21. Drops, roots, boulders--as the singletrack transitions down into drier climate zones, the technical challenges just keep coming, all the way until the final relatively-smooth stretch before the trail's terminus. ), After the fact: Well, you can't count on the weather. I was using McDonalds WiFi by 6am next morning. I had planned on taking the 9:30am train. This will display the station's metadata in the Station Metadata window. About two miles down 503 is the Equity Mine. And, to some extent, we're using old gear, because it ain't broke, basically. Rented bikes and cruised around town and did laundry. Hope you enjoy your visit to my neck of the woods and if you happen through Naturita stop in and say hi!!! Rain, snow and more rain. For some challenging . You can find out the current temperature and weather for each location on Weather.com: Of course, those are just the conditions in town. Every 100 feet the topography changes, Steve said. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. I've been wanting to go back and hike the trail from the time they started talking about building it. The FS says that section would be best done a couple weeks later in the year. From the trailhead its another 5 miles to downtown Durango, where youll find hotels, restaurants, groceries, bars, and all that. This is an easy answer, since we're just one state over in Arizona: We'll drive. Elsie Hagley from New Zealand on August 31, 2012: Nice lens, if I was 30 years younger I would go for this. The Blackhawk Pass segment climbs steeply up to the top of the pass on narrow, mostly smooth singletrack with the characteristic jaw-dropping views. But once on top, its time to rip down! I live in Denver and we are always looking for a good spot to go hiking. We can park at the Visitor Center. This is an absolutely beautiful stretch of the Colorado Trail, right through the heart of the San Juans. It is then a long, fast, and twisty downhill all the way to Hotel Draw. Active Filters. This section provided the best riding, with many short climbs and fast twisty descents. Section 3, also known as Segment 27 of the Colorado Trail, runs for 20.6 miles from Hotel Draw Road to the Kennebec Trailhead, climbing a whopping 4,186 feet along the way. I stayed on the train at both Needleton and Elk Park. My kind of life. This property is currently available for sale and was listed by CREN on Jan 17, 2023. Ayngel Overson from Crestone, Co on May 23, 2009: That is so cool, I lived in Durango just after High School and have always wanted to move back to that area. Thanks for the read! During a trip to Durango, I did a day hike on Segment 28 of the trail which terminates at Durango. Hidden in plain sight in the Albertsons parking lot. Where would I store the gear I didnt want to carry on the hike? Some scam was in the works, I suspected. ), Check out more stories from our hike here Colorado Trail 2017, Next Up I heard theres a once in a lifetime eclipse coming up, Category: hiking, travelTags: backpacking, colorado trail. At 9,305 feet above sea level, the small community of Silverton is one of the highest towns in the U.S. As of the 2000 census, there were 531 residents in this former mining community. We've also decided to stay at this campground the night before--Friday, June 12th--when we'll have the car. Ruth Coffee from Zionsville, Indiana on June 22, 2009: Very nice lens. That would seem to be the simplest solution, although it would also mean taking two cars to Colorado, which equals more gas of course. While that might not sound like a lot compared to Colorados numerous 14ers, this mountain is still impressive! The elevation of the Colorado Trail ranges from 5,280 feet at the eastern end near Denver to 13,000 feet at Silver Mesa near Durango to the west, passing through three "life zones" along the way. To access data, select a station from the map or the drop-down menu. Very well done and lots of detail. I have done the train. The idea behind the trail was born in 1973, but the trail itself wasn't created and connected until 1987. Someday .. Hi! Website. The Junction Creek Trailhead is about three miles from downtown Durango. So definitely go prepared for anything, no matter what the time of year, especially given the high elevations along the trail, often over 11,000 feet for long stretches with no easy "out.". The 4 stars is because it is more of a biking trail than hiking. So we'll keep looking. Some of the steeper ascents required walking the bikes, but they got to 12,400, marking the high point of day one. The vista looked great from Molas. I'd imagine Colorado has some of the best hiking in the country. Still a day out on the trail so I cannot complain! Its kind of lika a hernia surgery, Steve quipped. Lots of mountain bikers out today. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. We stopped for a break and the view at Gudy's Rest four miles before Durango. Which direction should we hike? In descending to about 8600, Steve noted the elevation change. Would we perhaps enjoy it more by rearranging this for the Friday. The pretty view from Gudys Rest was a bit restricted due to rain. Starting at the Little Molas Lake Trailhead, this segment of the Colorado Trail can be anything from a 2-mile out-and-back to a 22-mile trek. Across the highway. All along the trail youll enjoy great views, but pull off of rough sections so you dont wipe out while gawking! The trail is a 2.35 mile (one-way) from the trailhead to the ascent of Rolling Pass. This will display the station & # x27 ; s metadata in event. And interests, from experienced thru-hikers to day hikers they got to 12,400 marking. In descending to about 8600, Steve noted the elevation change lika a hernia surgery, Steve quipped weekend! Survive the West Coast trail, Canada they started talking about building it best a. The car decided to stay at this campground the night before -- Friday, June 12th -- when 'll! The gear I didnt want to carry on the trail has welcomed hikers of all skill and! Through the heart of the Colorado trail a 7-dayadventure inKrippenstein, Austria, which offers some the! 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