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The shale-rock ridge leading to the Engineer summit. (Photo by Steve Chapman)

The top of Pioneer Trail reaches Nusbaum Road, the junction shown here.

INTRODUCTION

It’s pretty basic, really: Stuff a few things in a small pack, arrive at a trailhead, don your chosen footwear, and start walking. The goal of this book is merely to add quality to that outdoor experience. It’s to help match your mood and energy with the appropriate trail. It’s to keep you on the right track.

This chapter will explain how the book is structured and the best ways to use it, with an explanation of the headings before each hike description. The next chapters have general information on coexisting with other trail users, facing potential hazards, proper gear and first-aid equipment, and preparation tips.

Many trails await. This book isn’t designed to tell you exactly where to go, but it makes a good launching pad.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

The goal in creating this guide was to find the most enjoyable day-use trails in the Durango-Silverton corridor. It branches out a bit to include hikes out of Mancos and Vallecito as well. Most of these hikes are within an hour’s drive of Durango or Silverton. Backpacking routes are not featured here, although you’ll find several great ideas for backpacking trips, and some multiday routes are specifically pointed out within the day hike descriptions. Technical climbs are not featured, but a couple of the mountains in here will test your ability to rock-scramble.

Almost all of these hikes are on public land. Several cross private land, however, and that’s noted. A few trails on public land are subject to seasonal closures and that’s noted too; these are all near Durango.

The fourteeners of southwestern Colorado posed a bit of a dilemma for me. These overclimbed peaks get their own chapter, but not all twelve made the cut. Handies Peak via Grouse Gulch or American Basin is a 1-day route from as far as Durango with a reasonably early start. Mount Sneffels can be done in a day from Durango too, but it’s a good idea to get a really early start. Wetterhorn, Uncompahgre, Redcloud, and Sunshine aren’t so achievable in 1 day from Durango or even Silverton, but they are day hikes from nearby camping areas or from Lake City. The Needles and Wilsons didn’t make the cut. The Needles are best climbed either by hiking down Purgatory Flats, up the Animas River to near Needleton, and up to Chicago Basin, or by taking the train to Needleton; plan to spend 2 or 3 days. Mount Wilson and El Diente are about as difficult as Colorado’s fourteeners get and really are better to incorporate into a backpacking trip. Wilson Peak as a day hike is best from the north, but that’s a long drive and still a long hike.

HEADINGS

“Distance” is relatively straightforward. The more often you hike, the better you will know your capabilities. One caveat is that miles where you’ll make a big elevation gain or where you’ll be hiking at high altitude are more difficult than flat miles or trails at low altitude. However, as your body adapts to high altitude, those miles will become easier (note that I did not say “easy”).

“Elevation” is also self-explanatory, again with a caveat or two. Some trails climb steadily and even though they don’t seem all that steep, by the time you’ve gone a few miles you’ve gained a lot of elevation. Others are continually steep and you’ll gain 2,200 feet in less than 2 miles. The most potentially frustrating trails climb steeply, lose altitude, and climb again. That aspect hasn’t been figured into the total elevation-gain figures here, but it usually will be pointed out in the trail descriptions.

“Rating” is fairly subjective. The ratings used are Easy, Moderate, Difficult, and Very Difficult. One person’s difficult hike is another person’s very difficult hike. One hike that seems moderate in June may become easy for you by August. I tried my best to be consistent, but undoubtedly some you will return from a moderate hike and say, “That was easy!” So be it. Factors considered in the ratings were length, altitude, route finding, and degree of difficulty on the route.

“Time allowed” considers the entire trip, whether it’s out and back, a loop, or a one-way, and is an estimate for an average hiker, but what is an “average hiker”? Also, if you’re making frequent stops for photos, lunch, naps, or sightseeing, you’ll need to add that time to the estimate. All factors considered, if you’re moving at an overall speed of 2 miles per hour, you’re generally keeping pace with the estimated time allowed.

“Maps”—the fold-up kinds you carry on the trail—are no longer included in this book’s headings, but maps still appear in the book alongside each trail description. By all means, learn how to read maps and their topography. When you stop for a break, look at the map and make sure you know where you are. Many people use the maps function on their phones, and that can be helpful. Many hikers also download topographical maps onto a phone app. However, a phone screen–sized view makes it difficult to get an overall perspective on your location, and some hiking routes may not feature perfect cellular phone service. Not that long ago, the best resource for hikers was the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) 7.5-minute series. You’d walk into an outdoor shop and buy the necessary “quad” maps that showed the features and topography of a specific quadrant, ranging about 7 by 9 miles. They’re still available, and you can download and print any part of them yourself for free at usgs.gov/corescience-systems/ngp/tnm-delivery/. I still have a huge collection and use them, but that’s no longer the norm. There are other printed maps available. National Geographic issues a popular set of maps calls Trails Illustrated, for instance.

TRAIL DESCRIPTIONS

Use the descriptions as you see fit. If you have a mileage counter—perhaps a phone app or GPS unit—follow along. Or just match the description with where you are (or think you are) to estimate how far you’ve come.

GPS coordinates and elevations are included at many trail junctions, passes, summits, and various other geographical points. These can help plan a route or allow you to double-check your location.

The road abbrevations should be obvious, but don’t confuse CO and CR. CO is a Colorado (state) highway, and CR is a county road. US is a U.S. Highway, and FR is a Forest Service road.

A huge effort has been put into making these trail descriptions helpful and accurate, but it is possible that there is an error somewhere in this text. Lean hard on this book for accurate information, but if you find a mistake, please share that with me so that future printings can be corrected.

RESOURCES

In the back of the book you’ll find a list of additional resources that provide further information. If you don’t find answers to all of your questions in this book, one of these appended sources might help.