Trails in Durango, CO

[TXLX470]

Anybody knows some nice easy/moderate trails around Durango, CO? We will be there for labour day weekend and staying at Navajo state park. Looking for trails that leaves for high elevation with nice scenary.
Thanks in advance

[lt403]

i'm heading out to mancos, co on the 9th of sept. i'm planning on doing black bear path and imogene. you may want to contact rising sun chapter of tlca

checkout traildamage.com

[durangodds]

There are some good trails in La Plata Canyon which is the closest thing to Durango. The most popular trails in our area are the ones in the San Juans up around Silverton (50 miles north of Durango). The Alpine Loop is probably just what you're looking for. The drive over Cinnamon Pass (part of the Alpine Loop) is the prettiest around. You can pick up the Charles Wells book in Silverton and it is a great guide for the trails in the area. Realize that Navajo State Park is 45-60 minutes from Durango so start your day early.

[TXLX470]

thanks for the info. I was thinking of doing the black bear road?(after it403's suggestion) Do u think we will have enough time to get back to Navajo if we start early. I have seen(onthe net) some hummers doing BBR , so I don't think I will have a problem in my 100??

Is alpine loop and san juan skyway is the same?

[durangodds]

Originally Posted by TXLX470

Anybody knows some nice easy/moderate trails around Durango, CO?

Going by this statement I would say you DO NOT want to run Black Bear. It is rated difficult by any standards, and is scary with big consequences. It would not be the trail I would recommend for your first trail ride in the San Juans. Stick with the Alpine Loop, both Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass are rated Moderate and the scenery is as good or better than Black Bear (if a person can say that).

The Alpine Loop is all dirt 4-wheel drive road. The San Juan Skyway is the paved highway (550) that goes to Ouray. It's an awesome drive itself. You could spend a week and not do everything. By doing the Loop you'll be hitting a highlight that is rated moderate. Save Black Bear for another time.

Another other choice would be to go over Ophir to Telluride and come back over Imogene Pass. I would still recommend the Alpine Loop though.

[durangodds]

If your 100 is open diffs then that's another strike against Black Bear. On at least one switchback you will be doing a 3-5 point turn with one wheel off the ground.

[90 Weight]

black bear only had its ratings because of its sharp corners and narrow roads with dropoffs...for the most part that is the only "difficult?" thing..

In terms of prettiest in this area, Silverton/Ouray will be your BEST bet. Also as mentioned about there are some sweet views at the top of La Plata Canyon...which is only 10 min outside of durango (to the right of Hesperus)

My alltime favorite (would definately be a full day trip if your staying in Navajo) would be to go up Pokipsie (sp?) their are two ways to tackle this trial, one requires front and rear lockers and atleast 4" lift, and the other could be done in just about any stock 4wd vehicles... I dont know the names (just have the directions in my head) of the roads but basically you go into silverton, go up to what is something like 11 thousand ft. on a dirt road, and come down on this AMAZING carribian blue pond/lake (maybe 500ft by 500ft.) It is probably about a 40 min drive on the trail from the town of silverton and once you get to the top you have a 360 view of all of the surrounding mountains...Then if you didnt spend too much time there you would be not to far away from the "Alpine Loop" and could do a portion of that... Personally Im not a fan of the alpine loop unless its wildflower season.

[TXLX470]

Originally Posted by durangodds

Going by this statement I would say you DO NOT want to run Black Bear. It is rated difficult by any standards, and is scary with big consequences. It would not be the trail I would recommend for your first trail ride in the San Juans. Stick with the Alpine Loop, both Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass are rated Moderate and the scenery is as good or better than Black Bear (if a person can say that).

The Alpine Loop is all dirt 4-wheel drive road. The San Juan Skyway is the paved highway (550) that goes to Ouray. It's an awesome drive itself. You could spend a week and not do everything. By doing the Loop you'll be hitting a highlight that is rated moderate. Save Black Bear for another time.

Another other choice would be to go over Ophir to Telluride and come back over Imogene Pass. I would still recommend the Alpine Loop though.

The reason I said easy is because my parents and my 5yr old son will be with me and I was thinking to take them for nice scenary drive but my final destination is Moab(will be there for 4days) and plan to do # 3 or 3.5 rates trails. So I was thinking BBR will be nice warm up run but thanks for the advice. I will think again.

[TXLX470]

Originally Posted by durangodds

If your 100 is open diffs then that's another strike against Black Bear. On at least one switchback you will be doing a 3-5 point turn with one wheel off the ground.

My 98 has center and rear lockers so it won't be that bad but I am not sure about the other 80. I think center gets locked automatically when in LO.

[durangodds]

Ya, in all seriousness you don't want your parents or kid along on Black Bear. It's really a trail you do after you've done the others. Your parents will love the Alpine Loop. Get some breakfast in Durango (the Durango Diner or Oscar's for the old style greasy spoon or Carver's for a great breakfast). Head to Silverton and on to Animas Forks which is the best preserved ghost town in Colorado. From there go over Cinnamon and have lunch in Lake City. Come back over Engineer and stop at the candy shop in Silverton for ice cream, cotton candy, and fudge. No one is going to say, "I wish we'd done black bear." Go on BBR and scare the shit out everybody so they don't want to come back and you'll wish you'd done something else. Maybe that's not macho enough for some, but I'm just trying to keep it real for you. Moab will have plenty of hard stuff for you to do.

[TXLX470]

Thanks man. Do u work for travel agency by any chance?? ))))

[durangodds]

No, I'm a dentist, but I do want you come to town, spend money, and enjoy yourself so you'll want to come back and spend more money. After all, tourism is the 2nd largest contributor to our economy here. Have a great trip.

[TroutRunner]

I did BBP in mid July of this year and it was a piece of cake. I never even locked the center the whole way. Just take your time and drive slow when it gets steep and you come to the switchbacks.

If the fam is gonna freak, then there is plenty of other great scenery around. I always see so much talk about BBP and its more hype than anything (weather excluded).

TR

[Whale]

It's entirely up to you, but Black Bear is WAY overated as to difficulty. The pucker factor is huge because the consequences of a mistake are pretty gruesome. However... IF you use the pull outs on the swithcbacks and DON'T try to take any of them in a single turn, you won't have a lick of trouble in a 100. Everyone I've ever seen have trouble was trying to drop a tire off of a switchback to avoid backing up one more time. You won't need lockers if you use the pullouts. Drove it many times in my 80 and never touched the lockers... including the center. In fact, because of all the turning, I preferred to leave everything open. Normally, there is plenty of traffic up there, but since tourist season is over, I'd make certain you had at least one other truck with you. In the mountains, anything can happen with the weather and if you had a mechanical problem, that could be the least of your concerns. We had a Suburban caught in an early snowstorm up there last year and it spent the winter on the top of the Pass... I think that was Imogene, but I could be wrong.

That said, I agree with durangodds... I doubt my parents would enjoy driving Black Bear. If I was taking my parents, it would be the Alpine Loop... maybe Corkscrew up to Poughkeepsie (or however the heck you spell it). Imogene is neat from an elevation and view at the top, but can be a touch unnerving for folks who aren't used to driving steep, high altitude ledge roads. La PLata Canyon is also really pretty and probably a good scenic choice.

Lastly, as to the time frame... (and I'm not recomnmending this mind you) Van Turner and I left Durango at 3:30 in the afternoon, ran Black Bear into Telluride and Imogene out into Ouray and were sitting down to dinner at 9:30. It was fast and furious, but he had to leave the next day and wanted to do those trails.

BTW... I'm looking for a good dentist here...

JJJ

[Whale]

Bummer... just realized that post was for Labor Day weekend... :-(

Oh well... durangodds? I still need a dentist and there are several appropriate drinking establishment in this here town. How about an adult beverage? 560-2873

JJJ