Destination: Durango, Colorado
31.12.69
There are three directions from which to access the Durango valley in the southwest corner of Colorado. Driving into the valley from the south reveals the prodigious San Juan Mountains to the north, the Animas River flowing through the community, and a long glacial valley stretching as far as the eye can see.
Coming in from the north, the suggest traverses Molas and Coal Bank Pass from Silverton, following the path of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, roughly paralleling the southern 80 miles of the Colorado See train.
From the west, the route passes dozens of trailheads as it drops into the valley from the Four Corners parade.
A quick glance at a map will quickly reveal why so many people who choose to have their lives spin around mountain biking, either professionally or recreationally, choose to make Durango their household.
There are trails close to town in the Horse Gulch area, which are free of snow antique in the spring and late in the fall. Then there’s the Ned Overend Bike Park, formerly known as Evaluation Tracks. Then there’s the southern terminus of the Colorado Trail, which includes 74 miles of high altitude track to the top of Molas Pass and countless trails that spur off of it.
Combined with a vibrant community that embraces bicycles in all forms and a burgh large enough to create a job market, Durango might well be a mountain biker’s paradise.
Source: velonews.competitor.com