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July Volunteer Trailwork Dates Still Available!

There are two upcoming trailwork dates for July and we would love to have you join us! Click on the dates below for sign-up details:
 
1) Dry Fork on Saturday, July 23 from 9am to 1pm

2) Log Chutes on Wednesday, July 27 from 5p to 7pm

Please wear/bring closed-toe shoes, long pants, shirts, a sunhat, a backpack for water, work gloves, and sunscreen. The Crew Leaders will provide all tools and instruction.

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Half Ridge Trail Opens!

Durango Trails is excited to announce the opening of a new trail connecting Powerline and Zipline to the Ridge!

We’re thrilled to announce with the City of Durango that the Half Ridge Opening Day and Ride with the Crew will be on Tuesday, July 19. Meet at the Horse Gulch Trailhead at 5pm for a mountain bike ride or trail run up to Half Ridge with a celebration afterwards. Meet the crew and celebrate the new trail and connectivity to Flame Out, Kitty Charmer and the Ridge.

Watch the celebratory video below, special thanks to Cole Davis and Rhyler Overend for the videography and production.

Huge thanks as well to all of the volunteers who helped realize this trail!

Sign up to join us here!

June Volunteer Trailwork Dates Announced!

There’s something magical about being outdoors. Fresh air, birds singing, moving along a trail or even just around the block – there’s nothing quite like it. Today, those trails and public spaces are in dire need of help, and not everyone has access to these places that calm and inspire. National Trails Day® is the perfect opportunity to get out there with the people you love, give back to the trails that bring us together, and make sure nobody is left out.
 
Connect with the people near you who share your love of being outside. Build your local community and join the nationwide movement to give back to the trails and make sure everyone can enjoy the outdoors.
 
Trails Day is this Saturday, June 4. Partnering with the Bureau of Land Management and the City of Durango, we will construct a new trail on Animas Mountain called the Lupine Loop. Volunteers will meet at the Animas Mountain trailhead and then hike one mile to the work site, working from 9am to 1pm followed by lunch. The crew will provide all instruction, tools and details. Please bring/wear long pants, closed toe shoes, sunhat, sunscreen, gloves, and a backpack to carry water and snacks.
 
Click here to sign up. If you’re interested, you can also take the National Trails Day pledge here:
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Thank You to Our Sky Steps Volunteers!

Pent-up desire to participate in volunteer events has produced incredible early-season support!

Special thanks to the 8th-grade students and teachers at Miller Middle School for their support in maintaining the famous Sky Steps.
Durango’s Sky Steps officially opened in June 2017, creating a town to sky connection from Durango to the Fort Lewis College campus, home of the Skyhawks.
Over 500 steps gaining over 250 feet in elevation along the Nature Trail in Durango make for a wonderful walking route, commute to the college, or training steps right in town.
In partnership with the City of Durango and Fort Lewis College, the steps were built entirely by Durango Trails volunteers and crews.
Durango’s Sky Steps are amongst various urban stairs that have long been recognized as fitness and tourist destinations, including the Manitou Incline near Colorado Springs, known as one of the most popular and challenging hikes in the area, and the iconic Santa Monica stairs in Los Angeles.
 
For more information, visit:
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Stage 1 Fire Restrictions Now In Place

The San Juan National Forest has implemented Stage 1 Fire Restrictions Beginning Today, May 20!
(this is in addition to LaPlata County Stage 1 restrictions)

 

The following are PROHIBITED under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions on the San Juan National Forest.

 
  • Igniting, building, maintaining, or using a fire (including fires fueled by charcoal or briquettes) outside
    of a permanent metal or concrete fire pit or grate that the Forest
    Service has installed and maintained at its developed recreation sites
    (campgrounds and picnic areas). $500 fine.
  • Smoking, except in an enclosed
    vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an
    area at least 3′ in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable
    materials. $300 fine.
  • Operating a chainsaw without an effective and properly installed USDA- or Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)- approved spark arrestor, a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher (with a minimum 8 oz. capacity and rating of 2A) kept with the operator and a round point shovel with an overall length of at least 35 inches readily available for use. $300 fine.
  • Blasting, welding, or operating acetylene or another torch with open flame
    without being in a cleared area of at least 10 feet in diameter and
    keeping a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher (with a minimum 8 oz.
    capacity and rating of 2A) with the operator. $300 fine.
  • Using an explosive. This includes,
    but is not limited to, fuses, blasting caps, fireworks, rockets,
    exploding targets, tracers, and incendiary ammunition. $300. $500 for
    exploding targets.

Seasonal Wildlife Closures Dec. 1 through April 15

Video campaign highlights the importance of respecting seasonal wildlife closures in Durango – in effect Dec. 1, 2021.

Ever wonder why certain trails in Durango have seasonal wildlife closures? During the winter months, deer and elk need safe harbors and seasonal wildlife closures are essential for the animals to survive. Even when there is no snow on the ground these areas are critical for animals to make it through the winter. That’s why Durango Trails this week launched an informational and educational video campaign aimed at educating and inspiring users to follow certain etiquette and safety guidelines when traveling on trails in Durango and the surrounding area. The first video, “It’s Up To Me,” highlights the importance of abiding by the winter seasonal wildlife closures.

It’s up to me. It’s up to us. It’s up to all of us to protect wildlife in Colorado.

The seasonal wildlife closures go into effect Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2021, until April 15, 2022, on the following areas:

Grandview Ridge

  • Big Canyon and Sale Barn trailheads (access located east of U.S. Highway 160)
  • Grandview BLM trails

Animas City Mountain

  • BLM lands above the lower loops (about 1.5 miles above the 32nd Street Trailhead)

Twin Buttes Area

  • The upper trails only, as marked.

Bodo State Wildlife Areas

  • This area is closed with the exception of the Smelter Mountain Trail that is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dogs are prohibited.

Perins Peak

Watch the video here or by clicking the video above. Visit our Trail Conditions Report for up to date trail conditions. You can also learn more about wildlife in Colorado by visiting the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website.

Campaign video made possible through Durango Trails receipt of the Partners in the Outdoors grant from the Colorado Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) in partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). The videos were produced by Coldstream Creative and include local talent.

Durango Trails Launches Durango Trail Love Campaign

We are excited to announce the launch of  “Durango Trail Love,” a seasonal campaign designed to promote share the trail and leave no trace ethics.

After an unprecedented trail season in 2020, Durango Trails, in partnership with Alpine Bank and area land managers, are launching a stewardship education campaign to help combat the impact on our area trails and outdoor recreation amenities.

Trails are the gateway to the outdoors. Whether you're fly fishing, fat biking, backpacking, or hiking, you're taking a trail to your adventure.

Before COVID, the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable found about 50% of Americans were getting outdoors. In July of last year, the recent survey found 89% were getting outdoors, and 30% were new outdoorists.

With so many users on the trails, it's important we all practice proper Durango Trail Love and show some love back to our trails!

This campaign is intended not just to speak to visitors and new trail users, but also to remind locals and longtime trail users to lead by example, so that we can all understand how to better care for our land.

Trailwork Registration Now Open for May & June!

Announcing Our 2021 Trailwork Kick Off!

We are excited to announce our first public trailwork dates for 2021! Please join us to help give back to our trails and community. 

The trailwork calendar for May and June is below; please note that advance registration is required for all trailwork events. Please sign up via the links below. 

No experience is necessary and Durango Trails will provide the necessary instruction and safety tool talk as well as all tools, gloves, water and lunch for the entire crew.

Volunteers should wear closed toe shoes or boots, long pants, shirt (long or short sleeved), sun hat, sunscreen, and bring a water bottle, and rain jacket (optional). Durango Trails will provide all tools, instruction, gloves and water.

May & June 2021 Trailwork Dates: Please Register!

Wednesday, May 19th  –  Skyline Trail Maintenance  SIGN UP HERE
Wednesday, May 26th  – Ned’s Hill Reroute and Maintenance  SIGN UP HERE
Friday, June 4th  – Colorado Trail Maintenance at Junction Creek  SIGN UP HERE

Wednesday, June 9th – Twin Buttes Maintenance  SIGN UP HERE
Saturday & Sunday, June 25-27  – Colorado Trail Maintenance Weekend, Campion Venture, Time and Sign Up TBD!

Durango Trails hosts public trailwork each week, as well as additional announced days and times, throughout the trail season. Sign up for our FREE Trail Talk E-Newsletter for details and announcements.

Happy Trails!

RidgeView (formerly SkyRaider) Trail Opens!

Durango Trails is excited to announce the opening of a new trail connecting Powerline to Extended Ridge! 

After an unprecedented spring season, Durango Trails, working with the City of Durango, has completed the construction of the RidgeView Trail. Work on RidgeView was initiated last season by our hard-working volunteers and was completed this season by the Durango Trails Crew Leader team, as volunteer trailwork days have been put on hold so far this year due to COVID-19.

“Durango Trails has been working with the City for over two decades, planning, building, and maintaining our area trails; partnering on education, outreach, and helping connect our town. We are so pleased that they are visionary and solution-oriented and can deliver top-notch trails to our community,” said Councilor Chris Bettin who also sits on the Park and Recreation Advisory Board.

“Trails are the cornerstone of our community, the gateway to the outdoors, and the work of Durango Trails can not be overstated as it relates to the branding of Durango and its role in our recovery from this global pandemic,” added Rachel Brown, director of Visit Durango, Durango’s destination marketing organization.

As a celebration of the Solstice, the RidgeView Trail will officially open on Saturday, June 20. Since the opening celebration will be virtual, please help us celebrate by viewing and sharing the celebratory video below.

The trail is located off of the Powerline Trail and connects Powerline to Raider Ridge

Support the trails that connect you to the outdoors

Trails are the cornerstone of our community and the gateway to the outdoors.

Help support our work so you can continue to connect to the outdoors by giving to Durango Trails!