News – Durango Trails

Updated COVID-19 Recreation Guidelines

Posted on June 24, 2020June 24, 2020 by Beth Stewart

If you’re seeking best practices while on our area trails, here are suggestions. As of June 2020, the state of Colorado’s COVID-19 restrictions are now labeled as Level 2: “Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors.” While we are all still safer at home, the great outdoors provide a safe space to enjoy our trails and public lands while practicing social distancing.

Limit the group you are recreating with to 10 or fewer people
Stay at least six feet away from members of other households unless it is unsafe to do so
Wear a mask or face covering when when driving to/from your activity in a shared vehicle
Bring hand sanitizer to clean hands when soap & water is not accessible
If you or anyone in your party is sick or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, stay home and reschedule your activity.
You do not need to wear a mask while riding, running, etc. but please be considerate of those around you

In addition to following the above guidelines, please also make sure to follow all local fire restrictions. La Plata County, as well as the surrounding counties of Montezuma, San Juan, and Archuleta, all have active fire restrictions in place.

With summer visitors in town, as well as a large number of new, local trail users out, please remember to follow “Share the Trails” ethics and proper trail etiquette by announcing yourself, slowing down, communicating with others about how to proceed, and always keeping your dog on a leash. Now is a great time to help educate new trail users to ensure all have a positive experience. Remember, just say “hi”.

Trails are the gateway to the outdoors; please continue to follow all local guidelines and public health orders so we can all continue to enjoy the outdoors together! See you on the trails!

Have you been enjoying our local trails more than usual while quarantined this spring? Please consider donating to Durango Trails so we can continue to build, plan, and maintain the regional trails you love. We also have awesome merchandise to help rep your #DurangoTrailLove!

Resources:

State of Colorado Safer at Home Guidelines for Personal Recreation

SkyRaider Trail Opens!

Posted on June 19, 2020June 19, 2020 by Beth Stewart

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 SkyRaider Trail. Work on SkyRaider 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 SkyRaider 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.

Watch This: COVID-19 Video Learning Series: Passing, Dogs on Leash and Land Manager Message

Posted on May 22, 2020June 24, 2020 by durangotrails

Stage I Fire Restrictions Now in Place

Posted on May 21, 2020June 24, 2020 by Beth Stewart

As of May 12, 2020, La Plata County and the San Juan National Forest have enacted Stage I Fire Restrictions.

Under the restrictions, the following acts are prohibited:

Building, maintaining, attending, or using any type of fire, campfire, coal or wood burning stove, any type of charcoal fueled broiler, or the burning of any material on public or private property. The use of charcoal or gas barbecue grills, ovens or smokers on private property is not prohibited.
Smoking, in or on all City-owned, operated, or managed property, including but not limited to: all sidewalks, parks, recreation areas, open space, natural lands, reservoirs, the Animas River corridor, the Animas River Trail, and all other trails within the City. This restriction does not prohibit designated smoking areas.
Using explosive material (i.e., fireworks, blasting caps, or any incendiary device which may result in the ignition of flammable material).
Welding and/or operating an acetylene or similar torch with an open flame, except that, as long as a fire watch individual is on site and readily available with proper hand tools and either one 2 ½ gallon pressurized fire extinguisher, one 5 pound ABC extinguisher, or pressurized water supply, welding and/or operating an acetylene or similar torch with an open flame in a 20-foot radius safe zone free of vegetation is not prohibited
Operating or using any internal combustion engine, except that operating or using any internal combustion engine equipped with an approved, properly installed, and properly maintained spark-arresting device meeting either Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Standard 5100-1 or Society of Automotive Engineers recommended practice J335(b) and J350 (a) is not prohibited.

The purpose of these orders are to decrease the risk of fire and to maximize scarce resources otherwise needed to respond to the COVID-19 health crisis.

Please follow all local fire restrictions and help keep our lands safe!

Safe Trail Use During COVID-19

Posted on March 27, 2020May 22, 2020 by durangotrails

Updated May 22, 2020.

The Colorado Stay at Home Order that went into effect March 26 was changed to a “Safer-at-Home” order on April 27th. It continues to allow exercise outside the home, and travel via foot, bike or car to trailheads. Outdoor activities such as walking, hiking, fishing, biking, or running are still permitted under the order. State parks will remain open for the previously-mentioned activities.

The COVID-19 situation and subsequent Stay at Home Order by San Juan Basin Health is not something to be taken lightly. Getting exercise and getting outside is extremely important for our well-being and mental health, but we must keep open spaces safe and uncrowded. Here’s what Durango Trails is doing and our recommendations for safe trail use during this time.

TRAILWORK EVENTS ARE POSTPONED

All Durango Trails trail building events, parties, and other social events are postponed until such time as group activities are deemed safe again. We continue to look forward to our upcoming 2020 Trailwork Kick-Off Event, as well as our 30th Anniversary Celebration, and we will update you when new dates have been chosen for both.

TRAILS: THE GATEWAY TO OUTDOOR RECREATION

The current guidelines list biking, walking, hiking and other outdoor activities as essential, permitted activities while following social distancing. In order to comply with all social distancing orders, do not organize a group activity of more than 10 people and maintain a distance of 6 feet between all. Please remember, no matter how you choose to get outdoors, social distancing is not optional. Please abide by all guidelines and rules listed below.

MOUNTAIN BIKING

Stay alert, slow down, and communicate with each other from a distance about how to proceed. With local gyms and rec centers closed, there may be new users on the trails. Now is a great time to educate the community on responsible trail use, and to be patient, exemplary stewards and neighbors. Remember, great communities build great trails and great trails build great communities.

TRAIL RUNNING

To follow proper social distancing guidelines, please do not run in groups. Please announce yourself.

DOG WALKING

Dogs must be on a leash! Please don’t put anyone at risk by not having your dog on a leash and please, always pick up after your dog.

KEEP OPEN SPACES UNCROWDED

Pick off-peak times to ride, or choose less-used trail areas. If there is no available parking at a trailhead, it is too crowded!
Ride fewer times a week.
Remember to keep your dogs on a leash; this is important to help keep everyone protected and reduce the impact on emergency services.

PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING

Don’t carpool, unless with household members.
Don’t do shuttle rides.
Ride solo. If you do ride with others, the intention is that you only go with people in YOUR HOUSEHOLD, and maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance at all times.
Give plenty of room to all users on the trail. Instead of the MTB Lean, step off the trail and lift your bike with you to let others pass. Please don’t take a longer path and ride off-trail to avoid users.
Check out our video learning series on current best trail practices
When in doubt, remember the llama rule!

AVOID CONTAMINATION

While masks are not required while recreating, please be conscious of conditions where passing one another at close proximity is required. Watch our video learning series on safe passing and keep a mask in your pack when needed, or for visiting public areas and shops.
Don’t ride if you are sick.
Avoid touching others’ bikes, racks or equipment like pumps and tools.
Don’t share drinks, food, or anything else that goes in your mouth and can be inhaled.
Be mindful of your snot rockets and loogies.
Use the bathroom before you leave the house. Some trailhead restrooms are open but aren’t being maintained, others are closed.

KEEP TRIPS SHORT AND CONSERVATIVE

Ride and hike within your limits and don’t take risks. Now is not the time to go big; our healthcare system has enough to do without setting your broken collar bone.

KEEP IT LOCAL

If you can safely ride to the trailhead, please do so.
Do not get in your car and travel to other communities. Communities like Moab shut down camping and request visitors to stay home. They do not have the resources or infrastructure to handle visitors during this time and are trying to stop the spread of COVID-19 in their own towns.

GRAVEL RIDING

Our trails have been very busy since COVID-19 was first detected, so now is a great time to explore https://gravelmap.com/browse/colorado/durango.

No special bike required, just turn off your suspension and have a sense of adventure.

BE SAFE AND BE SMART

We want to get outside with you when this is over, please take this pandemic seriously!

RESOURCES

Seasonal Wildlife Closures Dec. 1 through April 15

Posted on December 1, 2019April 11, 2020 by durangotrails

Video campaign highlights the importance of respecting seasonal wildlife closures in Durango – in effect Dec. 1, 2019

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 Trails 2000 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 Saturday, Dec. 1, 2019, until April 15, 2020, 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 32^nd 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

Please note this area is closed through July 31, 2018, to protect nesting peregrine falcons.

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 Trails 2000 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.

Please Volunteer: Sign Up to help Durango Trails 2000 at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Holiday Bloomer Sale

Posted on November 13, 2019April 11, 2020 by durangotrails

Volunteer spots have been filled. Thank you to everyone who signed up to help!

Volunteers are needed to work the RMCF Holiday Bloomer Sale next weekend November 22 and 23, benefitting Trails 2000. It’s a fun day, helping customers with chocolate purchases (and maybe eating a piece yourself) and giving back to your local trails!

Please sign up this week. All details, along with the signup form, are outlined below.

Trails 2000 Volunteer Details for November 22 and 23, 2019

Trails 2000 is pleased to invite volunteers to volunteer at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Holiday Bloomer Sale.

This year’s sale will again benefit local organizations, which may include United Way of Southwest Colorado, Trails 2000, and Civitan International.

We would greatly appreciate volunteers on one, or both days and even for setup. Not only would you help us with the largest sale of the year, but your work would help us contribute to these great local organizations! Plus… employees and volunteers receive employee special pricing.

We will need help on Friday with setup and during the evening sale (2-7 pm) and Saturday (8 am-2 pm). We have to clean up after and even sweep the floor.

Actual sale hours are Friday 5-7 (invitation) and Saturday 9 AM to 1 PM (general public, advertised)

Most volunteers hand out candy to customers by the piece or the box, work in a section by types of candy or help carry items to the cars. You are on your feet the entire time. Volunteers team up with RMCF employees to answer questions about candy.

Subway sandwiches or pizza along with various drinks are provided for each sale with a break for eating.

When: Friday, November 22, 2019 OR Saturday, November 23, 2019

Where: LaPlata County Fairgrounds

What to wear: Volunteers should wear closed-toe very comfortable shoes or boots, long pants, and bring a water bottle, and a jacket (optional)

Check In at the front when you arrive

Thank you for volunteering and giving back to Durango Trails 2000!

Happy Trails!

ALL GUARDIANS MUST REGISTER IF THE PARTICIPANT IS UNDER 18 YEARS OLD

Durango Trails Town Challenge Fundraiser

Posted on November 8, 2019 by durangotrails

Donate in honor of the Durango Trails Town Challenge to support our local trails!

Payson McElveen invites Durango to conquer every trail

By John Livingston Regional sports editor

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019 4:52 PM

Updated 18 hours 20 minutes ago

Follow @jlivi2

Payson McElveen is ready to celebrate the end of the 2019 mountain biking season in his backyard of Durango. He wants the community to join him.

In 2016, McElveen and fellow professional mountain biker Howard Grotts set out on a mission to ride every trail in Durango’s city limits in one day. After roughly 80 miles and 12,000 feet of elevation gain, the sun set on their goal before it was complete.

Only four days removed from his final race of the year – the Iceman Cometh Challenge in Michigan – McElveen will set out from his front door under the glow of early morning light Thursday and give it another shot. He hopes to be joined by other mountain bikers along the way.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a while,” he said. “We are going to make it happen at the last minute with help from Osprey and Trails 2000. The last time Howard and I tried this, people joined us on the trail. It would be sweet if that happened again.”

McElveen, a two-time marathon mountain bike national champion, estimated the ride would be roughly 100 miles with 15,000 feet of climbing. It’s not a race, but he knows he will have to be moving at a fast pace all day to finish before dark. He said the ideal scenario would have him drop into the descent of Hogsback as the sun sets for a grand finale before he rides back home to complete the day.

McElveen

“The important component is that this isn’t a race. It’s not like the White Rim (fastest known time) or anything like that,” he said. “I will have to ride at a decent clip and reduce my stops, but this is meant purely to celebrate another awesome summer of mountain biking here in Durango.”

For every named trail McElveen completes, he will donate $1 to Trails 2000, the nonprofit responsible for building and maintaining so many of the beloved trails in Durango. Several people have already signed on to match that donation, and McElveen hopes more do, as well.

“There’s a lot to thank Trails 2000 for. There are well over 100 trails with individual names, and every trail I ride I will donate $1,” he said. “I want to showcase what a ridiculously great trail system and the access to those we have in this town. A lot of towns are investing big in trail systems, but no town has the access and diversity of trails we have.”

Trails 2000 is also thankful for McElveen giving back.

“We’re thrilled that Payson, as a young athlete, is recognizing the effort that our paid crew leaders, staff, and thousands of volunteers have made in planning, building and maintaining our trail network which is the cornerstone of the outdoor recreation community,” said Trails 2000 executive director Mary Monroe Brown. “The efforts of Durango Trails 2000 began in 1990 with the mountain bike world championships and is one reason why Payson chose to attend Fort Lewis College due to of all of the mountain bike opportunities, and now he is completing that circle by giving back to the trail network that he trains on and that have provided him with so many personal connections to Durango.”

McElveen will have a Garmin GPS tracking his progress, and people will be able to follow him online throughout the day and get out on the trails and join him for sections of the ride if they would like to. McElveen will release a link to the tracking page via his Instagram and Facebook pages Wednesday.

“The more folks come out, the merrier,” McElveen said. “Ten hours is a long time to ride the bike. It wouldn’t be very fun to ride the entire thing alone.”

Payson McElveen is used to riding his bike fast around Durango. On Thursday, he will have to ride at a strong pace from sunrise to sunset to try to tackle every trail in city limits.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file

Funded by Osprey, McElveen will release a short video about the ride. It will be filmed by Durango’s own Dylan Stucki, who will race around Durango’s trails to get a variety of footage.

To start, McElveen will pedal his Trek Top Fuel bike up Florida Road to the route known as “Bread Express.” He will tackle the Skyline trail to Raider’s Ridge from there. Riding the entire Colorado Trail as part of the mission is, of course, not possible. But he said he may try to include a ride from the trailhead to Gudy’s Rest and Dry Fork trail because it is such a popular easy-access trail enjoyed by so many in Durango.

He anticipates having to make brief stops to pick up food and more hydration products. He will have an Osprey pack loaded up with supplies and hopes to stop as few times as possible. He does not plan on taking a light, which means sunset is his finish line no matter what.

“How many miles it will be, I don’t know,” McElveen said. “Last time, we came up short. I’m making a few adjustments and being more strict on defining what an ‘in-town trail’ is and defining that as any trailhead within city limits.

“What sunk us last time is that we got suckered into longer stops and wasted time. This time, I’ll be doing NASCAR-type pit stop action to some extent with the hope of completing the ride. There’s absolutely no guarantee, and I might come up short again, but since we are doing the donations for Trails 2000, it’s a win even if I come up short.”

jlivingston@ durangoherald.com

Ed Zink

Posted on October 13, 2019 by durangotrails

Our friend, mentor, and hero has passed. We are forever grateful for Ed’s vision and dedication to our community. The family has requested that contributions can be made in Ed’s name to Trails 2000. You can add “Ed Zink” in the notes when making a donation to Durango Trails 2000. The funds will be set aside in a separate account.

https://durangoherald.com/articles/297746-ed-zink-bicyclist-rancher-and-durango-native-dies-at-71

Winter Trail Reporters Wanted

Posted on February 26, 2019 by durangotrails