Part of the Horse Gulch Trails system.

In 2022, Durango Trails, working with the City of Durango, created this one-mile contour trail which connects to Charmed, EZ, Flame Out and Extended Ridge. Half Ridge Trail was formerly a 30% grade fire road which was never reclaimed after being built for a small fire in Horse Gulch around the year 2000.

The Half Ridge Trail is part of the Progressive Ridge, connecting to Raider Ridge, Hyper-Extended Ridge, Kitty Charmer, Charmed and Ben’s Down N Out. Half Ridge allows for loops to the ridge, down to Horse Gulch Road, back up Rocky Road and down Ben’s Down N Out.

The ridge runs the length of Durango from southwest to northeast. It has a sharp western escarpment and slopes gently into Horse Gulch on the east. It gathers stature as it moves north; the highest knob is over 1,300 feet above the Animas River Valley. The trails described run along the ridge crest for five miles beginning at the Horse Gulch Trailhead and turn around at the tallest prominence on Raider Ridge. Views abound of Durango, the Animas River Valley, La Plata Mountains, and a thin wedge of the San Juan Mountains. Debra Winegarden writes an excellent piece on this area, photos in the link.

The Durango area does not specifically sign downhill-only trails, so it is the responsibility of the downhill user to be aware of uphill traffic, including hikers and runners.