Hiking Trails of Southwestern Colorado, Fifth Edition. John Peel

      A morning view of Durango on the southeast side of Animas Mountain.

      The east (right) side of the loop is two trails that parallel and occasionally cross each other. The west side of the loop is an old four-wheel-drive road that is quite rough on the lower part. There is another trail on the western rim that some prefer due to its gentler slope.

      The route described here goes up the west side on the old road and does a clockwise loop.

      APPROACH: Take Thirty-Second Street west from Main Avenue in Durango to its west end on West Fourth Avenue. Turn right here and follow West Fourth to its end, where there is an off-camber gravel area for several cars that tend to park willy-nilly (N 37 18.172, W 107 52.354, 6,700 feet).

      The trailhead has a sign with a map of the loop, and maps are posted along the route at most of the many intersections.

      HIKE: Go north from the parking area; just past a power station you can go either left (steep uphill) or right (gentle uphill). Let’s say you go the easy way and go right. This route follows switchbacks uphill. Go right at the first intersection at 0.3 miles, but then stay left at the next one, 0.7 miles from the start. That takes you in about 50 yards to the old four-wheel-drive road, which tends north fairly steeply (N 37 18.303, W 107 52.567, 7,050 feet).

      After a steady climb that eases the higher you go, at 2.4 miles you’ll come to an impressive overlook with some sandstone outcrops (N 37 19.683, W 107 52.329, 8,080 feet).

      At this point you can look down the mountain’s steep north side into the Falls Creek Valley and northwest across the valley to the high La Plata Mountains. You can also see up the Animas River Valley to the town of Hermosa and well beyond, up into the West Needles.

      To continue the loop from here, go east up the trail. It climbs almost another 100 feet of elevation before finally topping out at 2.6 miles (8,161 feet). The trail dips and rises back to the nearly identical top elevation, then at 2.9 miles it swings south. You’ll begin to get nice views of the Animas Valley and the tortuous, winding river amid pastures populated with horses and cattle and homes. There are also some old turns of the river, now bypassed and disconnected, known as oxbows. These accumulate water during snowmelt season or floods.

      At 3.1 miles you’ll come to the first of three junctions where two branches of the same trail cross each other down the east side of the mountain (N 37 19.429, W 107 51.687). This probably goes without saying, but the views are better if you stay closer to the rim, and the distance is approximately the same. It’s 1.9 miles from the first of the three junctions to the intersection near the old four-wheel-drive road. There are several return options from here, but if you go straight here, taking the steeper way down, you’ll reach the parking area at 5.5 miles.

      OPTIONS: There’s a newer trail that goes up the western rim of this uplifted, mesa-like mountain. This trail offers good views of the Falls Creek drainage and the La Plata Mountains during the upper part of the climb. It’s a little longer, but it’s a little bit less steep than the other two options.

      At the spot where you intersect with the old four-wheel-drive road (N 37 18.303, W 107 52.567, 7,050 feet), go up the road 0.1 miles and look for a trail taking off uphill to the left (N 37 18.387, W 107 52.575, 7,160 feet). Take that trail, which hovers around the rim, to a three-way intersection at the 1.4 mile mark (N 37 18.693, W 107 52.898, 7,351 feet).

      Go right at the three-way and make your way up very steadily. At 2.9 miles, just as you connect with the other trail on the west side (to your right), you’ll reach the rocky outcrop overlook described above.

LOG CHUTES

      DISTANCE: 4.7 miles for the short loop, 6.3 miles for the long loop

      ELEVATION: Start at 7,520 feet, high point of farthest trail is 8,400 feet (880-foot gain)

      RATING: Easy

      TIME ALLOWED: 2½ to 4½ hours

      These trails, former logging roads reconditioned back in the 1990s, are not far from Durango in the Junction Creek area. Two main loops are discussed here, but there are several other options off these loops. A newer, eastern trail has become popular, particularly among the mountain bike crowd. This is on San Juan National Forest land.

      APPROACH: Take Twenty-Fifth Street west off Main Avenue. This soon becomes Junction Creek Road (CR 204). It’s 3 miles to a Y-intersection where you’ll veer left; going right takes you up Falls Creek Road (CR 205).

      In another 0.6 miles you’ll reach the National Forest boundary at a cattleguard; at this same point, the paved road becomes gravel. Also here is the southern terminus for the Colorado Trail. The road soon turns into a twisting, climbing mountain road. From the boundary, go 1.8 miles (you’ll pass Junction Creek Campground) and turn right into a parking area for the Log Chutes Trails (N 37 20.405, W 107 54.495, 7,520 feet). A closed gate bars the way to vehicles just past the parking area.