distinct enough to deserve special attention. It is the most challenging and most rewarding hike in the park. It’s possible to climb on a long lunch break.
From the top of the Hogsback, looking down at the ridgetop trail toward town.
APPROACH: Use the Leyden Street access. Reach Leyden from town by taking Twenty-Second Street west off Main Avenue. The street angles to the top of Crestview Mesa, where it becomes Montview Parkway; follow this west to Glenisle, then south one block to Leyden, and west again to the end of Leyden (N 37 17.054, W 107 53.264). Respect local residents while parking and starting your trek. As you drive up Leyden, you’ll see both the Hogsback and Perins Peak beyond it.
HIKE: Take the trail over a large culvert and follow it along a usually dry gulch. In just over 0.1 mile a trail branches at a 120-degree angle left uphill. You can take this, or you can go another 0.2 miles to a second left, which is a little less steep (N 37 17.126, W 107 53.557). Both of these trails top out to join a larger, more gradual trail that goes west toward Hogsback.
The trail twists and turns through some brush, eventually reaching open shale. The last two pitches are steep and can usually be done standing up—the shale has good footholds—but if conditions are wet or very dry, you’ll probably slide a bit. Near the top is a very narrow spot where you must be careful not to slip, lest you take a steep, unscheduled glissade in the shale for 150 feet. The steep area is on the left part of the trail; it is a good idea to hold onto the brush on the right side. On the top (N 37 17.063, W 107 53.954, 7,484 feet) at 1 mile there is a nice single slab of sandstone that becomes your reward for huffing and puffing. It is a good place to lie down and rest or to sit and study the scenery: the city below, Perins Peak to the west, the West Needles to the north-northeast.
You can return on the same route, or you can make a loop.
OPTIONS: A trail goes west off the Hogsback, and it’s really steep for the first 30 yards. It’s doable if you’re careful. Follow this trail along a ridge for a quarter-mile from the top, then take a right (east) off the ridge (N 37 17.177, W 107 54.105, 7,100 feet) and drop down a winding trail about a half-mile, where the trail crosses Slime Gulch on a wooden bridge and comes to an intersection (N 37 17.286, W 107 53.781, 6,840 feet). Take a right, and follow this trail 0.6 miles to Leyden Street. Making this loop, which is all in Overend Mountain Park, adds 0.3 miles to the trip.
PERINS PEAK
DISTANCE: 5.4 miles round-trip
ELEVATION: Start at 6,885 feet, finish at 8,340 feet (1,455-foot gain)
RATING: Moderate
TIME ALLOWED: 2½ to 4 hours
With its distinctive profile, Perins Peak is a town icon. Its top has a sharp, pointed cliff that faces east and looks down over Durango like a guardian.
It was named after Charles Perin, a civil engineer who laid out the grid for the town when it was incorporated in 1881.
You can only do this hike during one-third of the year, from August 1 through November 30. The Perins Peak Trail goes through both state (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) and federal (Bureau of Land Management) land. The restrictions are there to protect the peregrine falcon, which was once an endangered species, as well as big-game species whose young are born in this area. But this is good hiking and it’s worth waiting for the open period. Also, it has the advantage of starting right out from the city limits.
The first part is easy, but the last thousand feet of altitude gain are moderately difficult due to steepness. It is a vigorous hike, rewarding for the workout you’ll get and for the nice view of both the La Plata Mountains and Durango.
APPROACH: From Main Avenue in Durango, go left (west) on Twenty-Fifth Street. After 0.5 miles, or two blocks past Miller Middle School, take a left onto Clovis Drive. At 0.9 miles Clovis continues into the Rockridge subdivision and becomes Rockridge Drive. Go up this drive and, just before reaching the end, go right briefly on Tanglewood and take another quick left that takes you back to a parking area.
HIKE: Locate the trailhead at a gate (N 37 18.394, W 107 53.809, 6,885 feet) and begin the hike. You’ll quickly come to a fork. Take the path left, crossing Dry Gulch. The path right is the Dry Gulch Trail. The north massif of Perins looms above. You could also climb this, but this trail description is of the east massif overlooking town.
In 1.3 miles the climbing begins in earnest, and the trail switchbacks up the mountain. At 2 miles the trail has basically reached the mesa top, although it still climbs gently.
Reach an old road at 2.2 miles and go left (east) on it, steeply uphill again (N 37 17.475, W 107 55.341, 8,000 feet). Reach the high point of the climb at 2.7 miles (N 37 17.435, W 107 54.992, 8,340 feet).
OPTIONS: You may feel like wandering eastward over to the point where you get a better view of town. There’s a little bit of downhill, and take care when you get near the ledge.
Another option—if you’re up for an adventure—is to climb the north Perins massif. Return to the 2.2-mile mark and take the trail heading left. (Down to your left around here is the old Boston Coal Mine and Perins City, which you may find traces of.) From the 2.2-mile junction it’s 2 miles along a path that is ill defined or nonexistent to this northern point, which ends in a serious cliff at 8,682 feet—340 feet higher than the peak we typically call Perins.
The impressive beak of Perins Peak, seen from the ridge just below the Hogsback.
DRY GULCH TO DURANGO
DISTANCE: 5.1 miles one-way
ELEVATION: Start at 7,315 feet, high point at 7,745 feet (430-foot gain), finish at 6,685 feet (1,060-foot drop)
RATING: Easy
TIME ALLOWED: 2 to 3 hours
Like the Perins Peak hike, this travels through land subject to wildlife closures. The Dry Gulch hike described here is all on Colorado Parks and Wildlife land, and is open for four months: August 1 through November 30. The closure is to protect breeding elk and deer in the winter, and nesting peregrine in the spring and early summer.
The peregrine has been officially delisted from the endangered species list, but the closure has remained in place to protect this still-rare bird that is said to reach over 200 miles per hour when diving at prey. If one swoops anywhere near you, you’ll hear it. It’s very cool.
Perins Peak’s north summit, as seen from the Dry Gulch Trail.
Note that hunting season begins in late August for archery and extends nearly through the end of December, depending on the animal and location. It’s a really good idea to wear a blaze orange vest, particularly during big-game rifle season in October and November. Check the Colorado Parks and Wildlife
