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Hiking and Mountain Biking in Cortez |
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Before you go out into the wild, remember: Always tell someone where you are going and when you are planning to return.
We encourage you to purchase a Colorado backcountry certificate -
available where hunting and fishing licenses are sold - to insure your
cost of search and rescue in the event of need. Always
carry water, always be prepared for bad weather, and bikers - always
wear a helmet. Have fun - you are in God's country! |
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Easy "Kid Friendly" Year Round 1.4 Miles |
Petroglyph Point Trail begins at the Spruce Tree House Trail and
follows below the edge of the plateau to the South, then makes a short
climb to the rim of the plateau and returns via a rim trail. The trail
provides great views of both Spruce and Navajo Canyons, and a nice
petroglyph panel. The trail ends at the parking area near the museum.
Hikers are required to register at the Ranger Station in the museum
before hiking this trail.
Location: Trail begins at Spruce Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park. |
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Easy Year Round "Kid Friendly" 1.0 Miles |
Spruce
Canyon Trail begins at the Spruce Tree House Trail, the Spruce
Canyon Trail follows the bottom of Spruce Tree Canyon. It turns up
Spruce Canyon and ends at the picnic area. The trail provides an
excellent opportunity to experience the canyon bottoms. Hikers are
required to register at the Ranger Station in the museum before hiking
this trail |
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Moderate Year Round 3.9 Miles
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PRATER
RIDGE TRAIL - Beginning on the west side of Morefield Campground, this
trail ascends the east side of Prater Ridge and follows a loop around the
top of the ridge, returning via the same ascent. Changes in elevation
bring changes in vegetation types and great views of the surrounding
countryside. Location: Trail begins at Spruce Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park. |
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Easy Year Round "Kid Friendly" .75 Miles |
Knife Edge Trail
provides good
views of the Montezuma Valley and is a great place to watch sunsets.
Follow an old road alignment from the Northwest corner of Morefield
Campground to the Montezuma Valley Overlook.
Location: Trail begins at Morefield Campground in Mesa Verde National Park. |
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Easy "Kid Friendly" Year Round 2.0 - 6.0 Miles |
POINT
LOOKOUT TRAIL offers hikers excellent views of the Montezuma and
Mancos Valleys, as well as the surrounding countryside. This trail
switchbacks up the back side of Point Lookout and follows along the mesa.
Location: Trail begins at Point Lookout in Mesa Verde National Park. |
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Easy to Difficult Spring to Fall 6.0 Miles |
Dry Fork Trail
offers views of the La Plata Mountains and meets up with the Colorado
Trail. Hikers must be careful on this path because it is a very popular,
multi-use trail. This trail starts out relatively flat, but starts to
climb after crossing a creek. It will come out on a mesa (table top) where
you will see a park bench and a great view of the city of Durango. This bench is a good spot
to turn around for a day of hiking. It is about a 3 mile hike to the
bench. The trail continues on and eventually meet up with the Colorado Trail. Location: From Cortez, head east on Highway 160 for about 30 miles and turn north on Lightner Creek Road (County Road 207) before reaching Durango. Follow this road for 1 mile, veering right onto Dry Fork Road (CR 208). This gravel road enters the Perins Peak Wildlife Area. Go 2 miles, taking a right at the fork. Continue 1 mile to the trailhead, parking on the left. Follow the single-track trail up 1 mile to the intersection of Dry Fork and Hoffheins Connection trails. Make a clock-wise loop by following the Dry Fork Trail to the left. Continue up 3 miles, until you meet the Colorado Trail. Turn right onto the Colorado Trail and continue for another 3 miles, looking for Hoffheins Connection on the right. For a panoramic view, continue another 300 yards to Gudy's Rest. Descend the Hoffheins Connection to the Dry Fork Trail. Angle left and continue down to your starting point. |
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Easy to Difficult Spring to Fall |
La Plata Canyon
is in an area west of Durango (on the way to Cortez) with many options of
places to hike and bike. We suggest starting out early as it often rains
in the afternoon. There are a series of trails and a guide map to tell you
were to go to hike through beautiful alpine flowers, columbine, and
orchids to a nice alpine lake. This is an ideal spot for your picnic as
long as its not too late in the afternoon as afternoon thunderstorms are
frequent. This could be an all-day event, so bring a lunch, water, a
jacket and your dog! Location: Go east on Hwy 160 about 25 miles past Mancos. You will be in the town of Hesperus. Before you hit the Hesperus Ski Hill, make a right hand turn on to La Plata Canyon Road at the Kenebec Cafe. Drive on this road for 6-14 miles. Along the way there will be dirt roads along the way that were old mining roads. You can explore any of these. There will be an obvious spot when the road comes out of a canyon, and there is another road that branches off that is not nearly as wide or traveled that leads to a bridge. If you take this route, you can hike toward the left and find an old abandoned mine. If you go right, you will cross a creek and follow along to see an old mining cabin, and other mining remnants. If you don't turn off of La Plata Canyon road, eventually you will come to Kenebec Pass. However, most people and most cars cannot just drive up to Kenebec pass because it is an unimproved road that usually requires the use of a high clearance 4x4. So another option is to go as far as your car will allow, and hike or bike to the pass. |
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Durango FAQs &
Insider Tips Durango Sights, Places of Interest and Links - Do-It-Yourself Tours Great Travel Tips Our Favorite Travel Links |
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Iron Horse Bicycle Classic
http://www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com/ Durango Marathon |
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If you have any questions, comments or if you have any hiking or biking
trails that you would like to add, we would be very happy to share them
with the world! Send all the details to Leah, your Travel Guide, at info@destinationcoupons.com |
