Best Trails near Durango, Colorado

A very nice hike with several loop options to shorten or lengthen the hike. A great hike for kids with several areas to boulder and climb along the trail. It is my family's favorite in-town hike.

Fair amount of snow. Turned around at 2.2 miles in when every step became a posthole. Had considered strapping my snowshoes on my pack, but didn’t. Wrong choice. Oh well, next time.

awesome hike and view

Easy, relatively flat section of the Horse Gulch trail system. You can easily add additional millage to this loop by doing the smaller adjacent trails, such as Stacey's and Mike's.

This is a lovely walk, well used by dog walkers and the occasional mountain bike. There is some dog poo near the beginning which is a little disappointing especially as there are poo bags and dispenser on the trail.
Incidentally, there is a geocache about 20 minutes in, for us geocachers.
I walked to the bridge and back I was wearing snow spikes, which I recommend as it is slippery in parts. There is no cell reception at all. Lovely views and the bridge was beautiful. Highly recommend this short walk

Great winter hike! Trail ends 2.5 miles in and a bit hard to walk at the end but it was worth the try. Beautiful view, well maintained.

Pretty hike through the woods. We opted to leave the snowshoes in the truck. Snow-packed trail. Once you get a few miles in (past the gate) we had fresh tracks on the switchbacks. The first part of trail is really a road. I would estimate road portion to be ~2 miles. We felt that part was a bit boring. The reviews said road is rough. I would think any decent SUV could make it to the gate with competent driver. Albeit...parking places near gate limited. Saw lots of friendly dog owners on trail.

the trail is closed to the top until May 2019. -

Beautiful

One of my absolute favorites. Day before Thanksgiving hike with my brother and nephew, a bit icy in some spots but FABULOUS

Good for escaping the noise and commotion of the city, but can have a fair amount of foot traffic. I encountered about twenty people on this Saturday.

A bit of traffic and city noise to contend with, but easily accessible with nice views and opportunities to see wildlife.

Nice views going up the switchbacks, but unfortunately it comes with traffic noise. The synthetic noise pollution doesn't dissipate until you get back into the canyon a ways.

Easy/Moderate trail that is kid friendly!
We had a great afternoon exploring the gulch. It’s busy . Be aware of cyclists as there are lots ! Everyone we met on the trail was super nice and there were lots of pets on their leash .. will definitely come back !

Let me preface this with saying I am an overweight flatlander with a 8 year old. It was absolutely beautiful, the views are worth it, but we had to stop MANY a time to catch our breath and rest. The initial ascent is daunting but you eventually get to the top and it levels out. Amazing hike with incredible views and will definitely do it again this year. Might not take the kid lol. Trek poles are a GREAT help ! Ps. I passed the intersection a good 6 times trying to find the trailhead . Don’t be like me !

I had the mountain to myself today and it was wonderful. There were a few muddy & icy spots, but overall the trail was in good condition.

Southern trailhead is CLOSED due to the fires this summer. The road is blocked off and there are posted warnings of jail time for trail use.

Drove up to the Notch and hiked down the east side past the crashed Bronco. Good drive also hiked to Taylor Lake.

Great hike with an incredible view at the top. Ice and packed snow in a few spots towards the top. Mostly clear as of 11/17

Popular in town trail shared with mountain bikers resulted with poor quality hiking. Otherwise great trail with views and nice gradual gains.

Moderate ascent with some great views of Durango and the valley to the north on the east side of the loop. Full loop is 6 miles, so it makes for a good 3 hour hike. Also a pet friendly hike. If I do it again, I’ll just do the east side up and back as it offers great views and terrain. The west side is a straight descent through the forest with little to no views.

This was my first solo hike in Colorado, and it was a decent one! Weather was phenomenal here in early November (high 50s and sunny). The initial ascent was a bit intimidating, with loose rocks and a decent amount of elevation gain at first. It then got gradually easier, especially towards the top. The traverse across the mountain was awesome too. I opted to descend parallel to the canyon, which made for a cool hike out.

Great hike to top of Castle Rock with the stunning views. Recent horse and cattle hoof ruts on the lower part and snow/ice near the top. Be careful.

This was a great trail to hike! I’m in town for work, had a day off, and loved spending it on this trail. The trail itself was in good shape, the people I encountered were friendly, and the views were 100% worth the trek. No dogs were on leashes, but they were all amazingly well trained. There were a lot of cyclists, but 95% were polite and careful around us. The one small group that wasn’t was a bit scary as they came around a hair pin turn a little too quickly for me to be able to get out of the way comfortably.

I’d recommend this trail and just suggest you watch the cyclists and the horse poop.

Lovely walk in the woods, gradual steepness. Highly recommend for a 1.5- 2 hour walk or trail run. Shaded so it stayed cool even though the sun was high. Bench at the top to rest and enjoy the scenic views. Can keep going up the colorado trail or turn back after Gudys Rest.

A good trail close to town with fantastic views up the Animas valley. We took the eastern loop which branches often to the right towards viewing places. The view at the top is fabulous. We opted to come back down the same trail as locals on the trail mentioned the western section is steep, rocky, and limited views. Overall a great 6-7 mile hike.

Love this hike! Soooooo gorgeous with the gold & red & green leaves falling! Beautiful year round!

Great hike with awesome views.

Goes down first, then back up so save a little energy. Easy. There are a few side trails, but these seem to go to campsites. When in doubt go right. Lovely aspen groves and amazing valley with aspens. Can pick any distance on this out and back since it doesn't lead to anything amazing like an alpine lake. Colors past their prime, but worth hiking in the fall. For more info and pics visit https://etbtravelphotography.com/2018/09/30/roadtrip-to-the-rockies-from-telluride-to-durango/

Did with baby and dog - challenging but doable.