Hiking Trails of Southwestern Colorado, Fifth Edition. John Peel
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 site (cpw.state.co.us) for specific dates.
The hike involves a vehicle shuttle. For the last mile of the hike you’ll be walking on a good gravel pedestrian path through the Rockridge subdivision. If you want to avoid this part, take your waiting vehicle up to the Perins Peak trailhead (see Perins Peak approach on page 35).
APPROACH: Drive west of Durango 3.5 miles on US 160 to a right turn on Lightner Creek Road (CR 207). Follow it 1 mile north to where Dry Fork Road (CR 208), a gravel road, veers off it to the right (north). This puts you into the wildlife area.
Continue 2 miles north, and where the road splits in a Y go right. Go another 0.25 miles to a cattleguard. Turn right, and go downhill in front of the guard to a small parking area (N 37 19.442, W 107 56.576).
The hike begins here; it ends at the intersection of Clovis and Borrego Drives on the west side of Durango, where another car can be parked. To find this spot from Durango, take Twenty-Fifth Street west off Main Avenue 0.5 miles to a left-hand turn on Clovis Drive. Follow Clovis to the top of a hill, where you’ll turn left onto Borrego. The trail end is just south of that intersection (N 37 17.774, W 107 53.154).
HIKE: From the western trailhead (N 37 19.438, W 107 56.574, 7,315 feet), cross Dry Fork and start hiking east. There should be a semblance of a trail or old road in this area, or maybe just a path through tamped-down grass. If you can follow the old, overgrown road, stick with it. Head up a shallow valley. In about a mile the north buttress of Perins Peak comes into view.
At 1.2 miles you will reach the high point of the hike (N 37 19.554, W 107 55.486, 7,745 feet) in a cluster of big ponderosa pines. From here on it is downhill, tending southeast, alternating between tall pines and open meadows as you follow the approximate path of Dry Gulch (not to be confused with Dry Fork, by the way).
Soon you’ll begin to see signs of civilization: a huge house to the north of Dry Gulch, then a couple of houses on the western outskirts of the Rockridge subdivision. You also may get lucky and see elk or deer, or bear, or even wild turkeys. Keep an eye open.
At 4.1 miles, pass through a gate and into a parking area for both this trail and the Perins Peak Trail (N 37 18.394, W 107 53.809, 6,885 feet). Hunters, of course, are frequent users of this lot. Continue down the road, cross Tanglewood, and find the gravel pedestrian path. At 5.1 miles, come to the intersection of Borrego and Clovis, locate your waiting vehicle, and try to remember where you placed your car keys.
BARNROOF POINT
DISTANCE: 5 miles round-trip
ELEVATION: Start at 6,960 feet, Barnroof’s top is 8,723 (1,763-foot gain)
RATING: Moderate, due to difficult bushwhacking
TIME ALLOWED: 3 to 4 hours
Two things you should know before attempting this hike:
One, Barnroof is heavily vegetated, especially with ponderosa pine and oak brush. The brush is from knee-high to 10 or 12 feet. It can be a real thicket, hard to get through, and hard to see where you’re going near the top as it flattens out. Because part of this hike will require bushwhacking, you should probably wear long pants. No, you should definitely wear long pants if you plan on reaching the top. The last half-mile is extremely thick.
Two, Barnroof Point is on Colorado Parks and Wildlife and US Bureau of Land Management property, and is closed to human traffic from December 1 (the end of hunting season) through April 15. Deer, elk, and grouse can often be seen on this mountain.
Barnroof is a low mountain southeast of the La Platas. It is interesting in that it stands as a single peak with valleys on all sides. This makes it a nice climb for presenting good views of surrounding territory, particularly the east side of the La Platas.
APPROACH: Drive west of Durango 3.5 miles on US 160 to a right turn on Lightner Creek Road (CR 207). Follow it 1 mile north to where Dry Fork Road, a gravel road, veers off it to the right (north). Turn onto this gravel road, then park immediately in a large parking area to the left (N 37 17.647, W 107 56.381, 6,960 feet). This is Parks and Wildlife land.
HIKE: Begin hiking by crossing Dry Fork, usually a very small stream or dry, and heading up the other side. Snake up an unmaintained path, and in 0.2 miles you’ll hit an abandoned road that nowadays looks more like just a trail. Follow this uphill (north).
After 0.5 miles this road ends; follow a less obvious trail that contours along for about a hundred feet then goes very steeply uphill. You may need to use your hands along this stretch, and if it’s muddy, it’ll be slick enough that you may want to go do another hike. After this steep scramble you’ll find yourself on the rim of what could be described as a gently uphill sloping mesa top (N 37 18.033, W 107 56.713, 7,630 feet).
Once on this rim, it will be easygoing for a while. The best bet is to stay close to the rim, but not so close that it scares the bejesus out of you—it’s a long way down. There will be many fine views of the valleys below and the peaks beyond.
The farther you go, the tougher the going gets and the less of a trail there is. At 2 miles, after more than a mile along the rim, the brush becomes very dense, and it’s very difficult to see where you’re going. Just continue up, up, up, bearing northwest, pushing through the dense brush, and ultimately, in another 0.5 miles you’ll find yourself at the top (N 37 19.008, W 107 57.693, 8,723 feet).
The view of the La Platas from the high point, the northwest corner