Colorado Trail: Segment 28

Hike Date: July 7, 2012

Location: San Juan National Forest (near Durango, CO)

Rating: A

Difficulty: Easy terrain and very gentle gradient; only ~1100 ft of cumulative elevation gain, but ~8.5 miles of walking

Description: Planning a short trip to SW Colorado, I resolved to hike for a few hours on Segment 28 of the Colorado Trail, a 486 mile trail that runs through the Colorado Rockies from Denver to Durango. It was Saturday, July 7, when I got to the western terminus trailhead on Junction Creek Road (3.5 miles from downtown Durango) at around 11:00 a.m.

Sign at the Junction Creek trailhead (6983 ft above sea level)

The first hundred yards or so of the trail present a slightly disappointing (and on that particular morning,  slightly malodorous) prelude, but soon the trail crosses Junction Creek on a wooden plank, and then steadily makes its way along its bank at the bottom of a canyon; this is a pleasant stretch...mildly undulating and punctuated with the soothing sound of gushing water. After a mile or so, one comes across a second trail sign near another parking lot that grants access to the trail.  Continuing along, to the right side, there are some interesting rock surfaces. In addition, there are opportunities to spot some birds as well as small patches of wildflowers along the side of the trail.

Interesting rocks

 After the second trailhead, the trail begins a gradual climb while continuing to follow the edge of the creek. The gradient is quite mild with extended level stretches.  After thus gaining a couple of hundred feet or so, it stays level for a while and then descends again to the level of the creek. 

Junction Creek flows along the canyon bottom

The trail was not very crowded at the time, though I did meet several local hikers on their way back from a morning hike (in many cases with unleashed big dogs!). Around 2.5 miles from the beginning,  the trail crosses Junction Creek on a wooden bridge.  I missed the turn towards the bridge initially since it is slightly obscured by vegetation, and an offshoot of the trail continues straight ahead. Having walked on for 10 minutes or so on a trail that became increasingly muddy and obstructed by vegetation, I became fairly certain that I must have missed the bridge. I retraced my steps, looking for the bridge to my right side, and just when I almost thought I had erred by turning back, I spotted the bridge and hurried over it. After the creek crossing, the trail begins  climbing up via a series of switchbacks. Some online descriptions describe these as steep (one even referred to them as "evil")...but to an East Coast hiker, they could only seem incredibly benign with a very gentle gradient and soft surface that is easy on the feet.  This is a multi-use trail (I met quite a few mountain bikers on this stretch) and so this layout makes much sense. 

The trees over the whole hike are predominantly Ponderosa pine, and their fragrance was a constant (and pleasant) presence, especially so on this stretch. The weather was perfect too, and it was a great day to be out walking through these pine forests.

Finally, I found myself at the overlook known as Gudy's Rest (named after Gudy Gaskill, the lady who is frequently referred to as the mother of the Colorado Trail since her efforts played a major role in making this trail possible) and was lucky enough to have it to myself for quite a while. 

Log bench and sign marking Gudy's Rest

The panorama from Gudy's Rest is magnificent. One can spot Perin's Peak and the valley in which Durango is situated. Also clearly visible is the lower portion of trail as it makes it way on the other side of Junction Creek. All around, one can see lush green slopes with pine trees and the occasional distant stands of Aspen detectable from afar due to their white bark.

View from Gudy's Rest - an overlook 4.1 miles from the trailhead
and 7970 ft above sea level
(Perin's peak is prominent; also visible is the trail on the other side of
Junction Creek)

A few paces ahead, there was another spot near the cliff edges that provided a slightly different perspective. I spent more time taking photographs, and then at 1:50 p.m., I decided to turn back in light of the possibility of rain and thunderstorms later in the afternoon.

Close-up of Perin's Peak using a telephoto lens
(from spot near Gudy's Rest)

Verdant slopes with scattered pine trees
(from spot near Gudy's Rest)

Another view of distant mountains and the valley

I was feeling more leisurely on the way back and stopped to take photos of the vegetation at several places. I noticed an abundance of Gambel Oak saplings and larger plants,  but funnily do not recall seeing any full-grown trees. I also noticed some interesting trees with blue-green leaves which might have been blue spruce.

Gambel Oak saplings

Red Penstemon

Unidentified plant.

A light drizzle started while I was in the last mile of the way back, but soon stopped. Finally, around 4:00 p.m., I found myself back at the trailhead. Though it had been but a 5 hour hike, casual day-hiker that I am, I felt a sense of achievement. However briefly, I had hiked the Colorado Rockies. And I hope that I will have the opportunity to know them better in the future...

Relevant Information Sources:

• Colorado Trail Official Guidebook
• National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map #144 (Durango and Cortez)