Sophia May
Hut To Hut Mountain Biking Colorado – Hiking the San Juan Wilderness with a lodge waiting for you at the end of each day.
SAN JUAN HUT SYSTEMS WILL CONNECT YOU TO COLORADO AND UTAH’S BEST MOUNTAIN BIKE ROADS, HIKING AND SKIING TRAILS WHEN YOU STAY IN THE BACK.
Hut To Hut Mountain Biking Colorado
For more than three decades, our experts have been offering cabin-to-cabin tours in the most remote and wild places. From the high mountains near Telluride, Ouray, and Durango to the rolling rock of Moab, we’ve created a network of singletrack trails supported by 16 remote mountain lodges. – About the amazing scenery!
Hut To Hut Bikepacking From Durango To Moab
If you’re an independent outdoorsman, we can plan, organize and support your next backcountry trip through a variety of unique locations across the South West.
We empower groups and individuals to travel light, enjoy new places and get back to nature. – The experience of a lifetime! If you’re into the outdoors, you’ve got to get your ass up to the San Juan Mountains!
When you embark on our Canyons Road trip, you should consider starting your journey with a great cup of coffee and breakfast from Bestslope Coffee in Fruita, CO. From there…
San Jan Huts is headquartered in Ridgway, Colorado. Contact us to plan your next mountain biking, skiing or hiking trip. Let’s talk about maps, routes, food, terrain and shelters. The San Juan Hut systems extend from the high mountains around Ouray, Telluride, and Durango, descending hundreds of miles to Moab, Utah. We look forward to supporting you in all outdoor sports in the Rocky Mountains; cross-country skiing, Nordic trails, hiking and cross-country skiing, single-track biking, running, camping and hiking. Durango to Moab and Telluride to Moab are mountain bike trails in Colorado and Moab.
Ride On: San Juan Hut Systems Supports Mountain Bike Adventures
The San Juan Cabins are located in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, Gunnison, San Juan, and Manti La Sal National Forests and are maintained under US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management special use permits as well as concession agreements with many private companies. farms . “Remember, sea level is for sisters,” we yelled, referencing the sticker we bought the day before to say goodbye to our North Vancouver waterfront home. We repeat this mantra to ourselves and others, forcing ourselves to cry when we’re tired as we push our mountain bikes through the last remnants of snow on the Colorado Trail’s Rolling Pass. Looking behind us at the astragalus and quarry that have just been replaced by blankets of beautiful wildflowers and the San Juan 14ers receding into the distance, we both agree that this is the best trail we’ve ever been on. I spent it Dark clouds cover the road, rumbling thunder and fierce lightning make us hurry as we run out of oxygen at about 12,500 meters.
We’re on the road for the first day of a week-long road trip from Durango, Colorado to the mountain biking mecca of Moab, Utah. Although we’ve done many bikepacking trips in the past, this is our first mountain bike trip and our first cabin-to-cabin bikepacking experience. When we discovered that the San Juan Caves came stocked with food, a propane stove, and bedding, we immediately put this trip on our bucket list. There are two routes riders can take: Telluride to Moab or Durango to Moab, the latter considered more difficult. Each ride has a “normal” version, which is mostly service roads and Jeep tracks, and some more difficult and technical “other” simple tracks.
Before we left, we spent a lot of time and energy trying to figure out whether or not the only “alternative” route for our first day—which includes part of the Colorado route—is feasible. Last winter’s snowfall was unusually heavy, and other events in the area, including the Hardrock 100, a 100-kilometer ultramarathon, were canceled due to snow and debris. However, the riders competing in the Colorado Trail Race recently achieved it, which gives us hope and convinces us to give it a try, mentally prepared to ski in the snow if necessary. We introduced the San Juan cabins and promised to send them updates via the Garmin inReach satellite device so that the hikers behind us had a better idea of what to expect.
We left Molas Pass a few hours later than planned due to some boat trouble, but our worries about snow and storms disappear when we’re immediately greeted by a smooth trail, wildflower meadows, and sweeping views of the San Juans. However, the climbing seems more demanding than we are used to and we soon realized that one day of training was not enough. All the gas stations and stores in the area sell oxygen and we would like to be able to buy a tank. We cursed our home at sea level, repeated our words, and moved on, moved by emotion.
Switching Gears In Fruita
Approaching the next pass after a few hours, we find five or six patches of snow – nothing to discourage us – and are lucky enough to pass the high ground a few minutes before the skies open up with rain, thunder and lightning. Now, we’re on a fast, sweet ride, and we’re going far. We continue along pleasant, flowing roads with shoulder-high wildflowers, only interrupted by steep, rocky hills that force us to climb the bikes.
By the time we climb the last mile of the Jeep to Bolam Pass, overlooking Lizard Head, the only 13,119-foot peak in the San Miguel Range, and our first cabin, we’re a complete mess. . Although the fresh food was almost gone when we arrived, there were refreshments, including a can of Coke that Brian was longing for. We have a pasta feast, Brian chops firewood while the curious deer looks on, then start a fire to dry our wet gear. The storms continue into the night, but we get comfortable in our tall sleeping bags and quickly fall asleep from exhaustion.
On the second day we choose another route again, which starts by going down the last slope we covered the day before (somehow it seems shorter going down). We soon hit singletrack that winds through aspens before entering wildflower meadows with more views of Lizard Head pushing us forward. Bicycles are not allowed in the Lizard Head Wilderness, but this trail brings us very close.
As the day progressed and the other route joined the usual gravel roads with over 17km to go, we faced heat and altitude (Brian’s kryptonite). Breaking the long silence, we asked each other, “If someone walked by and offered you a ride, would you take it?” It’s all an illusion, really, since we’re alone and the opportunity doesn’t present itself. The final climb to Black Mesa Hut is long and relentless and we arrive even more tired than yesterday. But the good news is that the bathroom just got installed and now we have bacon, tortillas, fresh cabbage and carrots to add to dinner.
Private Guided Colorado Custom Hut Trips Vail, Co Paragon Guides
On the third day, as we leave the Uncompahgre National Forest, ponderosa pines give way to poplars and then juniper and a shaky bridge. The mountains become mesa and the alpine wildflowers are replaced by sunflower meadows. After learning from the experiences of the previous days, we left early in the morning, had lunch at Miramonte Reservoir, then arrived at the Dry Creek Basin Hut in the afternoon to recover, read the cabin manual and enjoy quesadillas. . Storms and rain clouds roll in the distance and cloud formations create spectacular sunsets.
The recovery has lifted our spirits and we are looking forward to starting the trek to Wedding Bell Hut on the fourth day. There are many other routes we can take, all of which are designed to avoid mud when it rains. But since we wake up until the sky is clear and there is no danger of rain, we follow the usual route and enjoy the trip to Dry Creek Basin, where our biggest obstacle is avoiding the sunflowers. We want to hold them and they feel incredibly painful when they hit our shoulders at high speed.
When the sunflower game ends, the paths are long and weary and the shade is scarce. On seemingly endless stretches of forest roads, even with the suspension locked, our bikes slowly sank their 2.5-inch tires into the gravel. Type 1 fun gives way to Type 2 writing, but we keep spinning, remembering that this is all part of the journey. Finally the junipers reappear and we find a shady spot to rest before continuing.
Wedding Bell Hut sits on the banks of the Dolores River, overlooking the Dolores River, probably the best view of all the huts. Beyond the river and the mesas, the mountains of La Sal loom in the distance. Looking from here, it’s almost hard to imagine that we’ll be crossing the Donkey Pass in the near future.
San Juan Huts Tour 2020
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