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Day 5: The Hermosa Creek Trail to Trimble Hot Springs

Our final day was another cloud-free, perfect summer wonder. We set off down the road 1 mile to meet the trail head of the Hermosa Creek Trail, one of the most famous Durango-area riding experiences. It’s an 18-mile-long trail that was reputed to offer some of the best riding and scenery to be found around Durango, and based on what I’d seen so far, I expected that would have to mean it was something great. We were not disappointed!

From a topographic point of view, this trail follows the valley of Hermosa Creek all the way to its junction with the Animas River that flows into Durango. This Google Maps satellite view shows the meandering Creek; the trail, if one could see it, would run to the NE side of the creek, contouring in and out of the many side valleys. It’s total length is some 18 miles.

At its start, the trail runs right along the bank of the creek, bombing downhill right along with the bubbling molecules of water. (My bombing was temporarily called to a halt by a bunch of cows, who eventually dispersed with some coaxing from Rachel.) As one continues, however, the creek drops lower and lower in the valley, but the trail stays at approximately the same elevation though trending downhill. Thus, you start at the bottom of a narrow, shallow valley right next to the creek which is still small, and finish approximately halfway up a deep valley with the same creek about 500 feet below you, now a substantial river roaring along. The bombing gives way to gradual up and down sections, with the down outnumbering the up, but not by much. The ups get steeper and longer as the trail continues. There is lots of exposure to the right on the drop to the creek to hone your concentration on the trail, and one absolute killer climb about 2/3 of the way through. A really, really great ride to end our trip!

At the terminus of the trail, we rode down the asphalt Forest Service Road to the bottom of the valley (this road is visible in the Google Maps image above as a winding fragment near the bottom where Hermosa Creek approaches the highway). As we flew down this road, the temperature climbed steadily. In 10 minutes we’d gone from cool mountain breezes to a sweltering 90 degrees. After riding another 3-4 miles on the flats, we reached Trimble Hot Springs, the official end of the bicycling part of our journey. The hot springs consisted of two pools; one large cool pool with no shade, and a shaded pool containing very hot water. Neither seemed very appealing, but the showers in the changing room were impossible to beat after 5 days on the trail. As a bonus nature experience, a brown bear was hanging out on the hillside above the parking lot, lounging around. The other bear I’ve seen (also in Colorado) was eating garbage in a suburban subdivision. I guess bears and people go together, these days.

We shuttled back to Durango where we said our goodbyes and split up. It was a really successful trip from my point of view: great riding, great scenery, great people, great food and great organization. I recommend the route and the company without reservations, provided you don’t expect to ride the way you would at sea level!

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