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Colorado Trail: Segment 27 (COT Indian Trail Ridge)
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
20.53 mi
4,011 ft
A sky-scraping stretch of trail, with incredible views from Indian Trail Ridge.
The Colorado Trail (COT) is widely regarded as one of the very best long-distance mountain bike trails in the world. Running for 535 miles between Denver and Durango, the trail crosses high alpine mountain passes and drops into beautiful valleys as it traverses the most beautiful portions of the state of Colorado. The COT forms one-third of the Triple Crown of Bikepacking, along with the Arizona Trail and the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
Out of the entire Colorado Trail, arguably the most highly-acclaimed portion is the long stretch running from the town of Silverton to the southern terminus of the trail in Durango. While not technically the highest-elevation portion of the trail, nevertheless this section stays very high in the San Juan Mountain Range.
All along this stretch, the views of the surrounding jagged mountains are incredible, the singletrack is narrow and sinuous, and there’s nary a sign of civilization. Indeed, between departing the town of Silverton and entering the town of Durango, the only sign of human life is the occasional dirt road crossing. Plan accordingly and pack all the gear you’ll need.
Segment 27 of the Colorado Trail runs for 20.6 miles from Hotel Draw Road to the Kennebec Trailhead, climbing a whopping 4,186 feet along the way. The miles will feel like they’re ticking along quickly, as the views from Indian Trail Ridge are to die for! Granted, some through hikers and bikers report going numb to the incredible views that the Colorado Trail affords by the time they reach this section. How many epic mountain top views can you revel in? How many jagged peaks can you photograph? How many wildflowers do you need to take a picture of?
You may just have to bikepack the Colorado Trail and find out!
Sources:
Written by Greg Heil
The Colorado Trail (COT) is widely regarded as one of the very best long-distance mountain bike trails in the world. Running for 535 miles between Denver and Durango, the trail crosses high alpine mountain passes and drops into beautiful valleys as it traverses the most beautiful portions of the state of Colorado. The COT forms one-third of the Triple Crown of Bikepacking, along with the Arizona Trail and the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
Out of the entire Colorado Trail, arguably the most highly-acclaimed portion is the long stretch running from the town of Silverton to the southern terminus of the trail in Durango. While not technically the highest-elevation portion of the trail, nevertheless this section stays very high in the San Juan Mountain Range.
All along this stretch, the views of the surrounding jagged mountains are incredible, the singletrack is narrow and sinuous, and there’s nary a sign of civilization. Indeed, between departing the town of Silverton and entering the town of Durango, the only sign of human life is the occasional dirt road crossing. Plan accordingly and pack all the gear you’ll need.
Segment 27 of the Colorado Trail runs for 20.6 miles from Hotel Draw Road to the Kennebec Trailhead, climbing a whopping 4,186 feet along the way. The miles will feel like they’re ticking along quickly, as the views from Indian Trail Ridge are to die for! Granted, some through hikers and bikers report going numb to the incredible views that the Colorado Trail affords by the time they reach this section. How many epic mountain top views can you revel in? How many jagged peaks can you photograph? How many wildflowers do you need to take a picture of?
You may just have to bikepack the Colorado Trail and find out!
Sources:
Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| CT Classic Feed (FR 550 Intersect) to Grindstone TR Intersect | 15.48 mi | 1,355 ft | 1.6% |
| County Rd S Climb | 1.23 mi | 472 ft | 7.3% |
| CT Scotch to Salt | 5.66 mi | 469 ft | 1.2% |
| Colorado Trail Climb | 1.33 mi | 410 ft | 5.8% |
| Salt sign - Grindstone sign | 7.89 mi | 876 ft | 2.1% |
| Unnamed Rd Climb | 1.72 mi | 774 ft | 8.5% |
| Indian Traverse | 6.26 mi | 820 ft | 2.0% |
| Unnamed Rd Climb | 1.02 mi | 384 ft | 7.1% |
| CT Classic Indian Ridge southbound to Kennebec Pass | 5.66 mi | -758 ft | -0.1% |
| Colorado Trail Climb | 0.47 mi | 282 ft | 11.2% |
| County Road 124 Climb | 0.43 mi | 299 ft | 13.0% |
| Weeminuche descender | 0.26 mi | -272 ft | -19.9% |
| Indian Trail Mescaline Descent | 1.45 mi | -577 ft | -6.8% |