Horseback Riding

Horses handle the cold, so this is a year-round option, not a summer-only one. The reason Durango works for it is the spread of country. Alpine meadow, high desert, and mountain slope all sit within about 50 miles of town.

The Hermosa trail system north of town is the long one: 14 mostly dirt routes and about 105 miles. Vallecito, roughly 18 miles northeast, has a smaller set of horse-accessible trails. Most of them climb a steep first 1,000 feet off the reservoir on dirt and rock, then settle into something most horses handle.

Up on Coal Bank and Molas, three trails are the practical horse routes: Little Molas Lake, Engineer Mountain, and Crater Lake. They leave U.S. 550, stay on dirt, and do not gain much. Haviland Lake is the closer favorite, 11 trails and about 9 miles, shared with hikers. Horse Gulch allows horses, but it is busy with mountain bikes, which is a poor combination if the horse is green.

If you are not bringing a horse, the barns below run the rides around Durango. Each one posts its own season, ages, and weight limits, so check before you count on a saddle.

If you are bringing your own, the high country past the passes needs more caution than the mid-elevation trails. Weather, footing, and how far you are from a trailer all change once you drop into the Weminuche. Do not tie a horse to a tree. Use a trailer or a hitch rail.