Horse Gulch
Managed by City of Durango
1,281 acres23.7 mi of trail
Cuchillo TrailPower Line TrailRooster TrailRocky Road Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Durango
Durango has 103 miles of mapped trails, 5.8 for every square mile of land
25% of Durango’s land is conserved, about 2,872 acres. 2,953 acres are parks and preserves, 152 per 1,000 residents. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #6 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Conserved land
25%
2,872 acres · of 17.7 sq mi of land
Trails
103 mi
5.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,953 ac
152 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
42 mi
18 mi lanes · 18 mi paths
Highest peak
7,608 ft
Twin Buttes
Lakes & rivers
6
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Durango?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Durango have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Durango is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #6 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs put Durango near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Durango’s overall grade.
Conserved land25% of the land · typical CO town 7% · U.S. 4%ATrails5.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (103 mi) · CO 1.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land152 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,953 acres) · CO 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · CO 97% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Colorado towns of 2,500+ (159)Ahead of 97%
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Durango’s 25% is ahead of 91% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 99% of them.
Water is 12% of Durango’s area (2 of 20 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 22%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Horse Gulch, with 23.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Overend Mountain Park
Park
349 acres9.5 mi of trail
Hidden Valley TrailPerins Gulch TrailHogsback TrailElla Vita Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Twin Buttes
Managed by City of Durango
579 acres7.9 mi of trail
Cliff Rock Loop TrailUpper Twin Buttes TrailUpper Ed & Flo TrailTwin Buttes Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dalla Mountain Park
Park
318 acres6.4 mi of trail
Junction TrailJacobs Cliff TrailPonderosaAnimas Mountain Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Bodo SWA
Nature preserve
98 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog Park
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Oxbow Park
Park
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Oxbow Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 20 parks & preserves
Horse Gulch1,281 acres · 23.7 mi of trail · City of Durango
DirectionsOverend Mountain Park349 acres · 9.5 mi of trail
DirectionsTwin Buttes579 acres · 7.9 mi of trail · City of Durango
DirectionsDalla Mountain Park318 acres · 6.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBodo SWA98 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsOxbow Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsAnimas River Trail34 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBOR - Lake Nighthorse Recreation Area1,852 acres
DirectionsSanta Rita - Whitewater Park14 acres
DirectionsMemorial Park10 acres
DirectionsFolsom Park8 acres
DirectionsDallabetta Park6 acres
DirectionsSchneider Park3 acres
DirectionsPioneer Park3 acres
DirectionsFanto Park2 acres
DirectionsBuckley Park2 acres · City of Durango
DirectionsHorse Gulch Open Space1 acres · City of Durango
Rotary Park1 acres
DirectionsHistoric Tram Park1 acres · Twin Buttes of Durango
DirectionsClaire Viles Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,872 conserved acres
25% of Durango’s land. Water is left out: Durango has 17.7 square miles of land and 2.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Durango’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city2,600 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,236 ac
State fish & wildlife44 ac
Bureau of Land Management21 ac
Not recorded74 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,300 acOther Easement · 1,106 acUnknown Easement · 737 acRecreation or Education Easement · 430 acLocal Park · 203 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,308 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 19 of 48 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 858 | Unknown |
| Horse Gulch Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 388 | Open |
| Park Local Park | Town or city | 141 | Unknown |
| City of Durango City Land - Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 53 | Unknown |
| Durango Off-Leash Dog Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Durango SFU State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 33 | Open |
| Tres Rios Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 21 | Open |
| Animas River Parcel Acquisition - IOG Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Bodo State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 11 | Open |
| Rank Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Durango
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Durango
13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Durango
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Durango
Twin Buttes7,608 ft elevation · In Twin Buttes
DirectionsPicnic areas in Durango
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 88.5 miHorses · 66.1 miUnpaved · 96.1 mi
Rim Trail3.5 mi
Telegraph Trail2.7 mi
Rail Spike Loop2.5 mi
Cuchillo Trail2.5 mi
Mesa Connector2.5 mi
Cliff Rock Loop Trail2.4 mi
Carbon Junction Trail2.0 mi
Power Line Trail1.9 mi
Switcher Loop1.8 mi
Twin Buttes Trail1.8 mi
15 more trails
Lions Den Trail
1.7 miRooster Trail
1.6 miManilla Vanilla
1.5 miCrite's Connect Trail
1.5 miJunction Trail
1.3 miUpper Twin Buttes Trail
1.3 miDurango Mesa Park Connector
1.3 miRocky Road Trail
1.3 miMeadow Loop Trail
1.3 miNorth Lollipop
1.2 miIntermediate Downhill
1.2 miHalf Ridge Trail
1.2 miMike's Trail
1.2 miUpper Ed & Flo Trail
1.2 miJacobs Cliff Trail
1.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
42 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
18 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
18 mi
off-road bike paths
5.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Rim TrailBike route
3.2 miTwin Buttes TrailBike route
3.1 miRaiders Ridge TrailBike route
3 miTelegraph TrailBike route
2.7 miPower LineBike route
2.1 miCucilloBike route
2 miLions Den TrailBike route
1.5 miCrites Connect TrailBike route
1.4 miCourts & fields
10Tennis
10Baseball
2Football
1Pickleball
1Skate park
1Equestrian
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Newman BlockBuilding · listed 1979
About itMain Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itColorado Ute Power PlantBuilding · listed 1983
About itEast Third Avenue Historic Residential DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itOchsner HospitalBuilding · listed 1995
About itRochester HotelBuilding · listed 1996
About itDurango High SchoolBuilding · listed 2001
About itSmiley Junior High SchoolBuilding · listed 2002
About itDenver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Locomotive No. 315Structure · listed 2008
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Durango: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 44 | 53 | 60 | 70 | 82 | 86 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
June is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 2.1 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Durango →
Questions about parks and trails in Durango
Where can I hike in Durango?
The longest trail networks: Horse Gulch, 23.7 miles; Overend Mountain Park, 9.5 miles; Twin Buttes, 7.9 miles; Dalla Mountain Park, 6.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Durango is conserved land?
25% of its land, against a typical 7% for a Colorado town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Durango’s trails?
Horse Gulch and Overend Mountain Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Durango?
42 miles of bike routes are on the map: 18 of painted or protected lanes, 18 of off-road paths and 5.9 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Rim Trail, Twin Buttes Trail and Raiders Ridge Trail.
Is there public land near Durango?
50,774 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Durango or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,007 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Durango have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #6 of 159 in Colorado. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Durango neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →