San Juan Mountains

San Juan Mountains: The Colorado Trail
Epic’s San Juan Mountains tour is a trip that serious mountain bikers must put on their bucket list (before they kick the bucket). What heliskiing in Alaska is to skiers, the Mentawai is to surfers or the Kamchatka is for anglers, the San Juan Mountain tour is to cyclists: the ultimate once in a lifetime adventure.

Tackle over 100 miles of remote backcountry singletrack by following the Colorado Trail, one of the wildest, most stunning and inaccessible mountainous trails in the lower 48.  

Although this tour is appropriate for advanced and expert cyclists, riders do not have to be in super shape.  The pace is relaxed and the trail is remarkably smooth.

Bike Magazine has called it, "the nation's premier alpine singletrack. Think Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music and add in handle-bar high wildflowers and valley-to-peak 360 degrees views.

At each night’s campsite take-in horizon stretching vistas and stars that appear close enough to touch before settling into a deep sleep. The tour ends with a thrilling 6,000 foot descent into Durango.

San Juan Mountains: Colorado Trail at a Glance:

• The ultimate once in a lifetime mountain bike tour for serious cyclists
• Advanced to expert cyclists in good (not great) shape
• Starts and ends in Durango, Colorado   
• 115 miles of riding over five days with four nights of camping

Epic mountain bike tours create vacation memories that will stand the test of time and that are retold year after year when friends and family gather.   Our top notch guides and support vehicles take the bumps out of backcountry by providing a chef, masseuses, mattresses, and campsites that offer starlight, camp fires, and camaraderie.   Most of our mountain bike tours are appropriate for riders of all abilities.

Your EpicQuest adventure begins in the hip, little mountain town of Durango, Colorado. Here your EpicQuest guide will pick you for the two and a half hour, morning shuttle ride from Durango to the resort town of Telluride.

The ride weaves through the mountains and valleys of the San Juan Mountains between Telluride and Durango, CO. Singletrack along the way is made up of clay, packed sediment, smooth dirt, pine needles and some rocky sections. Short sections of county roads and asphalt may connect various singletrack trails. The ride is highly technical covering high altitudes (8,000-12,000ft) with steep climbs and long unsupported sections.

Riding Surface: Singletrack on clay, packed sediment, some rocky sections, pine needles, smooth dirt and short sections of county roads and asphalt.
Technical Difficulty: Difficult. Technical singletrack.
Physical Difficulty: Difficult. High altitudes, (over 10,000 feet), steep climbs and long unsupported sections.
Altitude: 8,000 - 12,000 feet.

Temperatures range from the upper 30’s at night to the mid 70’s during the day. Afternoon rains are common in the summer. But remember, there is no such thing bad weather, only bad clothing. Please bring everything on our gear list and you will have a wonderful time no matter what.