Bikepacking The Colorado Trail: Silverton to Durango

compose Miles Arbour
time Dec 2, 2020
comment 6

Words and photos by Steve Hume (@hardtailparty)

I’ve always been drawn to long, and slightly terrified of multi-day bikepacking routes: the AZT, the Colorado Trail, The Tour Divide, The Baja Divide, and on and on. The time off, planning, safety, and all the logistics of a multi-week are overwhelming, so I’ve tried to focus on trips that are slightly outside my comfort zone, but still attainable. For me, that means 2-5 days on the bike, on short, established trails. A good friend of mine bikepacked the entire Colorado Trail for his 60th birthday. As he recounted his story, I gained a healthy dose of respect and reverence for this trail. For years, I’ve been toying with the idea of riding sections of it, and this year was the perfect time to start.

I reached out to two friends who were also interested in the trail. We planned, mapped, prepped, and loaded up to start the journey. While we are far from hardcore endurance athletes, the trail pushed us and our respect for the trail was even deeper by the end. This video documents our journey through this majestic landscape.

For more great Colorado Trail content, check out Aakozikwe by Alexandera Houchin, a personal reflection of her experience racing the trail earlier this year.