The Hermosa Creek Trail is the most classic trail in the area with a few ways to access. The south trailhead is 13 miles north of Durango via HWY550 and County Road 203, the last 2 miles on gravel road. The north trailhead is 33 miles north of town, 25 miles of that up to Purgatory Resort on HWY550 and the final 8 miles on Forest Service Rd 578 (gravel). The southern 2/3 of the drainage was majorly impacted by the 416 fire in 2018 so some parts of the trail are a bit washed out but the regeneration happening already is astounding.
Don’t get fooled into thinking it is an easy ride since it follows a drainage down, it is technical in spots and the climbs are steep and near the end are long. Riders should also be aware that they are out in the back country so be prepared with tool/repair kit, food/water and first aid. There is no cell service at the north trailhead or in the canyon. Hermosa Creek is the only trail that can be considered advanced while the rest are definitely expert terrain.
The classic way to ride Hermosa Creek Trail is to set up a shuttle with one vehicle at the bottom at the south trailhead and then shuttle the crew up to where Elbert Creek Rd intersects with FS Rd 578, park there and ride the last 5.5 miles to the north trailhead, use caution as this road is narrow in spots and there can be a few vehicles/RVs/UTVs. The trail itself is 19 miles and follows, crosses and finally climbs well above the creek by the south trailhead. Lush Spruce, Fir, Aspen forest dominates the upper trail but transforms to Ponderosa and Gamble Oak forest by the south trailhead. Either trailhead also offers other loops that utilize Hermosa Creek and the trail.
From the south trailhead one of the most popular loops is up Jones Creek, across Pinkerton-Flagstaff to descend Dutch Creek trail and return via Hermosa Creek trail. The climb up Jones is a well-maintained steady climb, Pinkerton-Flagstaff has sections of hike-a-bike up and Dutch Creek has some very technical rocky sections and drops. If riders want to go BIG, continue past Dutch on Pinkerton Flagstaff to Little Elk and drop down to Hermosa and out from there. Little Elk is a very difficult trail and trail finding can be difficult, GPS device or App is a must.
From the north trailhead there are a few loop options. A fan-favorite is the Blackhawk loop which includes a long semi-rugged FS ride up to Bolam Pass. Once there you are on the Colorado Trail and wrap around the backside and then up to a saddle just beneath the top of Blackhawk Mtn. The 6-mile descent from there is one of the most glorious in the area down to Hotel Draw and then there is 4 more miles descending down Stagecoach to the Hermosa Trail, half a mile from the north trailhead. For a little less climbing and a shorter loop riders can climb Hotel Draw Rd or Stagecoach then onto the Colorado Trail and down Corral Draw to the Hermosa trail and back up to the north trailhead.
Bonus – the Hermosa Trail and Jones/Dutch trails on the east side of the drainage are open to Ebikes (and motorcycles too)!