Twin Buttes Full Loop

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The trails at Twin Buttes feature a much more modern trail design than the vast majority of Durango's in-town trails. (That said, the newly built trails at Durango Mesa Park are the most modern trails in town.) These beautifully-built mountain bike trails make for an intermediate-friendly ride filled with swoopy singletrack, beautiful views, and some chunky spots. In places, alternate lines utilizing a few massive rocks and boulders provide additional challenge.

Park at the trailhead just past the Speedway gas station. The trail begins climbing immediately from the parking lot. To connect the beginning, take a left on the dirt road, and then a right back onto singletrack. Don't worry: the steep initial climb eventually mellows out higher up the mountainside.

The first time you ride Twin Buttes, the many places where the singletrack crosses dirt roads or briefly joins doubletrack that's in the process of fading down to singletrack can be confusing. But after a couple of rides, you'll get the feel for it, and the flow of the trails will make much more sense. If in doubt, look for the well-worn line of bike tracks. Ultimately, there's one main way to ride this trail network, with just two or three decision points.

The first decision point is at the junction with the Lower Loop trail. For a short ride, you can go left here, but that loop would be very brief. So, keep climbing to the junction with the Cliffrock Loop. While some riders opt to skip the Cliffrock Loop, this easy, pedally trail is well worth including for the views alone. The trail approaches the rim of an elevated mesa, providing spectacular views of the Hogsback, Perins Peak above, and Durango below.

After a short descent at the end of the Cliffrock Loop, take a couple of left turns to climb the Upper Twin Buttes Trail . This upper climb can be bypassed, but then you wouldn't have ridden the whole trail, would you? That said, the climb up Upper Twin Buttes Trail is the most technical ascent on this loop.

Once at the top, it's finally time to go down! Ed & Flo is a ripping good time that descends all the way down to Lightner Creek in the bottom of the valley. Ed & Flo features fantastic flow in places, but it's far from being a manicured flow trail. You'll still have plenty of blocky rocks, a few switchbacks, roots, and more to negotiate. There are also several alternate lines utilizing a few massive rocks and boulders for up-and-overs, drops, and jumps, which provide additional challenge.

Once at the bottom, take a left on the Lightner Creek Trail to reach the pavement. Cross the road and follow the gravel trail down and around. Where it merges into a gravel road, continue downhill to return to the main trailhead.