This beautiful little hike is accessible directly from downtown Durango. Both of the trails climb the steep hillside separating downtown Durango and Fort Lewis College high on the hill. As such, they provide conduits for students and residents moving between both locations or a recreational objective. When combined as a loop, this route provides a great evening hike. The viewpoints along the trails are perfect for enjoying a beautiful sunset.

The Sky Steps themselves ascend straight up the hillside via a set of well-built railroad tie stairs—529 steps, in fact. This makes for a short but strenuous ascent up the hillside. Many locals will use this staircase for workouts, doing repeats up and down the Sky Steps until they collapse. How many laps you choose to complete is up to you!

To save your knees on the descent and to add a bit of classic singletrack into the mix, consider taking the Nature Loop trail back down. This singletrack trail switchbacks across the hillside, crossing the steps at multiple points. Together, these two trails provide a perfect after-work hiking or trail running objective.

Is this route not long enough? You can easily add additional singletrack mileage once on top of the hill by following the Rim Trail, which winds around the rim of the hillside, providing spectacular views of Durango below.