Description

The Log Chutes trails are home to some of Durango's oldest downhill runs.

Thanks to Junction Creek Road, which climbs thousands of feet up the mountainside, the Log Chutes are easy to shuttle with the big bikes. Over the years, many of the steep, fall-line trails in the system have fallen into disrepair through erosion and lack of use.

However, a few key trails remain rideable and well-loved.

This segment, known as the "Log Chutes Downhill," is one of the trails that are still well-ridden.

While you can choose to shuttle this trail if you'd like, with only about 1,200 feet of vertical, it's pretty easy to pedal to the top via Junction Creek Road. Once at the top of the singletrack, the descent begins fast and furious on a steep, wide fall-line trail.

Sharp water bars provide air opportunities, but with the trail dropping quickly, it's best to exercise caution through this section.

Keep your eye open for an alternate jump line off to the side of the main descent, but proceed with caution, as the jumps might be in disrepair. This upper section of this trail has seen some erosion and has a small trench down the middle at the time of this writing in June 2023.

While it's fairly easy to avoid, it can definitely be a wheel grabber, so proceed with caution. As the trail descends, the grade gradually mellows out, which only allows you to let off the brakes a bit more and open it up through a series of swoopy turns! As the trail approaches a rim high above Junction Creek, the trail tread gets a bit rocky, with a few fun rock gardens and small drops.

Nothing in this section is all that difficult, and even the small obstacles can be avoided.

Soon the rocks disappear, and it's back to smooth singletrack, with a few optional jumps to finish the quick descent. While some sources rate this trail segment as a black diamond, that's dramatically overstating this ride's difficulty.

While some of the alternate jump lines might be more challenging, the main descent only warrants a "Difficult" FATMAP rating, and on the low end of Difficult, at that.

Even so, this is a fun, quick romp!