Snowdown is over and Durango is already gearing up for another celebration. This time we’re celebrating something equally quintessential to our mountain town character: our love affair with bicycles, trails, and getting around without a car.
Winter Bike to Work Day arrives this Friday, Feb. 13 – just ahead of Valentine’s Day, which feels entirely appropriate. After all, what better way to show love for your community than by pedaling through a crisp winter morning to join your neighbors at one of six stations scattered around town?
From 7 to 9 a.m. (8 to 10 a.m. at Fort Lewis College), local businesses and organizations will be dishing out hot breakfast, refreshments and swag to anyone who walks, rolls, bikes, takes transit or carpools to work. Studio & Gallery downtown will serve up a hot breakfast, while stations at Durango Natural Foods Co-op, Lola’s Place, Café Amor, Animas City Park and FLC’s Environmental Center will all be ready to fuel sustainable commuters. Durango Cyclery will even provide bike safety checks and basic tuneups at the downtown location.
“Bike to work day is a great way to really feel the love of your community and to love your commute,” said Liam Goettelman, the city’s multimodal specialist, and he’s absolutely right. There’s something special about rolling up to a station and seeing familiar faces, all of us choosing the harder (and chillier), but healthier way to get around.
This year’s event includes a weeklong commuter challenge on the Way to Go Durango app, running through Friday. Participants log their sustainable trips – whether by bike, foot, skis or carpool – to compete for prizes including coffee from Desert Sun Coffee Roasters. With 18 local businesses partnering on the event, it’s a true community effort. (See GetAroundDurango.com to learn more).
But here’s where 2026’s Winter Bike to Work Day becomes truly special: The evening celebration doubles as the official design kickoff for the Camino Crossing project. Starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Powerhouse, the city will launch the design phase for an underpass at Camino del Rio near 12th Street – a project that will finally provide safe, protected passage for people walking, rolling and biking across one of Durango’s busiest corridors.
This isn’t just about making commutes easier. The Camino Crossing underpass will connect the Animas River Trail to downtown, creating a seamless multimodal network. And here’s the ambitious part: The goal is to have it complete by the time Durango hosts the 2030 UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships. If we can pull this off, international visitors will arrive to find a town that doesn’t just talk about sustainable transportation – but has invested in the infrastructure to make it the easiest choice.
Bike Durango will lead a parade from Buckley Park at 4 p.m., purposefully crossing Camino del Rio at the 12th Street HAWK signal to showcase exactly why this underpass is needed. The Powerhouse party will feature music from Stillhouse Junkies, beer donated by Carver Brewing and heavy appetizers – a casual celebration with welcome remarks from Mayor Gilda Yazzie but no formal presentations.
This community momentum didn’t appear overnight. It’s been sustained and purposeful for decades. As it remains today.
Last month, the city wrapped up focus groups on the Animas River Trail, seeking input on speed management and safety. The response was overwhelming: 86 people applied for just 12 spots, the highest number for any city focus group. Those participants met on Jan. 22 and 29 to provide feedback that will help staff members recommend a comprehensive plan to City Council, including speed management policies, enforcement strategies and signage improvements for shared-use paths.
That kind of engagement shows what Durango is all about. We care deeply about how we move through our community, and we’re willing to show up – literally and figuratively – to make it better.
So this Friday, whether you’re a daily bike commuter or someone who hasn’t pedaled since last summer, consider joining in. Grab your bike, your walking shoes or your carpool buddy, and be part of a tradition that celebrates the best of Durango: our commitment to community, sustainability, and the joy of getting around under our own power.
Here’s to loving your commute – and to a future where crossing Camino del Rio doesn’t require taking your life in your hands.
