Driving into Durango from points west, the Twin Buttes are landmarks that signal arrival home. While the Twin Buttes Development is ramping up, the buttes and surrounding trails remain open to the general public. Spend a half day on these appealing trails and optionally climb one or both promontories.

The Twin Buttes Trails System includes 10 miles of hiking biking, and equestrian trails on 580 acres of city open space. The City of Durango began acquiring land adjacent to the Twin Buttes project and adjoining the Perins Peak State Wildlife Area in 2009. Trails 2000 volunteers planned and crafted the trails in 2012; they continue to maintain the treadway.

Seasonal closure for wildlife protection is December 1 to April 15. Climbing the buttes is off-limits during that time. Trails below the Green Tank remain open year-round.

A map of the trail system is located at the trailhead. Study carefully – junctions are not labeled in the interior. However, smart phones may access the Trails 2000 Interactive Map remotely. The Twin Buttes Trail – a dirt single track – switchbacks up a south-facing slope above the highway on a solid platform. Mountain bikers far out-number hikers and runners. Start early, especially on weekends. While hikers have the right of way, it is awkward for bikers to unclip and get going again, so I always step aside to allow them unbroken passage.

In spring, the wildflower display is diverse and showy. Naturalist John Bregar identified four dozen blooming plants in May, 2017. On the initial hillside, look for a rich array of stemless evening primrose, deep blue flax, yellow bladderpod, pink filaree, and several species of milkvetch. Flowering shrubs include sweet-scented bitterbrush and cliff Fendlerbush, as well as serviceberry and chokecherry.

In a quarter mile, the trail segues onto a two-track briefly. The trail system spins on and off a maze of old wagon roads and a railroad grade that accessed the historic coal operations at Boston Mine and the mining camp at Perins City. Watch for scattered chunks of coal on these abandoned haul roads. A 0.1 mile further along, hang a sharp right back onto the single track.

The grade eases and the path wanders into a shady forest which makes this passage pleasant even in summer months. Twin Buttes trails are in the gradational boundary between upper piñon-juniper woodland and the lower montane ecozone characterized by ponderosa pine. Among gamble oak groves are both Rocky Mountain and Utah juniper as well as box elder. There is an immense Douglas fir with a lightning scar down the length of its trunk. There are four varieties of sage; pinch some leaves and take a whiff.

Living in the open woods are patches of golden banner, parsley, wild iris, fairy candelabra, bluebells and flamboyant mule ears.

It is an incredibly pleasant stroll through a wondrous display of nature at the edge of town. Boulders are big. Birds drown out the highway. John Bregar identified 33 birds: delicate song birds, vibrant-hued birds, and raptors. Each bird is a player in the cacophonous orchestra.

Walking on the dirt path is an intimate natural experience. Trail engineers deliberately wound the path around massive ponderosa and banked whoop-de-doos. On a bicycle, it feels like a roller coaster. The trail system is rated intermediate for mountain bikers. Even expert riders will be challenged on the west-side trails.

At 1.5 miles, go left onto the old railroad grade. This keeps you on the Twin Buttes Trail and off private property. In a short distance, get back on the single track which shoots off to the right. The Twin Buttes Trail stays to the right of the Green Tank.

Pass through a meadowland with tassel-eared squirrels, a ponderosa pine obligate species. In this park-like setting and elsewhere in Twin Buttes be watchful for rattlesnakes who favor this region.

The junction with the Cliffrock Loop at 2.3 miles is simply marked with a sign pointing to trails in two directions. To climb the Twin Buttes, turn left/west on the two-track. At a 4X4 post, 2.7 miles, leave the road and go right on Upper Twin Buttes Trail. Before this sweet track existed it was a miserable oak bash to the summit of Twin Buttes East. While easy on hikers, mountain bikers call the 200 foot climb Vomit Hill because the grade never lets up.

Reach a flat clearing on the northeast side of Twin Buttes East at 7,460 feet, 3.0 miles. This is a treasured location with views west to the La Plata Mountains and northeast to Perins Peak, a stone’s throw away. Leave the trail to initiate the final push to the summit.

To skirt the worst of the oak thickets, walk south about 50 yards holding the contour on a game trail. The aspect shifts and there is less brush and more rock to work with. Locate an informal trail up the steep pitch. Footing is slippery and rocks are on the loose. Trekking poles are helpful. Boulders have tumbled off the scarp band, making the ascent playful.

John Bregar identified the thin rampart armoring the summits of both buttes as Point Lookout Sandstone, named for the jutting northern platform at Mesa Verde National Park. The formation overlies Mancos Shale. It is the lowest member of the Mesa Verde Group, deposited in the Cretaceous era as the Western Interior Seaway receded. Upon reaching the caprock, move right to utilize a weakness in the cliffs.

Crest the flat-topped summit at 3.3 miles. The radiating vista is pure Durango: Perins Peak, Hogback, Raider Ridge, Telegraph Hill, the La Plata range and a sliver of Mountain View Crest. While Smelter Mountain may look taller, Twin Buttes East tops it by 11 feet. The peak register has several notebooks dating back decades.

It is a temptation to head directly over to Twin Buttes West but it is a no-go. A nasty brush plunge puts you at the top of formidable Point Lookout cliffs. Retrace your steps to the clearing. If you are not climbing Twin Buttes West, return as you came, or explore one of west-side trails.

You really have to want this one because it requires a brushy approach followed by a loose scramble. Just before hitting the clearing, curve around the north side of East. There’s no way to avoid the annoying brush; wear long pants. Climb the unstable east-facing slope from the saddle.

Summit at 3.8 miles. The peak resister is just a few sheets of paper reaching back to the 1970s. Twin Buttes West presents a nice perspective on its slightly taller, cliff-ringed twin.

Plunge off the east slope, south of the upcoming route and contact the Upper BC&F Trail. Turn east and rejoin the approach track at the 4X4 post.

The 2.7-mile loop makes a nice add-on to any hike in the Twin Buttes trail system. For those who prefer trails, this is an ideal 7.3-mile stem and loop from the trailhead, spanning two to three hours. Follow the directions above to the junction of the Twin Buttes Trail and the Cliffrock Loop. Continue straight/north and hike the loop counterclockwise.

The bucolic pathway rests on the tableland south of Perins Peak. There is a grand sense of openness cherished in the American West. Patches of gamble oak rise up from grassland. Towering, old growth ponderosa commune with each other from a polite distance. Pass by a perfectly symmetrical elder juniper. At the eastern edge of the hummock-laden table, the land drops away at an overview informally named Pleasure Point. While the view spans far and wide, most captivating is the deeply fluted shale on the rarely seen west side of the Hogback.

The trail draws ever closer to Perins Peak. The eastern cliff face is Point Lookout Sandstone. Capping the highest part of the ridge is Cliff House Sandstone, the youngest member of the Mesa Verde Group. The formation was named for the Ancestral Puebloan habitation sites built in alcoves typically found in this layer. Cliff House Sandstone is underlain by the Menefee Formation where quality coal is found. The Menefee is the source for the coal shoveled into Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad locomotives.

The Cliffrock Loop intersects the Twin Buttes Trail at 4.8 miles; turn left. Close the loop at 5.0 miles and make a hard right to return to the trailhead.

Upper BC&F: From the clearing below Twin Buttes East go west on the Upper Twin Buttes Trail. Take note of the little clump of aspen tucked between the buttes on their north side, a hidden relic grove. A two-track crosses the trail at 3.9 miles. Turn left, circle Twin Buttes on the west and close the loop at the 4X4 post one mile from the clearing.

Upper Ed & Flo onto Mid Traverse: Start out as above and upon reaching the two-track continue straight. Dive and twist into a boulder run-out zone. In the spring, tall aromatic lupine put on an opulent show. Segue onto the Mid Traverse. It is 2.1 miles from the clearing to the Green Tank.

For a complete list of springtime birds and flowers, please consult: debravanwinegarden.blogspot.com

Travel Basics

Travel: Trailhead parking is 1.6 miles west of the U.S. Highway 160/550 intersection. Park in a dirt lot on the north side of Highway 160 just past the Giant gas station.

Time: 2½ to 4 hours

Difficulty for the buttes: Trail, off-trail; navigation moderate; steep, loose, and brushy

Distance and Elevation Gain

Twin Buttes East: 6.6 miles; 1,300 feet of climbing

Twin Buttes West: add a 0.5 mile and 240 feet of vertical

Cliffrock Loop (2.7 miles): 7.3 miles with 800 feet of elevation gain