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| Hiking | 7.50 Miles |
1,560 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.50 Miles | 3 Hrs 58 Mns | | 1.89 mph |
| 1,560 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | BLAST FROM THE PAST! This hike occurred during my vacation in Durango. I've been coming to Durango now for several years and am slowly becoming more comfortable with the trail system of that area.
This hike starts off just to the west Highway 550, about 2 to 3 miles north of Coal Bank Pass. I actually drove by this spot several times (the surrounding views are soooo amazing) before I realized that there was a TH located there. There is a pull off several 100 yards up the highwaythat people were using for parking. Today, the plan was for my family to drop me off at this TH and then they would drive up to Pass Trail and hike in on that and meet me at the top juncture.
This trail is about 3 miles long and for the first 1.5 miles, I did a lot of gradual climbing through the use of switchbacks. Nothing strenuous. The initial part of Coal Pass is heavily wooded providing a lot of shade. This wasn't a huge issue today because it was quite cloudy and I could hear thunder rumbling periodically in the distance. I was surprised at the number of people I met coming down the trail. There had been only 2 cars at the pull off, but I met 10 people in various groupings. It was during a couple of these encounters that I learned the purpose of the Klaxon horn that my wife had bought me..... (Because I frequently hike alone my wife is always concerned about my safety especially with me venturing into the "high country" of the Rocky Mountains. Prior to this vacation, my wife had bought me a Klaxon horn - the kind they use in marinas, and bear spray). As I met these groups heading out, they would invariably ask "what is that you're carrying?" My reply " a horn". Locals "why?" My reply "bears". This led to quite a bit of laughter on their part. Apparently bear sightings on trails is a verrrry rare occurrence. Hence, the purpose of my Klaxon horn was for the amusement of the locals. Having said that, I did feel safer having the horn with me....I just carried it in my pocket thereafter.
After the first 1.5 miles I started to get above the tree line. This is an awesome experience! You're in amongst the trees, and then without quite realizing it ....BOOM..... You're out and looking down and around at them. Words really do not do this justice. It was at this point I could start seeing the peaks and the surrounding vistas. Prior to this point I was just teased with glimpses. The trail up to this point had been very easy to follow, but once I broke the tree line, I was amongst tall grass and other low lying plants. This was the steepest part of the Coal Creek Trail, because I was now following cairns to the top of the rise and this was straight up the hill, no switchbacks. When I made it to the top of the ridge I came to an obvious trail that went along the spine. Off in the distance I could see rain falling, but just had cloudy skies above. I was tempted to climb some of the higher hills in the vicinity, but I knew my wife and family were hiking up Pass Trail and I didn't want to make them wait for me. I followed the trail along the ridge for about .5 miles. It was at this point that the Coal Creek Trail ends and meets up with Engineer Mtn Trail. (I am getting the Engineer name off of a map, but I know that the name I saw on the signed trail was something different... I just can't remember what it was. Same trail though, just different names).
This Engineer Trail is a long trail that runs along the top of the mountain, connecting to many other trails. This portion of the Engineer Trail was flat for the most part and actually a little bit lower than the Creek trail that I just came off of, so my views were mainly of the surrounding hills. I took this trail south for about 1 mile where it meets Pass Trail. This spot is actually a 4 way juncture. You have the Engineer Trail that continues on south for about another 5 miles, you have the Pass Trail that comes in from the east and then, to the west, you have a fading trail that starts the climb up to the peak of Engineer Mountain. My family had not made it to this juncture yet, so I headed down Pass Trail to meet them. I didn't have far to go. About .25 miles in, I saw the smiling faces of my clan. This was a special moment. My wife is not the avid hiker that I am and in previous years she had only hiked in on the Pass Trail for about a mile. I told her that she was missing out on some beautiful views and an awesome experience, so this year she was going to try to make it to the top. And she did 
My wife, having talked to several people returning to the TH told me that Pass Trail did not stop at the 4 way juncture, but actually continued up to the top of Engineer Mountain. I had hiked this trail several times in years past and had no idea that the trail went all the way to the top. After the juncture, the terrain that the fading trail traverses goes from steep to vertical. I couldn't imagine a regular hiker being able to reach the summit. As my family rested and enjoyed the surrounding views we met another hiker who was doing a prelim for a summit hike that he hoped to do later in the week. We actually followed him up to the 12,000 ft. elevation point. It was very steep up to that point and involved several stops for breathers. The trail disappeared around a rock outcropping, so I can only imagine what it would be like from this point on. I am not a ski pole person, but I would definitely want something to help with footing if I were going to attempt this climb. As it was, we were doing some "butt-sliding" just to descend from where we were. The view, however, was AWESOME from up there!
The hike down Pass Trail was a nice family pace. In this case, the elevation lost, is gradual. It involves some switchbacks, but the trail does a nice job in just drawing itself out allowing you to see a lot of terrain. There were a couple of streams to cross near the top, but they were mainly trickles. At about the half way point there is a lake that we passed. In years past, I've seen deer near here. But this year, there was just a camper who pitched a tent there. (Which is probably why there were no deer  ). As we approached the TH we leave the trees and enter a stretch of tall flowering plants. This year was ok. But in previous years, this section had been spectacular!
This was a fantastic hike! I was able to do some new trails, and then share some old trails with my family. Weather was perfect. |
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