A major Horse Gulch happening is just a few short weeks away. The inaugural Big Gulch Trail Festival is set for Sept. 18 and will include a series of mountain bike and running races and benefit Trails 2000, Durango DEVO and Fort Lewis College Cycling.

The festival will be centered at Three Springs and kick off with a 10k trail run, designed by Durango Motorless Transit, along with a series of mountain bike races. The flagship mountain bike race, “The Big Gulch,” was designed by Durango native and former national champion Travis Brown. A 40+ mile “test of endurance,” the Big Gulch will cover two laps on a course that starts and finishes in Three Springs and spans nearly all of the singletrack in the greater Telegraph/Horse Gulch trail system. A 22-mile Half Gulch – a single loop that still promises to host its share of blood, sweat and tears – will also be run along with a Kids fun race hosted by Durango DEVO. Carver Brewing Co. will host a Big Gulch after-party and awards ceremony and uncork a commemorative beer in honor of the occasion.

“Horse Gulch is unique in that there are so many different owners from one side to the other,” said Mary Monroe, executive director of Trails 2000. “Cooperation between the City of Durango, the Bureau of Land Management and Three Springs is really what makes this event happen and what makes Horse Gulch so unique.”

Registration for The Big Gulch is available online at www.thebiggulch.org, in person at Mountain Bike Specialists and on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 17 at Three Springs.

– Will Sands