Ear to the ground:
“Oh yeah, I’ll take a butt, I’m definitely a butt man!”
- Local restaurant worker, who, in his defense, was referencing some bread
High roller
Now that most of the snow has disappeared from the high peaks, it’s time for some singletrack adventure. But before you hit the trails, make sure you’re prepared with Holly Annala’s most recent guidebook, Mountain Bike Durango, Cortez, Dolores and Rico Singletrack.
Annala, who grew up on a ranch in Durango and bought her first mountain bike at the Durango Cyclery, details all the secrets and specs of the area’s singletrack. Now calling Crested Butte home, Annala’s time in Durango spurred a lifelong love of the outdoors. Today, she is an expert rider who teaches mountain biking and helps build trails with the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association.
Her latest book, which is her fifth guide book, hit shelves April 10. It contains 196 pages of the 54 best rides the San Juans and La Platas have to offer. Prior to this book, Annala has written four “Holly’s Ride Guides” on trails surrounding her home of 20 years, Crested Butte, as well as trails of Vail, Gunnison and Salida. She has spent all but two years of her life in Colorado.
Annala said she started the series of books out of frustration that many mountain bike guidebooks have become dated. Plus, it was fun. “It combines two of my passions: writing and exploring outdoors,” she said.
Her recent book covers rides for all abilities, all within a two-hour drive from Durango – and all of which she has completed herself. The rides cover the wide variety of landscapes and climates the Four Corners has to offer, from the high-alpine singletrack of Rolling Pass on the Colorado Trail at 12,500 feet to the buffed-out desert riding of the Road Apple in Farmington.
“The mountain trails cross spectacular passes, traverse steep wildflower meadows and wind in and out of forested valleys. The high desert singletracks swoop through arroyos and roll over slickrock,” she writes on the book’s back cover.
All the local preferences, such as Overend Mountain Park (Test Tracks), Phil’s World and Horse Gulch, are also included, as well as many lesser-known trails around the area.
Annala said Horse Gulch is a personal go-to when she’s in town. “I included all my favorites from growing up, but I also put in the gems I found exploring,” she said.
Detailed descriptions of each trail include estimated completion time as well as difficulty and aerobic effort ratings. In addition, there are custom topo maps by Singletrack Maps, elevation profiles, photographs, star ratings and mileage logs all to help you choose your own adventure.
Annala’s guidebooks can be found at Maria’s Bookshop, at local bike shops and online at amazon.com. For more information, email hollyannala@yahoo.com.
– Martina Pansze