Men's Journal (August 2006)

Summer Guide to Colorado

You can always visit Boulder for a multisport sampler. Or you could hit one of these four less crowded adventure hubs to go deep in your favorite sport: hiking, rafting, or bagging 14,000-foot peaks.

THE RIDING Overend recommends taking a few days to tick off the town trails first: Horse Gulch, a 60-plus-mile network of desert trails; the Dry Fork Loop of the Colorado Trail, a technical 13-mile blast; and the nine-mile nest of trails in Durango Mountain Park. Next, test the World Cup course, in Purgatory Village, an eight-mile loop with 2,000 feet of climbing (durangomountainresort.com). Save for last the classic 20-mile singletrack Hermosa Creek Trail, a 45-minute drive away. It winds through aspen groves and pine forests as it follows the creek. SouthWest Adventure Guides leads trips (from $125; mtnguide.net). Pick up full-suspension rental Treks or Gary Fishers and trail maps at Hassle Free Sports (from $40 per day; 970-259-3874; hasslefreesports.com).

BONUS SPORT Work your upper body at Sailing Hawks, a collection of 100-plus bouldering problems, rated V0 to a tendon-popping V12, near Animas Mountain.

EATs & DRINK Bread (970-247-5100) is a local bakery that serves fresh-roasted coffee and knobby oatmeal cookies. Stonehouse Subs (970-247-4882) bakes its own bread for its monster grinders. At East by Southwest (970-247-5533, eastbysouthwest.com), sushi collides with tortilla chips for surprising results. Locals rally on Thursdays for juicy burgers and dollar pints at the outdoor patio at Steamworks (970-259-9200, steamworksbrewing.com).

STAY The historic 25-room Rochester Hotel (from $148; rochesterhotel.com) is decorated in Old West style and is close to the action.

GET THERE Durango is 335 miles southwest of Denver. Or fly into Durango Airport.

—Kate Siber