Telluride to Moab

NEW!!!! San Juan Hut Systems 4 Night / 5 Day Ride!  Your entire trip in less than a week!  Call today, 970.626.3033 for more information!

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From Telluride, Colorado through the Alpine Peaks of the San Juan’s to Moab’s Canyon Country and Desert Slickrock

This route follows 215-miles of secondary dirt roads from Telluride, CO across the high alpine tundra of the San Juan Mountains to the desert slickrock and canyon country of Moab, Utah. This route is designed for intermediate riders in good physical condition. Alternate-Single Track routes between various huts extend your trip and offer more challenges. San Juan Hut Systems does not allow vehicle support while using the backcountry huts.

telluride map Telluride to Moab

Route (Telluride to Moab) Miles Ascent Descent
Day 1 Telluride to Last Dollar 14.9 2,800′ 550′ 8,750′ to 11,000′
Day 2 Last Dollar to Spring Creek 26.3 1,600′ 3,500′ 11,000 to 9,100′
Day 3 Spring Creek to Columbine 34.3 1,800′ 1,800′ 9,100′ to 9,100′
Day 4 Columbine to Graham Ranch 37.2 1,600′ 2,200′ 9,100′ to 8,500′
Day 5 Graham Ranch to Gateway 32.5 2,100′ 5,900′ 8,500′ to 4,700′
Day 6 Gateway to La Sal Hut 22.5 4,000′ 900′ 4,700′ to 8,200′
Day 7 La Sal Hut to Moab 38.4 2,000′ 6,200′ 8,200′ to 4,000′
Total 215 16,300′ 21,050′

San Juan Hut Systems operates within the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, Gunnison, and Manti-La Sal National Forests under Special Use Permit from the Forest Service USDA. Departure Dates: June 1 through October 1.

We know you have other choices.
Why choose San Juan Hut Systems?

Congratulations! You have found the original. We ‘invented’ hut to hut mountain biking in 1988. Other imitators have ‘flashed in the pan’ in their attempt to emulate us. Didn’t work. Then there were the ‘sag-wagoneers’ sliding around behind us on routes we pioneered for mountain biking over two decades ago.

Do you like getting up when you want, getting on a bike when you want? If so, then sag-wagon trips are probably not for you. Cut the umbilical cord! Be your own independent man or woman.

At the end of a long day of driving, pounding rain or even snow, do you want to crawl into a wet, soggy tent and sleep on the rocks or do you want to share the camaraderie in a hut around a wood stove?

Why Use A San Juan Hut System Hut

Sag-Wagons and Tents
  • 7 ½’ X 3’ X4” vinyl covered sleeping pad on a bunk.
  • Woodstove to dry out and get warm
  • Room to move around when it’s raining or snowing
  • Hut lamps in the evening to plan the next day
  • Black flies, no see-ums, mosquitoes…leave them outside the hut
  • Fully enclosed composting toilets
  • 6’ X 2’ X 1” Thermarest pad on the ground
  • When you are wet, you stay wet
  • Can you even sit up in your tent
  • Confinement to your tent with a headlamp
  • Take the bugs to bed with you in your tent
  • Squatting over a ‘rocket box’ or ‘honey bucket’ while fighting off black flies, no see-ums and mosquitoes

Departure Dates: June 1-October 1

Rider Ability
Though the riding is not technically difficult, cyclists must be in good physical condition. The routes are remote. Riders must have basic bike maintenance and repair skills, and carry all necessary tools for repairs. Riders are responsible for their own safety and must possess basic first aid and survival skills.

Guide Services
For those rider interested in hiring a guide, please contact Peak to Peak Bicycles.

Hut Facilities
Huts hold eight people per night. There are six wooden huts equipped with padded bunks, sleeping bags, a propane cook stove, propane light, wood stove, and necessary utensils, cookwear, food and drinking water. Food supplies are replenished after every 18 to 24 riders pass through. After day four, riders will be greeted with a much needed hot shower at the midway point, Graham Ranch Hut. Streams and lakes are found along the way for rinsing and swimming. Each hut is equipped with a composting toilet.

One of the new and improved composting toilets found at all our huts
(better known as “The Crapper” or “The Meditation Room”)

Route Preparation
Adequate rain gear and warm clothing are necessary due to variable weather conditions. The average mountain elevation is 9,000 feet. Temperatures can range from extreme heat to below freezing during any summer month. Springs along the trail are available for water between huts, although filtering is recommended. A carrying capacity of three liters per rider per day is strongly advised.

See our Bikers Bible for a detailed listing of everything you will need.

Fees:
$850 per person for a 7 day 6 night ride
We accept payments using master Card and Visa (no personal please)

Package Includes:

Hut Facilities

Three meals per day

Sleeping bag at each hut (riders bring their own sleeping bag liner)

Trail descriptions and maps

After reserving a departure date, individual riders or group leaders will be provided a two part Route Packet. The first part of The Route Packet will be emailed to you shortly after securing your reserved departure date. The Packet contains information for the successful completion of your Bike Hut Trip. It includes the Daily Standard Route Description, Alternate Single-Track Route Options, Supplemental Map Information and other necessary documents. Once full payment is received, we mail you the SJHS Maps and Hut Key. Please refer to our reference guide, The Bikers Bible, for information on our Policies and Procedures, Planning Your Trip, what to expect On The Route, and what you will find at The Hut & Hut Etiquette. You will also find such information as recommended Shuttle Services, Bike Shops, Transportation Considerations, Airports, recommended Lodging and much more.