For the first hike of the year, I thought to do something close to where I live in Durango. One hike that peaked my interest was Barnroof Point, which can be seen from downtown Durango and located behind Perrin's Peak in the Perrin's Peak State Wildlife Area. Almost none of the hiking guides that I own even mention Barnroof Point . . . and now I know why.
Directions: From downtown Durango, head west on State Highway 160 for about 3.5 miles. Look for signs pointing towards Lightner Creek. There is a right turn only lane onto Lightner Creek Road, which is also County Road 209. After about a mile, the road will fork with County Road 209 continuing to the left, and County Road 208 (a dirt road) veer off to the right. Go right and immediately turn left into the parking lot. The trailhead for Barnroof is from this parking lot.
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| Trail leading from parking lot. |
Trail: The trail drops down from the parking lot, crosses a small stream, and then begins to climb along the side of Barnroof. After a few switchbacks, the trail climbs steadily. It is a pretty well maintained trail but does not have an abundance of shade. I started my hike around 10 am and was in full sun as I climbed. The trail continues to climb up the side of Barnroof for about a half mile, and then appears to end abruptly at a large boulder surrounded by a couple large pinon oaks. This is where the fun begins. Climb over the rocks and follow what remains of the trail, and prepare to climb.
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| Where the trail appears to disappear. |
The trail turns essentially straight uphill for about 15 yards and you have to scramble on low to ground to make it to the top. I took my time as the ground is quite loose and one could easily slide down off the trail to serious injury. After this scramble, you will be up on top of Barnroof, and the hiking gets much easier.
The trail continues to the north and is easy to follow for about another half mile until you reach a rocky slope you have to hike through. After this climb, the trail pretty much comes and goes. Luckily, the undergrowth is not very thick and it is easy to find wildlife trails to follow. I pretty much followed the ridge line along the edge of the mountain, which offered nice views of the surrounding area. Continue to climb towards the north and will eventually climb up over a rise. After the rise, you will come into a rock field where a small forest fire burned a few years back. To be honest, this is as far as I would advise anyone to hike.
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| The lovely thick underbrush. |
I continued on to climb all the way to Barnroof Point, which is the high point of this mountain. Soon after the rock field, the underbrush gets extremely thick and difficult to navigate. Plus, there is no trail and so you have to bushwhack your way to the top. I had on shorts and my lower legs got the living snot scratched out of them. The hike to Barnroof Point is simply not worth the effort. The only way I knew I made it is because my gps indicated I had arrived at the top. There is really not much of a view as everything is obscured by the thick undergrowth. I glad I made it to the top just to check it off my list but I doubt I will ever return as the effort was simply not worth it.
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| View of the La Plata Mountains from Barnroof Point. |
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| View north up County Road 208. |
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| Hiking Route. |
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| Elevation Profile. |
