Durango’s Animas River Trail construction begins June 1, detours expected

Hikers, runners, cyclists and dog walkers who use the Animas River Trail between Rank Park and Memorial Park will have to change their summer routine starting June 1, when construction begins on the corridor that will eventually replace Demon Bridge behind Durango High School. The city says the work will bring temporary detours, and those routes may shift as crews move through the area.

The first phase targets a worn-out stretch of trail and turns it into a wider, more durable segment built to city multi-use standards. Plans call for a new 10-foot-wide concrete path, trail lighting, landscape features and an improved spur connection to Rio Vista Circle. The project also includes a redesigned railroad-crossing area, a wider east-end curve and a softer-surface shortcut path for trail runners. City planning materials say the rebuild is meant to improve visibility, reduce sharp curves, add railings where needed and bring the trail up to ADA standards.

The city says the best workaround for now is the soft-surface Rea Trail, which will remain open and has been extended to preserve connectivity between Riverview Drive and Rio Vista Circle. Posted signage and directional arrows will guide people through the construction zone, but the city is warning trail users to expect longer travel distances and more roadway crossings than they are used to. That matters for daily commuters as much as for anyone heading out for an evening run or a casual dog walk.

A second disruption is also set nearby: the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad plans track replacement at the crossing east of Demon Bridge on June 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. That work could add another layer of delay for anyone trying to move through the Rank Park and Memorial Park area while the trail rebuild is underway.

The project is part of a longer city effort to finish the remaining outdated sections of the Animas River Trail, Durango’s primary community trail corridor that links the north, downtown and southern parts of town. The trail, now about 9 miles long from Oxbow Park and Preserve to the Dallabetta Park trailhead near River Road and La Posta Road, has been assembled over roughly 50 years and is funded through the voter-approved 2015 half-cent sales tax. With work continuing into 2027, the section between Rank Park and Memorial Park is the one users will feel first, and the one most likely to decide whether a summer outing stays on the river or takes the detour instead.