San Juan Huts - Ridgway, Colorado

Gerrit Westervelt

Had a great Gravel Grinder -Tour of the Canyons with our group of six in October; everyone really enjoyed the experience and was really happy with how SJ Huts treated us. Although primitive as advertised (gas lanterns, composting toilet in a separate outbuilding) the huts worked great. Well stocked with food including eggs and other perishables in coolers for breakfast, tons of bars and energy drink powders, snacks, etc. Bunks were comfortable and the place was reasonably clean. The company was good to deal with and communication was solid. Great way to enjoy amazing scenery. Looking forward to doing another bike/hut trip next year.

Nell

Did Telluride to Moab bike trip in late June. Overall the experience was great and the huts are wonderful.
Some things I wish I had known/some feedback for the company that I believe should be public knowledge:

First the cons:

-we rode every “singletrack option” with the exception of one trail on day 3. There is not a lot of good singletrack on the route. There are SOME great trails but don’t expect to be riding more than a few good trails every few days. I was annoyed that we ended up doing a lot of descending double track that was billed as a “singletrack option” just to climb out another super steep double track gravel road back to the main road. Or the singletrack wasn’t ridden much and was just miles of pushing your bike over downed trees.
-a lot of agricultural surroundings. Think cow noise (bells, moo-ing) all night long. I think only 2 of the huts are not surrounded by farm animals
-the company will tell you that everything is in the bike bible but ask questions because there is a lot of information they don’t include.
-we are quite fit, do a lot of racing, and at a VERY relaxed pace this ended up being 30 hours of biking in one week. You will enjoy it more with good fitness.
-from talking to our independent shuttle company it seems that a LOT of people end up bailing out for various reasons
-huts would be cramped for 8 people, try to go with a smaller group I’d say

Pros:

-huts are super well stocked with everything from sunscreen to food
-get the beer package, very worth it, great selection
-views were even better than expected

David Morrison

Amazing view of the wilderness. We did the Sneffels Traverse in the summer. I would recommend bringing a portable water filter or iodine tablets. Parts can be muddy so watch your footing. Other than that, it was an amazing trip.

Matheson Harris

Our group of eight just finished Telluride to Moab. Had an amazing trip. If you are in decent shape and not in a hurry, it is totally doable by most people. The maps and directions are top notch. Huts are well-stocked and it’s fun getting creative with the meals you can make with what is provided. I’m vegan and had no problem making the food work. My wife doesn’t ride a ton, but she’s tenacious and although she was nervous about the trip, she loved it and wants to do more bikepacking (big win for me). Definitely hit the parallel trail and the Ute Creek trail if you do any alternative rides. We stayed otherwise to the standard route for my wife’s benefit, but it was honestly super fun just riding at a chill pace with no cell service to distract us from being together.

A few tips: bring good ear plugs. I recommend the silicone wax type. People can be very noisy at night, but these kind block it all out. Also, haul a good pillow. If you can’t sleep well you get a little crazy after 7 days. Take time to make creative dinners. You have all day so mix it up. Do it in September. The temps are perfect, rain is less and the leaves are metal.

Isaac Gould

MTB trip in early June. We rode from Telluride to Moab. This was an amazing experience and I know that San Juan Huts is the best way to do it!! On the route I travelled there are excellent views every day and the terrain is mostly fire roads. Depending on what journey you want to take there are several single track options during the trip as well. The huts are well stocked with way more than everything you could want in the mountains. One of the best things about San Juan Huts is that they have expanded to include ski trips, hike trips, and even other biking routes. I would recommend this trip for anyone. It’s easy enough for anyone but can also be more challenging for an expert rider by taking alternate longer routes every day!!

Barry Hannigan

I would love to give this a 5-star rating, but there was one portion of the hike that was very disappointing....so no can do. That portion was the night's stay in Ridgway Hut, the third night of the traverse. The cabin was full of mice, and there was not only no warning about this from the company, but there was also nothing in which your food could be protected. We ended up emptying trash cans from the privy and trying to fit our food in them.......after we learned that our food had already been partially eaten by the mice. Mice ran through our cups, bowls, etc. and left little packets as mementos. The night's sleep was difficult with constant chewing, scurrying, etc.

The rest of the huts were fine! The hike is lovely! It's amazingly beautiful! But why have the owners ignored this? It's been mentioned in other reviews so they must know about it. The huts are small enough that a person could easily fill any/all cracks in a short time. Come on, San Juan...why let something so easily fixed ruin people's experience on the trail?

John Wadsworth

MTB trip in August, Durango to Moab with all singletrack options. Great huts, singletrack was a nice relief from the gravel grind; recommend for those in need of adventure. Huts were well stocked and the locations usually offered a pretty stellar view.

Other notes on our trip: I was tasked with logistics for my group and can recommend Ridgway as a base-camp (~7k feet, Gnar Taco, RAT mtb trail system, be wary however that most of town is closed M-W); Western Slope Rides as a ground transport and logistics partner; the Chipeta Solar Springs Resort for accommodations in Ridgway; Nate at the Ridgway Wrench for bicycle mechanicals.

Cleo Salisbury

Had a fantastic time doing the Sneffels Traverse in mid-July. Huts were comfortable, wildflowers were amazing, and weather was perfect (ok, except for the last two hours of the last day where we got totally dumped on). We added side trips up to Blaine Basin (recommended!) and to Lower Blue Lake. The final day leads you right into the center of Ouray where you can get ice cream at Mouse’s and/or hit the hot springs, a fabulous way to end the trip. Two recommendations: bring hiking poles and, for folks coming from sea level, spend a day or two in Ouray ahead of time, just to make the first day at 10000 feet more comfortable…