One-way Distance: 1.4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 9,786 - 10,587 feet
Cellphone: 2-5 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Ridge
Fee: none
Attractions: Forest hike, scenic views
The Ridge trail is located in the Telluride Ski Area of the Uncompahgre National Forest near Telluride, Colorado. The trail begins at the St. Sophia Gondola Station where it travels along the rim overlooking the Telluride Valley until it comes out onto a neighborhood road in Mountain Village. The road can be followed to the Mountain Village Station where a free gondola ride can provide an easy return to where the trail began.
For this post we parked in one of the free lots and walked along the River trail to the Telluride Station where we took the free gondola up the mountain to St. Sophia.
As you exit the St. Sophia Station the trailhead will be on the left between the station and the restrooms.
The route follows a road that passes under the gondola and heads toward the ridge.
After the trail leaves the road it comes to a fork where the right branch leads to a scenic overlook that offers a nice view of the town of Telluride in the valley below.
Back on the main branch the trail continues on its way along the ridge.
The trail briefly pops back out onto a road as it passes by a cell tower and then returns to a singletrack that takes it near another overlook of sorts.
Most of the upper section of the Ridge trail is pretty rocky making a sturdy pair of footwear a good choice.
Every so often a place will come up where you can see through the trees and get a good look at some nearby peaks.
Near the midpoint of the trail it turns away from the ridge and begins switchbacking its way gently down an aspen covered slope.
Eventually the trail spills out onto another road and comes to an end. From here there are signs that point out the way through the residential area to get back to the gondola.
