Feature Name:

Sockrider Peak

Priest Gulch Trails (FST 645 & 201)

http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/sanjuan/recreation/trails/doltrails/dolores-trails.shtml

Starting elevation: 8,050 ft. (Priest Gulch Trailhead, Highway 145, across from the Priest Gulch campground)
Highest elevation: 12,150 ft (Sockrider Peak)
Ending elevation: 11,320 ft. (junction with Calico Trail)
Trail length one way: 7.5 miles
Maps: See Map 1— North of Dolores (link above), SJNF map, USGS 7½' maps: Wallace Ranch, Clyde Lake, Rico, Dolores Peak
Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult

Directions to trailhead: From Dolores on Highway 145, travel northeast 23 miles. The trailhead is clearly marked on the north side of the highway; the turn is next to a private driveway.

For a five-mile loop, take the Priest Gulch Cutoff Trail #201 at mile 1.5, which will take you up (it is steep!) to the lower portion of the Calico Trail and back down to the Priest Gulch Trailhead.

As the trail climbs alongside the Priest Gulch drainage, it passes through lush meadows and a forest of spruce, fir, and aspen. This trail intersects with the Calico Trail around mile 7.5. For a sixteen-mile loop hike, take the lower portion of the Calico Trail back to the Priest Gulch Trailhead. If on horseback, be aware the final stretch of the lower portion of the Calico Trail is very steep as it drops down into the Dolores River Canyon.