Colorado trails · Stoner Mesa Trail
Stoner Mesa Trail
A 11.4-mile out-and-back in Colorado, with 2,377 ft of climbing, topping out at 9,935 ft. Reaches Michele Reservoir and other lake/spring/summit destinations. Managed by USFS Dolores Ranger District.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 62% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 3.8. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Michele Reservoir (lake)
- Stoner Lake (lake)
- Stoner Mesa Reservoir (lake)
- Aspen Reservoir (lake)
- Twin Spring (spring)
- Twin Spring Reservoir (lake)
- Stoner Mesa (summit)
- Sunshine Reservoir (lake)
- Seep Reservoir (lake)
Getting there
Stoner Mesa Trailhead Upper. About 1 h 34 min drive (43 mi, 7 of them unpaved) from Cortez. 37.69699, -108.19523 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:53 a.m., the sun rises at 7:19 a.m. and sets at 6:37 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:03 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 17 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 22.7-mile round trip takes roughly 10 h 48 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 6:07 p.m. — 29 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- Calico South Trail — 7.8 mi