RTA Chiefs San Juan Softie’s Cross Mt. Aid Station

Since the San Juan Softie ultra trail run’s inception three years ago, RTA has hosted its largest aid station.  Our volunteers will staff it again this year at the Cross Mountain Trailhead parking lot on the south end of Lizard Head pass. We’ll be serving up hot fresh slices of Pizza Therapy pies and unveiling our newest merch … RTA logo’d socks. Supporting the San Juan Softie is an integral part of RTA’s mission, fostering responsible trail use while showcasing the results of RTA’s efforts. Don’t miss the opportunity to join in the fun and cheer on these amazing SJS trail athletes (rain or shine) as they hit the mid point.

RTA has improved, restored and rerouted several trail sections within the San Juan Softie’s course. During the Softie, as runner’s leave RTA’s Cross Mountain aid station (mile 45.8), they will briefly ascend the Cross Mountain Trail and then proceed proceed south onto the Groundhog Stock trail, which RTA improved in 2018, taking runners over to the Calico trail (mile 52.8).  

After heading south on Calico, a motorized trail, runners will descend the Burnett Creek trail (at mile 64.8), which is a partially decommissioned US Forest Service road that RTA has inventoried and assessed for (a lot of!) improvements.  In 2023, RTA rerouted a short connector trail (the Burnett Connector) that will take San Juan Softie runners from the lower Burnett Road down to the former Rio Grande Southern (RGS) railroad grade, a new Forest Service Trail, funded by RTA, where runners will head south to the county line where they’ll cross the Dolores River and Highway 145 to ascend the Ryman Creek Trail (mile 71.3).  Ryman Creek trail was a severely degraded trail that the Forest Service designated as non-motorized in 2019.  In 2020-2021, RTA raised over $70,000 and hired contractors to build new trail sections and bridges and to cut in a much needed 3.7 mile reroute. On Ryman, the athletes will run along Ryman Creek and then switchback up to the Colorado Trail, then down Coral Draw and the rest of the San Juan Softie’s course to finish at Purgatory.