It was in the 1890s that Otto Mears, a toll road entrepreneur and engineer, conceived the vision for the Rio Grande Southern railroad to serve the mining towns of Telluride, Ophir, and Rico. Construction of the rail line through the tortuous topography of these mountains earned Mears the nickname "Pathfinder of the San Juans." The curved trestles at Ophir Loop and below the Butterfly dotted the original route, only one of which remains today, near Trout Lake. A declining mining industry eventually caused the railroad hard times by the late 1920s.

In 1931, Victor Miller and Forest White revitalized the Rio Grande Southern by operating motor buses on the line from Ridgway to Dolores, carrying passengers, mail and freight. Their original rail bus, called Galloping Goose, was a hybrid gasoline powered locomotive, driven by a Buick Master Six engine with a touring car compartment attached. Jack and Walter Odenbaugh of Placerville developed and produces seven "Geese" to navigate the line. (One of the original Galloping Goose rail buses may be seen at the San Miguel County Courthouse in Telluride.) For the next 20 years the Galloping Goose carried mail and freight and entertained passengers over the 98 miles between Dolores and Ridgway. With the expiration of the line's mail contract in 1950, this era of unique and sometimes adventurous rail travel come to an end.

Today the Galloping Goose Trail along the abandoned Rio Grande Southern railroad provides a unique hiking and mountain biking experience for National Forest visitors. In cooperation with San Miguel County and local landowners, the Forest Service has converted much of the old railroad grade to a recreational trail between Telluride and Lizard Head pass. Trail enthusiasts can now travel this scenic route, retracing the tracks of an earlier time. The trail follows the original route of the Rio Grande Southern for most of its length.

Safety: Although over half of the trail is limited only to hikers and bikers, portions of the trail route share Forest and county roads and one short stretch of highway with motorized traffic. While most of the Galloping Goose Trail is classified as an "Easier" mountain biking and hiking trail, a few sections are more difficult due to steeper grades and terrain. Please ride and hike responsibly and be alert for motor vehicles and changing conditions! Mountain bikers should maintain safe speeds at all times and yield to hikers.

The Galloping Goose Trail is marked along its entire length with a goose logo and directional arrows.

The section from Lawson Hill (near the intersection of CO Hwy. 145 and the 145 Spur into Telluride) to the South Fork road #625 (Ilium) is complete and open to recreationists. Construction of the bridge over Skunk Creek along this section was completed during summer 1997.

The section from Mattern Campground to Lizard Head Pass follows Forest and County roads. From Ophir Loop to the campground, follows CO Hwy. 145 for approximately 1.5 miles to a primitive road heading east off the highway. This road descends to and then follows the old railroad grade to the Lake Fork of the San Miguel River. A bridge was built over the Lake Fork during the summer 1992.