Labor Day weekend marks the time when the streets of Durango are immersed in a soundscape of motorcycle engines and visitors are clad in leather jackets signaling the beginning of the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally.
The 33rd Annual Four Corners Motorcycle Rally beginning Thursday afternoon will hold a tribute for the late U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell during the Four Corners Rodeo on Friday night, as he was one of the founders of the motorcycle rally. The senator’s daughter and his wife, alongside another founder Mike Lavato, will be at the tribute, Trevor Bird, co-owner of the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally, said.
“(We’re) really looking forward to honoring this man that’s done so much for this community and started the Four Corners Rally,” Bird said.
The rally originally started at the Sky Ute Fairgrounds in Ignacio, and Bird said it is important to the organizers of the rally to continue to keep that connection and show support and recognition toward the Indigenous community.
At 9 a.m. Sunday at the Sky Ute Casino, there will be the annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives ride. The ride is in collaboration with local nonprofits from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe community to bring awareness and raise money for MMIR organizations in Colorado, Bird said.
The gates for the rally, which is hosted at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, opened at 2 p.m. Thursday. The rally has extended into a four-day event this year and is growing, Bird said.
The series of events is put on by Progressive and Harley-Davidson Motorcycles.
Lot A, the front lot of the fairgrounds, does not require a general admission ticket to enter – it’s free and open to the public, Bird said. Other specific events and parts of the rally require a ticket, but Lot A has numerous motorcycles for the public to view.
Other big companies such as Monster Energy, Coors Banquet and Smart Water have sponsored the event. Local businesses like the Wild Horse Saloon, the Sky Ute Casino and Resort, and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad are sponsors as well. A full list of sponsors can be found at bit.ly/3TcdZY7.
A full event schedule and map for the event can be found at fourcornersmotorcyclerally.com/pages/event-schedule.
Events Thursday will go from 2 to 10 p.m. s
The Four Corners Rodeo, presented by D&SNG, will kick off at 6:30 p.m., with gates opening at 5 p.m. The rodeo will feature a motorcycle barrel racing event.
Events Friday and Saturday are scheduled at the fairgrounds to follow a similar schedule, running from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
On Saturday, Artie Starrs, the new CEO for Harley-Davidson, and Bill and Karren Davidson, fourth-generation grandchildren of William Davidson – one of the company’s founders – will hold a public meet and greet on Lot A, Bird said.
The final day of the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally will last from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Throughout the rally weekend there will be giveaways for event participants, according to the event website. Prizes include a 2026 Harley-Davidson Low Ride ST motorcycle, a 10-day motorcycle trip in Nepal and hand-painted Bitwell helmets.
The ASH foundation is connected to the Bitwell helmet giveaway. The foundation works with organizations such as the Women’s Resource Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Ignacio Boys and Girls Club to help families and children in need, Bird said.
“We recognize that not everybody gets excited when thousands of motorcyclists ascend on Durango during Labor Day weekend, and we want to be very respectful of that,” he said. “We also recognize that it’s been a tough summer for a lot of small businesses in our community.”
Bird said he hopes that all of the guests coming into the community, filling up hotels, eating at restaurants and supporting local shops will provide a strong finish to the tourism season.
In recent years, the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally has made a concerted effort to make the event more family friendly, he said. The rally works with law enforcement and has gotten more support from La Plata County and the city of Durango this year.
“It’s something that even if you don’t ride, we want everyone in the community to feel welcomed,” Bird said.
jrooney@durangoherald.com
