  We want to estimate the distance to molecular clouds in the solar vicinity in
a statistically precise way. Clouds are recognized as extinction
discontinuities. The extinction is estimated from the $(H-K) \ vs. \ (J-H)$
diagram and distances from a $(J-K)_0 \ vs. \ M_J$ relation based on Hipparcos.
The stellar sample of relevance for the cloud distance is confined by the FWHM
of the $A_V / D_{\star}(pc)$ or of its derivative. The cloud distance is
estimated from fitting a function to the $(A_V, 1/ \pi_{JHK})$ pairs in this
sample with a function like $arctanh^p (D_\star /D_{cloud})$ where the power
$p$ and $D_{cloud}$ both are estimated. The fit follows the $(A_V,
1/\pi_{JHK})_{cloud}$ data rather well. Formal standard deviations less than a
few times 10 pc seem obtainable implying that cloud distances are estimated on
the $\lesssim$10$\%$ level. Such a precision allows estimates of the depths of
cloud complexes in some cases. As examples of our results we present distances
for $\sim$25 molecular clouds in Table ~\ref{t2}.
  $Keywords$: interstellar medium: molecular cloud distances

Astrophysics of Galaxies