MARYLAND MOUNTAIN

Maryland Mountain | Black Hawk, Gilpin County

PROJECT BRIEF:

Black Hawk created a master plan for a new trail system on Maryland Mountain in 2014 and was finally able to start construction in 2020. The plan calls for a variety of multi-use and hiking trails that take full advantage of the available vistas and take visitors to some interesting historical remnants of the mining era in Colorado. COMBA got involved during construction and successfully advocated for the addition of several bike-only trails for descending that will concentrate mountain bikers on dedicated trails when they are traveling at their fastest. We also encouraged the designation of several hiking-only trails in the system and the FRONT coalition is excited to help bring user-specific experiences to this great new trail system. Construction of the remaining trails is set for 2021.

PROJECT STATS:

  • Project Type: New trail system
  • User Groups: Mountain bikers, hikers, trail runners
  • Difficulty: Easy – Very Difficult
  • Distance: 10-12 Miles
  • Nature: Singletrack
  • Status: 6-miles constructed, 6-miles coming Summer 2021
  • Target: $200K

NORTH ELK CREEK

North Elk Creek Trail | Evergreen, Jefferson County

PROJECT BRIEF:

The North Elk Creek Trail was originally a “16-in-16 Colorado the Beautiful” trail picked by the Governor’s Office as a priority trail project to connect the Cub Creek Trail in Evergreen to the trails in Staunton State Park. Completed in 2018 and opened in 2019, the North Elk Creek Trail is 2.7-miles of backcountry singletrack in an incredibly scenic location. In 2019, a planning grant was awarded to COMBA for determining the feasibility of expanding the North Elk Creek trail to make a singletrack connection all the way into Staunton, and a possible return route along the top of Black Mountain to create a substantial backcountry loop sitting between Cub Creek and Staunton. The Phase 2 trails are under construction and planned to open mid-2021. Next step is expected to be a construction grant for Phase 3 trails to complete the loop.

PROJECT STATS:

  • Project Type: New trail system
  • User Groups: Mountain bikers, hikers, trail runners
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Distance: 15-20 Miles
  • Nature: Singletrack
  • Status: 3-miles constructed, 6-miles coming Summer 2021
  • Target: $300K

VIRGINIA CANYON MOUNTAIN PARK

Virginia Canyon Mountain Park | Idaho Springs, Clear Creek County

PROJECT BRIEF:

Idaho Springs is building a new trail system on the hills along the north side of town. Steep, rugged, and beautiful, this land offers a ton of challenge and excitement. Trails are being master-planned to include all the modern components of a world-class trail system – separation by speed, user specific trails, and directional trails. After heading up Rosa Gulch to the vistas on Hillman Peak, hikers and bikers will have their own trails downhill to the trailheads!

PROJECT STATS:

  • Project Type: New trail system
  • User Groups: Mountain bikers, hikers
  • Difficulty: Moderate – Difficult
  • Distance: 10-12 Miles
  • Nature: Steep, rugged singletrack
  • Status: Trail system master plan underway
  • Target: $1M

FLOYD HILL

Floyd Hill Open Space | Clear Creek County

PROJECT BRIEF:

Sitting high above Clear Creek canyon, Floyd Hill offers amazing vistas of the Front Range, Centennial Cone, and Lookout Mountain. Designed with both hiking and biking trails, this new trail system sits just 15 minutes from Golden just off I-70. A 2-mile downhill trail will be the crown jewel of these world-class trails for bikers, while hikers will have a more peaceful trail experience.

PROJECT STATS:

  • Project Type: New trail system
  • User Groups: Mountain bikers, hikers
  • Difficulty: Easy – Difficult
  • Distance: 12 Miles
  • Nature: Singletrack
  • Status: Completed and open — thank you!

ROONEY VALLEY TRAIL

Rooney Valley Trail | Green Mountain, Lakewood

PROJECT BRIEF:

Green Mountain boasts some of the only easy-to-intermediate trails in the Front Range, but the climbs to the top can be daunting. One of those routes, the Rooney Valley Trail consisted largely of fall-line trail and suffered from constant erosion issues. Working with Lakewood Parks, we proposed a realignment that will move back-and-forth through the drainage in a curvilinear track to bring a more sustainable tread that requires less maintenance. This also lowered the grades, provided more interesting trail, and brought some fun to the experience.

PROJECT STATS:

  • Project Type: Trail realignment
  • User Groups: Mountain bikers, hikers
  • Difficulty: Easy – Moderate
  • Distance: 1 Mile
  • Nature: Flowy, rolling singletrack
  • Status: Constructed and Open – Thank you!!