In September and October, the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance completed trail area improvements to West Magnolia Trail System with the help of a National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance grant and generous donations to our trail fund. As part of BMA’s biggest trail volunteer season yet, we logged 540 hours with 41 BMA volunteers and hired Contour Logic, Gumption Trail Works, and Rocky Mountain Youth Corps to make the following improvements.
REROOT EXTENSION
The Reroot trail is now completed to the Peak to Peak Highway and Magnolia Road trailhead. From the parking area, head west up Aspen Alley and make the first left to find 2640 feet of brand new sweet, sweet singletrack! This intermediate trail follows the contour of the hill before dropping down to cross Haul Rd. After you cross the road, admire the 6-foot high rock and earth retaining wall that BMA constructed from local stone. The USFS Boulder Ranger District defined the trail corridor to remove the Haul Rd portion and to avoid private property. The south entrance from Haul Rd was too steep to build the trail without a retaining wall, and the switchback design allows for a natural slowing down point to give riders a chance to check for cars before crossing the road. The trail then connects with old section of Reroot.
HOBBIT 2/ HOBBIT 3/ SCHOOLBUS EXTENSION
BMA rerouted 575 feet of Hobbit 2 and 3100 feet of Hobbit 3. These changes reduced the number of intersections from 3 down to 1 and replaced 2050 feet of eroded trail. Not only does this improvement eliminate a confusing road intersection, BMA also reclaimed 600 feet of Hobbit 2 and 2050 feet of Hobbit 3 badly eroded trail. BMA also reclaimed over 1000 feet of old road grade, which will help eliminate confusion at this crucial intersection. Whether or not your ride takes you up Schoolbus, the Hobbit 2, 3 reroute makes for a very fun and flowy ride through the forest.
The 2018 projects are part of the larger Magnolia Non-Motorized Trails Project. Part of the plan includes reducing unnecessary intersections (from over 80 to less than 50), fixing unsustainable and washed out sections, rehabilitating duplicitous social trails, updating trail markers and maps, and eventually completing a 44-mile trail system on par with the Buffalo Creek Recreation Area. BMA membership supports this work, and other trail projects across Boulder County.
Check out the new trails on Trailforks or MTBProject