The three-agency working group under the leadership of Boulder County staff recommended a multi-use, regional trail to connect Eldorado Canyon State Park to Walker Ranch — the Eldo-to-Walker trail. The Boulder Mountainbike Alliance would like to thank the staff of Boulder County Parks and Open Space, the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife for their hard work and willingness to collaborate.
This trail recommendation is the culmination of several extensive public processes, including a unanimous decision by Boulder City Council during the West Trail Study Area, as well as Boulder County’s Walker Ranch Management Plan, the Boulder County and Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plans, the 2016-2026 Colorado State Trails Plan, and the state’s Colorado the Beautiful program. We are gratified that four year effort has led to a recommendation to provide a multi-use trail connection from the plains into the mountains, an amenity that currently does not exist in Boulder County.
A network of regional connections that allow people to bike from home without having to get into a car are becoming more and more important. Approval of the Eldo-to-Walker trail will complete a critical link necessary to create an iconic trail experience that we can all enjoy from our back doors.
BMA understands that the scope of this three-agency recommendation before POSAC and OSBT is regarding the alignment of the trail and nothing more. Nevertheless we want to express our hope that the Committee Members and Trustees will encourage their agencies to continue this successful collaboration with Colorado Parks and Wildlife with the goal of solving the parking and crowding challenges that have been plaguing Eldorado Canyon State Park and the town of Eldorado Springs for decades.
Possible solutions to the parking issues are shuttles and multi-use trails that allow people to hike, run or bike from Boulder directly into the park. BMA members have been engaged in this project from the beginning and the resources that our organization has successfully employed in other areas will be available to help make this regional trail connection and its implementation a success.
The Boulder Mountainbike Alliance is primarily a land stewardship organization, and we will continue working to find win-win solutions to any challenges that arise. We invite you to join us in making the trails in Boulder County better for all users. Visit us at bouldermountainbike.org to find out about volunteer trail building days and other volunteer opportunities.
(submitted to POSAC on Jan 22, 2019)