One Step Closer To A Crested Butte To Carbondale Trail ~
We may be one step closer to a Crested Butte to Carbondale trail, one of 16 trail projects across Colorado that was chosen for a statewide trails initiative. What was once thought of as just being a pipe dream, a single-track trail between Crested Butte and Carbondale, may become reality much sooner than imagined. Though it will still take years of work and planning, there has been some recent progress as the town of Crested Butte works to access this end of the trail as well as working with Pitkin County’s Open Space and Trails (PCOS&T) regarding planning and assessment efforts on their end.
“They found a lot of historical trail that they think they can use,” says Hilary Henry, Crested Butte’s Open Space and Creative District coordinator. “So, they think it’s going to be fairly minimal construction.”
When completed, the trail will travel through approximately 83 miles of beautiful, scenic Rocky Mountain backcountry. The Crested Butte to Carbondale trail will also connect to several other local trails in our area, allowing travelers alternate routes to avoid the ever busy Kebler Pass Road. The first section on the Crested Butte side will begin near the Anthracite Creek bridge and already has NEPA approval with the approval of the second section slated for next spring.
In December 2016, Great Outdoors Colorado awarded a $100,000 grant to the planning phase for this trail. The Pitkin County Open Space and Trails website budgeted $200,000 in 2017 for the planning, which included engineering and natural resource studies. Gunnison County commissioners have spoken with Pitkin County officials and have written a letter supporting the project. So while we are still a ways away from a completed trail, we are getting closer to the Crested Butte to Carbondale trail becoming a reality.
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