RFMBA is recommending that mountain bikers support the vision of the Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail by participating in a Survey that will result in preferred trail alignments in the Crystal River Valley. You can review the details for each option of each trail trail segment, including impacts to the Environment, impacts on User Experience, Engineering degree of difficulty, and the option’s Estimated Costs… at this link. Click on the tabbed Circles 2 through 21 to explore each segment.
Participating in the survey and stating your support for the trail in general is critical before the Nov. 15 survey deadline.
For 17 of the segments, we recommend that you support Option B, the off-highway alternative. The 3 other segments (Hays Creek, Placita, and Top of McClure) have only one Option: A, which closely parallels Highway 133 for a short distance due to topography constraints.
We’re most excited to see the segments from Redstone to McClure Pass come to fruition in coming years. Proposed as singletrack, it would mean a 7 mile ride up, and then another 7 miles back down from the pass. This would be a great 14 mile out and back mountain bike ride, perfect for a fun day’s adventure starting and ending in Redstone. We’re also excited about the prospect of improved long distance rides all the way to CB from Carbondale once the entire trail is in place.
While supporting Option B – the off-highway option – makes sense given a superior user experience, and more reasonable cost impacts, there is a very important caveat; private property easements must be agreed upon before proceeding to further stages of design, approval, and construction. With 7 segments needing easement agreements to be negotiated (each of of these is downvalley from Redstone, where a paved multi-use path is being proposed), it is very possible that Option A (along Highway 133) will be needed at some locations to make the trail a reality. We’re open to compromise solutions where agreements can’t be negotiated.
Spend a few minutes today with the maps and the segment details, and submit your survey responses before Weds. Nov. 15th! Big thanks to Pitkin County Open Space & Trails for investing in and coordinating the study and analysis of this important regional trail!
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