GOCO

DENVER—Metro residents will be seeing additional segments of trail added around the area in the next several months providing connections to existing trail networks.  The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission and the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Board have approved 15 trail projects across the state with six of those located in metro Denver.

• The City of Aurora is receiving $100,000 to connect two major regional trails.  The Star K Connection is a soft surface trail and concrete low water crossing that brings together the High Line Canal Trail and the Sand Creek Greenway Trail. Trail users currently have to access a busy road to go from one trail to another. The Star K Connection will provide a seamless and safe trail across public land.
• A new one-mile trail will connect Boulder County’s Rock Creek regional trail to Broomfield’s trail system. The City and County of Broomfield was awarded a $45,000 grant for construction of the multi-use Ruth Roberts Connector Trail, allowing Broomfield residents to access the 26-mile Rock Creek Regional Trail system through the Ruth Roberts open space property.
• Mount Bierstadt is one of the most heavily visited mountains in Colorado and one of the easiest to access, leading to resource damage along the trail. The United States Forest Service in Clear Creek County is a $174,600 grant recipient for the purpose of repairing, restoring, and narrowing 3.5 miles of the Mount Bierstadt Trail.
• The City and County of Denver was awarded a $154,840 grant for construction of a new multi-use trail in its largest mountain park, Genesee Park. The Genesee Mountain Trail Project will connect historic, recreational and cultural assets within its own park system as well as to a new pedestrian and bike trail that parallels Interstate 70. The
• 3.5- mile trail on the south side of the park will enhance recreational values and trail users’ awareness of wildlife viewing and historic assets in the area.
• The largest grant, $200,000, is going to the City of Lakewood to reconstruct 5,306 linear feet of damaged concrete along the Bear Creek Trail within Bear Creek Lake Park. Constructed in 1994, the trail has extensive damage and is currently a safety hazard for trail users. This regional trail spans roughly nine miles across the southern metro area, of which six miles run through Bear Creek Lake Park and provides panoramic views of the area’s most iconic features.
• A $18,600 grant was awarded to the Pike National Forest and the South Platte Ranger District for construction of the North Fork North Elk Creek Trail. This new trail segment will be just northwest of Staunton State Park and will be open to hikers and horseback riders.  This trail will connect Staunton State Park to the Mount Evans Wilderness area.
• The recommendations on which projects receive funding are made by the Colorado State Recreational Trails Committee and the Parks and Wildlife Commission, which considers non-motorized trail projects. Projects submitted can be for large or small trail construction, planning for future trails and trail support grants.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages 42 state parks, more than 300 state wildlife areas, all of Colorado's wildlife, and a variety of outdoor recreation. For more information go to cpw.state.co.us.