The city of Durango is partnering with the Durango Mesa Park Foundation to build five new trails aimed at varying skill levels, connecting the Horse Gulch Trail System to Durango Mesa Park and the Telegraph Trail, and to perform improvements to the Horse Gulch trailhead.
Plans include a 2-mile trail connector from Durango Mesa Park to the Horse Gulch trailhead, three intermediate downhill trails, a beginner downhill trail and a connection from the park to the Telegraph trail, the city announced in a news release.
Work could begin by late April, but a specific date to break ground hasn’t been identified because of snow and other weather conditions, said Ture Nycum, director of Durango Parks and Recreation.
Durango Mesa Park Foundation hired Progressive Trail Design to carry out construction, which will involve small excavators and other light machinery to move rocks and boulders, he said.
Connecting the Horse Gulch Trail System to Durango Mesa Park has been on the minds of residents and city staff for some time. Feedback from community members about the planned trails has been positive, Nycum said. The project is a first step to making that connection.
The five trails will be geared toward mountain biking enthusiasts of beginner to advanced skill levels, he said. Jump lines and rock features will be included on some trails to test cyclists’ technical skills. And each trail will have a qualifier section at the beginning so cyclists can judge for themselves if they are up to the task of navigating a particular trail.
“Some of these trails that we’re putting in will have jump lines and maybe a little bit more of a downhill influence versus just flow and things like that,” he said. “So maybe the opportunity to get your tread off the track and things like that.”
Aside from the new trails, improvements to the Horse Gulch trailhead are also planned, he said. A bridge, for example, must be installed near the trailhead to make one of the new trails accessible. A “hub” is planned for the top of Durango Meas Park where many of the new trails will converge.
The city and Durango Mesa Park Foundation have a starting budget of about $1 million, split 50/50 between the two entities, but final costs for the new mountain bike trails and the greater development of Durango Mesa Park are still being determined, he said.
The city and the foundation are working on designs for improvements for an access road linking Colorado Highway 3 to the top of the park and utility infrastructure such as water, sewer and potentially irrigation for the park, and hope to have more cost figures in the coming months, he said.
“We're thrilled to be working with the city on this exciting project,” Moira Compton, spokeswoman for the Durango Mesa Park Foundation, said in the release. “Mountain biking, running and hiking is a big part of the outdoor recreation scene in Durango, and we're excited to provide more opportunities for people to get out and enjoy the trails.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
