The first annual Colorado Trail Days will be held June 24-26. The three-day event will feature educational clinics such as tips and tricks from a thru-hiker, Leave No Trace, and map and compass skills. The event will also include gear demos such as Tent City as well as presentations from former thru-hikers.
At the southern terminus of the 486-mile Colorado Trail, Durango is a hotspot for hiking and backpacking in the Four Corners region. The Colorado Trail Days event isn’t just for thru-hikers. It will be a celebration of the summer hiking and backpacking season in Colorado for the whole family. All clinics and demos are free and will target both beginner and expert backpackers.
Sponsored by Backcountry Experience, MSR, Osprey Packs and Outdoor Research, Colorado Trail Days will have prizes and giveaways. All proceeds from prize drawings will benefit the Colorado Trail Foundation. For more information, email Backcountry Experience Marketing and Events Coordinator Margaret Hedderman at margaret@bcexp.com.
Beginning this month, the Columbine Ranger District will permit cattle grazing again in the Upper Hermosa and Elbert Creek allotments. Cattle were last grazed on these allotments in 2011; however, the 2009 Record of Decision for the Hermosa Grazing Environmental Impact Statement called for continued grazing in the Upper Hermosa, Dutch Creek and Elbert Creek allotments. Recreationists should expect to encounter cattle and the impacts of cattle across the landscape into the future. Up to 200 cattle will be grazed on each allotment annually from mid-June through mid-October. On June 18th, cattle will be offloaded on the Hermosa Park Road and trailed up the road onto National Forest lands behind Purgatory. The public should expect travel delays on the Hermosa Park Road (Forest Road 578) throughout the weekend of June 18-19. The Hermosa Land Exchange parcel adjacent to the Upper Hermosa Trailhead will be incorporated into the allotment as part of a pasture.
On Sunday, June 26th, cattle will be offloaded behind the Needles Store off U.S. Highway 550 and trailed up the Elbert Creek Trail into the Elbert Creek Allotment. To protect the watershed, the upper Elbert Creek Trail has been re-routed out of the creek bottom, and grazing will not be allowed in one area to reduce impacts to the creek. The Forest Service emphasizes that cutthroat trout recovery, fishing, and water quality were all considered in the grazing decision. The Range Management Program, fisheries biologist, and permittee are working to reduce environmental impacts. For more information, please contact Jacob Maca at 884-1429.
Durango Herald
