Subject of Colorado Trail's terminus puts
local advocacy groups at odds
by Will Sands/Photos by Jamie Morehart
It may seem unusual that two parties with an apparent love for
the outdoors are at extreme odds in Durango. But that is precisely
the case in the decade-old debate over extending the Colorado
Trail beyond its current terminus and into downtown Durango. However,
the dispute may soon see some closure, as the controversial issue
is expected to reach some kind of resolution in coming months.
Fully linked-up in the
mid-’80s, the Colorado Trail traverses nearly 500 miles
on its winding route from Denver to Durango. Remarkably, the trail
stays within national forest the entire way, crossing six wilderness
areas and rarely emerging onto jeep road. Trails 2000 Executive
Director and Colorado Trail Foundation Board Member Bill Manning
is unabashed in his praise of the trail.
“What they’ve
ended up with is spectacular,” he said. “The Colorado
Trail is a national treasure.”
However, Manning and other
trail advocates see one significant flaw – the Durango trailhead,
about 3.5 miles from Durango along Junction Creek Road. When asked
why the trailhead presents a problem, Manning is quick to elaborate.
“Maybe initially that was an OK place, but it is very inadequate
at this point,” he says. “Even with the two parking
lots, it’s too small. There’s no room for horse trailers,
no place for bathrooms. There really isn’t even enough room
to organize your backpack. The parking is really limited, and
it makes that location kind of hazardous. There are also some
concerns about the lower parking lot being in a riparian area.
All in all, the trailhead has poor presentation.”
Another component of the
list of concerns is the trailhead’s location on the outskirts
of Durango. “Access is also an issue,” says Manning.
“Junction Creek Road is a windy, busy road with no shoulder,
and that presents some hazards as well.”
Trails 2000 Board Member
Daryl Crites shares the belief that the Colorado Trail should
end in downtown Durango. “At least once I’ve given
people a ride from the trailhead,” he says. “Just
imagine, you’ve done the whole hike from Denver, and you’ve
had this great experience. It’s so anticlimactic to finish
such a huge deal at that parking lot and not even be close to
town.”
The trailhead’s
distance from Durango and the busy nature of Junction Creek Road
are reasons La Plata County officials also would like to see the
Colorado Trail extended into Durango.
“The county has
an ongoing, serious concern about the trailhead’s location
in that it forces people onto Junction Creek Road,” said
county attorney Sheryl Rogers.
An impossible riddle?
However, getting an extension
into Durango is easier said than done. “There are obviously
lots of reasons to find a solution, and we’re searching
for a solution,” said Crites. “We’re not sure
what it is.”
While unsure of the best
answer to the problem, Trails 2000 has looked into several options,
and the group has a favorite. It includes rerouting the trail
along the edge of the Perins Peak State Wildlife Area and down
into the Durango Mountain Park, where a larger trailhead and parking
lot would be created atop the former county dumpsite. An additional
spur to bring the trail down to the Ninth Street Bridge also would
be created.
While Trails 2000 has
been responsible for advancing this potential solution, Crites
and Manning are quick to note that the group has little to do
with the decision-making process. Any decision to extend the trail
will be made principally by the Colorado Division of Wildlife,
the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
“We will not call
the shots on this thing,” Manning says. “These decisions
will be made by the agencies and different landowners.”
The city of Durango is
in a similar, neutral position. “I think the city has always
envisioned the trail extending into town,” says Kevin Hall,
parks, open space and trails development manager. “Where
and what route it takes have been historically uncertain.”
He adds: “The city
hasn’t wholeheartedly supported a pro or con position. What
we’ve done is support a land exchange if all the parties
can come to agreement.”
Who owns what?
Those agencies are currently
discussing an exchange of land, which would transfer the eastern
fringe of the Wildlife Area to Forest Service hands and open the
way for the trail. The impetus for this exchange comes from La
Plata County’s claim of ownership of the “old wagon
road” also known as Dry Gulch Road. Extending from the Rock
Ridge development, the road cuts a straight line through the wildlife
area.
“The road was established
in the late 1800s, and the county vigorously protects its rights-of-way,”
says Rogers.
Consequently, the county
forwarded a letter to the DOW, which maintains control over the
wildlife area, emphasizing the county’s ownership of the
road. The county also has suggested trading this right-of-way
through the middle of the area for a trail on its edge. “The
county, through its ownership of the road, has some legal clout
and impetus for changing the trailhead,” says Rogers. And
while there has been talk of a lawsuit between the two governmental
entities, Rogers said the county “presently doesn’t
plan on suing the DOW.”
A complex web
Instead, a land swap involving
the county, the DOW and the Forest Service is being discussed.
Regulations prohibit a direct exchange between the county and
DOW, so consequently the Forest Service has been brought in as
a third party. The groups sat down in the spring to discuss the
feasibility of such an exchange. To date, no decisions have been
made.
“We were told then
that we would receive a decision in a matter of weeks,”
says Rogers. “It’s kind of par for the course as far
as how long and frustrating the process has been.”
Rogers adds that a decision
would only kick off the land swap process, which could take years.
This preliminary decision
rests in the hands of the Division of Wildlife. Area Wildlife
Manager Tony Gurzick is matter-of-fact about the process. “I
expect to see a decision by late fall or early winter,”
he says. “That decision would only be whether to proceed
with the land trade.”
Of some of the criteria
for an exchange, Gurzick adds, “We haven’t looked
at a whole lot of specifics,” he says. “We obviously
want something that’s a good or better habitat than what
we have. We’re in the business of wildlife management. What
benefits wildlife will drive our decision.”
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