Opening Raider Ridge
Agreement opens access to Extended-Extended Ridge

SideStory: Sponsor a single speeder: SSWC09 needs hosts, helpers

Wispy clouds hang over the familiar site of Raider Ridge from the vantage point of Rim Drive. Trails 2000 recently reached an agreement with landowner Jake Dalla for a trail easement across 4 miles of his property. The Extended-Extended Ridge, as it’s being called, contains some of the most technical and rugged trail terrain in Durango./Photo by Stephen Eginoire

by Missy Votel

Mountain bikers looking to push the envelope or hikers and runners wanting solitude and great views now have one more option in Durango.

This week, Trails 2000 announced an agreement on a trail easement in Horse Gulch along the northern end of Raider Ridge. The four-mile long easement is along rugged terrain north of the existing Extended Ridge Trail. The trail runs across the western edge of a 450-acre parcel owned by Jake Dalla, a lifetime Durango resident. Dalla runs about 60 head of cattle on the land, which is sandwiched between City- and Fort Lewis College-owned and Bureau of Land Management land.

“We’re so pleased to come together and create a spectacular trail opportunity for the community,” said Trails 2000 Executive Director Mary Monroe. “This is a bike-friendly, trail-loving community and by providing more access for recreation, commuting and healthy outdoor activity, everyone benefits.”

Monroe said the easement represents two years of behind-the-scenes negotiations among Trails 2000, Dalla and the City, which will hold the easement. “These things take a while. You need to make sure you are meeting everyone’s needs,” she said.

Monroe said when she first contacted Dalla about the trail easement two years ago, he was extremely cooperative and interested. “He has a great affinity for the land and giving back to the community he grew up in,” she said.

Dalla said as a young boy growing up on Durango’s south side, he used to spend time up on Raider Ridge, shooting his bb gun and .22 rifle. About 15 years ago, he began looking into acquiring land in the area, and within a few years, was able to buy the parcel. The property spans from the ridge down across the Horse Gulchvalley floor, which is home to a few private 35-acre homesites. The easement only applies to the trail along the upper ridge, and trail-users are asked to respect the easement by not straying off the trail.

Jon Krueger samples the newly acquired Extended-Extended Ridge. Suspension is highly recommended./Photo by Stephen Eginoire

Dalla said for those willing to go the extra distance to access the newly opened section, it will be well worth their trip. “It’s really pretty up there,” he said, adding that the rocky terrain is not for the faint of heart. “It’s real technical, if you’re biking, you’ll want to bring your helmet. Or better yet, grab a sandwich and just go for a walk.”

Aside from offering heretofore legally inaccesible terrain and views, Monroe said the trail also offers important connectivity. “It was a beautiful opportunity to connect Horse Gulch North to the rest of Horse Gulch,” she said.

The trail can be accessed by going up Horse Gulch Road a few miles to the Rocky  Road turn-off or following the Powerline Trail to its end, near Jenkin’s Ranch. In addition, a wooden walkover will be built over the fence that now separates Dalla’s property from the Extended Ridge.

Dalla became familiar to Durangoans in 2005 when, after sometimes tenuous negotiations, the City bought a 177-acre parcel owned by Dalla near Sailing Hawks, on the southern flanks of Animas Mountain. Now known as the Dalla Mountain Park, which is accessed via 25th Street, it was purchased using $1.3 million from the city’s half-cent open space tax and $3 million GOCO grant.

Dalla also made headlines again in 2007 when a local man was convicted of trespassing and destruction of private property after dissembling a fenceline on Dalla’s Raider Ridge property in order to access the trail. Despite the past, Dalla said he is happy an agreement could be reached in which the public can enjoy this land. He also credited the work of Monroe and local lawyer Keith Newbold, who was instrumental in drawing up the agreement. “This would not have happened without the desire and fire of Mary Monroe,” he said. “(Monroe and Newbold) were the driving force behind it. I’m glad we got it done.” •