Opinion: No mountain bikes in the West TSA


In spite of how much I like mountain biking, I do not want to see mountain bikes allowed in the area west of Broadway/93, south of Baseline/Chautauqua and north of Eldorado Springs Drive. For those mountain bikers who will immediately question my credentials, I`ve ridden mountain bikes for decades, including the Hall and Heil Ranch rides, the Doudy Draw area, Walker Ranch, Monarch Pass, Fruita, Moab, including Slick Rock, Porcupine Rim and Poison Spider, Aspen-Crested Butte and back, and so on.
The relatively pristine area of prairie and foothills between the south edge of town and South Boulder Creek offers a unique experience of peace and serenity. It`s a trip back into the past. Just walk west on the Lower Big Bluestem Trail from the trailhead south of town on Colorado 93 just north of the trailer park. Within minutes you are out in the prairie, looking west at the mountains, with only tall grass around you. The vista is huge, and even if you see another hiker, they are dwarfed by the surroundings. The chatter in your mind shuts down, and you feel like it must have felt to people who were here a century ago.
After a half an hour or so, you approach the foothills. Scattered shrubs and ponderosas appear. You appreciate the change as the landscape transitions into rocks, slopes, and larger bushes. Gradually you turn to the south, and at the height of the trail, the vista looking out over the mesas to the south is awe-inspiring. You might even see a hawk or eagle.
Then you turn back east on the South Boulder Creek Trail, and move through some unique areas of black leafless bushes, cactus plants, and some well-shaped pines. Gradually you drop down to the flats, and finally re-encounter civilization in the form of houses along South Boulder Creek, which fortunately are at a distance and mostly buried in the trees.
I have hiked this loop in all seasons. The experience is so awe-inspiring that I go back again and again. This feeling would be totally destroyed if bikes were passing me every few minutes. It would become like some trails south of Eldorado Springs Drive and those north and east of town — an experience in avoidance, constantly stepping off the trail to let the next human-powered motorcycle pass. I realize that`s an oxymoron, but the experience of being passed is similar, just less noise and no rooster tail of dirt flying up.
There is plenty of access from town to the existing mountain bike trails to the south. The bike paths along South Broadway integrate safely with the various frontage roads — I ride that way frequently. But a mountain bike trail built south from Greenbriar on Shanahan Ridge would intersect a number of existing hiking trails, and it wouldn`t be long before bikers were on every trail that they could manage to ride. Open Space simply doesn`t have enough rangers to watch every trail intersection 24/7. People who went out there for the peace and quiet would simply leave.
The West TSA Plan recommends projects that would create more and better opportunities for mountain biking in our area. Connecting Eldorado Springs State Park to Walker Ranch would be awesome, as the existing bike trails at Walker Ranch are already really cool. Using Chapman Drive to connect the Red Lion Inn area to the Flagstaff Road (and ultimately Walker Ranch) would be a steep but fun ride. Installing wide shoulders on Eldorado Springs Drive, as Boulder County already has in its plans, would make riding there both safer and more pleasant. Finally, the Boulder Canyon trail can be extended to the tunnel and connect to the Betasso link trail.
City Council members will face a lot of pressure by bikers to “compromise” and give the bikers a trail that cuts through the prairie south of Shanahan Ridge. There have even been threats made to not vote for any council member who refuses to give the biker organizations what they want. But sacrificing the last bike-free area so that bikers can ride for a few more minutes on dirt is simply not worth it. Council members need to take the long view, and realize that this is one of those times to “Just say no.” In the end, the citizens, the wildlife and eventually the bikers will see the wisdom of this decision.


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