Clare Tone

By Suzanne Webel My personal involvement with this property goes way, way back. Having ridden the entire Heil Valley Ranch property with the Heil family and their neighbors many years ago, and having taken friends to ride the Heils’ livery horses there, and having roamed the whole ranch by myself with nothing but my crazy OTTB gelding and a bunch of elk for company, and having represented BCHA on the North Foothills Open Space Advisory Committee, and having been one of the volunteers who helped build the new trails, and having testified often and frequently before the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee and the Board of County Commissioners about the importance of keeping the ranch open to horses with reasonable trails and off-trail access, I can say, with understatement, that the whole process of finally getting this property open to the public has been worth every minute. This ranch is one of the prime parks in the County’s open space system. The property comprises approximately 4,800 acres, ranging from dry “red rock country” to sunny foothills pine forests to mountain meadows to subalpine firs and spruces on the shady north-facing slopes. Wildlife includes elk that migrate across the property on their annual trek to Nelson Road, wild turkeys that were originally imported here so they could then be hunted, mountain lions that now keep the deer population from exploding, and a variety of other birds and small mammals. Historic activities included quarrying, ranching, hunting, a horse rental business, and even “renaissance questing weekends” (in which […]

By Suzanne Webel Many years have elapsed since my original trail log of Marshall Mesa, and a lot has happened there in the meantime. The grand opening of the new Marshall Mesa Trailhead seemed like a good impetus for revisiting an old friend. In the interest of giving positive feedback wherever possible, let me hasten to praise the City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks for some good things they’ve done here. If you remember the funky liquor store and the tiny Ethiopian restaurant that used to draw crowds to the east side of the intersection of Highway 93 and Eldorado Springs Drive, you’ve just “dated” yourself. If you remember the bizarre black office building that sprouted overnight like a mushroom in their place but was never occupied, in a few years you, too, have become “dated.” In a fit of inspiration, OSMP bought the condemned building (it sat on burning and unstable coal mines), demolished it, and in 2006 built – TA DA! – the first (for them) modern, functional trailhead complete with landscaping, picnic tables, restrooms, water, and – drumroll, please – designated pull-through horse trailer parking! This is truly the highest and best use of that property, and we hope it remains a nice trailhead (P-1) for years to come. It replaces the old Marshall Mesa Trailhead, which was barely a wide place along the road, where there were none of the above amenities but lots of potential for accidents and conflicts (this old access point is now closed). More than 55

By Suzanne Webel Thank you, Fort Collins!!! … for yet another miracle. Bobcat Ridge is the latest in a series of large open space acquisitions north of the border – more than 2,600 acres of mixed grassland, shrubland, ponderosa forest, red rock cliffs and granite outcrops, homesteads and meadows, that were purchased in 2006 and opened to the public in – gasp! — less than a year! The property opened in 2007 with about 17.6 miles of trail, and they’re still building more. In fact, during our ride at Bobcat Ridge in the fall of 2008, we followed a Sweco trailbuilding machine as it carved a new trail across a meadow.   Our horses left the first hoofprints. Highway 34 is the main route from Loveland to Estes Park. Follow it west (past the new trailhead for Devil’s Backbone) to its intersection with CR 27, just before a hogback causes the road to make a bobble. Turn north and proceed past sandstone quarries on the left and fruit orchards on the right, until you reach a small “Bobcat Ridge” sign pointing left at West CR32C. Duck west through a notch in the large hogback and you’ll arrive at the surprising and secret valley that is Bobcat Ridge Natural Area. Proceed past the old homestead barns and corrals, past the new vehicle parking lot and restrooms, to the expansive trailer parking area. There is space for six trailers to pull through, and even a spigot for horse water! The first time I went, in August 2008, I had

By Suzanne Webel They did it! They finally did it! Thanks, Open Space and Mountain Parks! Lest anyone think that the only news I ever report is bad news, here’s some great news: the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks has just expanded, and reopened, both trailheads at Doudy Draw and Flatirons Vista – and they now contain designated horse trailer parking. Ta da! These parking areas are the result of many years of patient (and sometimes not-so-patient) negotiating with OSMP over equestrian access to some of our favorite habitat: the Eldorado Mountain/Doudy Draw area south of Boulder. This area has provided, for me, countless hours of wonderful riding both on the existing trails and off them. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the solitary experience of exploring the old haunts of miners and ranchers, railroad workers and road builders, dinosaurs and bears. Like almost everything else, the world at Doudy Draw has changed.   Gone is the old trail at the bottom of the valley – too close to the babbling brook, too close to the bushes where a variety of birds chirp merrily year round – gotta protect some bushes and some birds. Gone is the fun access to the Lindsay Pond, the old railroad watering hole where our horses could get a much-needed drink – gotta protect some frogs. Gone is the privilege of riding off-trail through meadows and woods on Spring Brook Mesa, Bull Gulch, and the Sound of Music Saddle – gotta protect, well, something up there. Gone is the old bridge across

By Suzanne Webel Ready for another foray to the North Country? Any time is a good time to explore this part of Larimer County, but “off-season” offers solitude and a sheltered foothills environment. Best of all, it’s an amazingly horsey environment. I rode this lovely park recently and there were more equestrians on that random day than all other visitors combined. It has been more than ten years since my first trail log for Lory, and in view of the many new trails and improvements that have been made since then, it’s high time for an update. Lory State Park was established by the State of Colorado in 1967 and encompasses 2,492 acres. It was named after Charles A. Lory, president of Colorado State University from 1909-1940 (imagine that — 31 years!). Lory shares many similarities with Eldorado Canyon State Park in Boulder County: both are very scenic, ranging from hogbacks and meadows to deep red rock canyons to densely forested granite mountains. Both are also relatively small but offer a wide range of recreational opportunities. Finally, both parks dovetail with a variety of other public lands on all sides. Lory’s many neighbors include Larimer County Parks and Open Lands’ Horsetooth Mountain Park to the south, the Bureau of Reclamation/Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District’s Horsetooth Reservoir to the east (which is in turn managed by Larimer County Parks), Arapaoh Roosevelt National Forest to the west,and the City of Fort Collins’ Reservoir Ridge and Campeau Open Space Parks to the northeast. But all these agencies cooperate in

by Suzanne Webel North Table Mountain has been hiding in plain sight forever. Those with insatiable curiosity and an incurable need for exploration, like me, have known that the park has been open for several years, with no designated trails and only a very snall, obscure trailhead (P-2); in fact, I wrote this area up as a BCHA trail log in 2004. But Jefferson County Open Space has recently built a beautiful new trailhead along Highway 93 (P), and they have just completed an 8.4 mile system of multi-use trails, so it’s worth revisiting. Go check it out! The terrific loops of old roads and new trails will take you past quarries, buttes, springs, and ponds with extraordinary views of mountains and plains. The park brochure waxes poetic about its natural resources: “The mountain is home to a resident population of about 80-100 mule deer, golden eagles, red-tailed hawks and prairie falcons as well as a small population of prairie dogs. Shore birds and ducks can be found around the three ponds that dot the top of the mountain. These spring fed ponds are the headwaters of two major drainages … that form narrow bands of riparian vegetation that almost completely bisect the property.” Sixty five million years ago, in a deep underground chamber somewhere west of Golden whose exact location remains a mystery to this day (perhaps at or near the Ralston Dike, about two miles northwest of the mesa), the earth became restless. Enormous blocks of solid rock jostled past each other and great

by Suzanne Webel Although Boulder County already has quite a few trails, it’s a big place and there’s always demand for a few more. Because of environmental, or inertia, or development, or budget, conflicts, it’s a struggle to get even one more inch of trail on a map, let alone get a new mile of trail built out on the ground. But our friends the mountain bikers have been taking matters into their own hands recently in the area generally bounded by Nederland, Rollinsville, the Peak-to-Peak Highway, and Lake Eldora Ski Area. Five years ago they worked with the Forest Service to formalize part of that area known as West Magnolia, and have subsequently been expanding the trail system (informally) southwest of that. For the purposes of this trail log, I’ll call the new area “Phoenix.” Ardent BCHA trail fans may recall that I wrote a trail log on Phoenix in 1995, and on West Magnolia in 2005 – but the entire area has changed so much since then a complete update is in order. Start from the new Trailhead parking area (P) about a mile west of Hwy 72 just south of the Haul Rd (123W). There’s almost always plenty of room to park here, but no water or other facilities.   The backbone of the trail system is comprised of old logging and mining roads which are open to some motorized uses and have been formalized in the Forest Service’s new Motor Vehicle Use Map (2010), shown as solid lines with numbers on the attached

By Suzanne Webel I absolutely loved about 95% of this spectacular new trail system in Jefferson County. Curiously, the best part of this park for me was the “WOW!” experience upon arriving at the trailhead. Drive up Golden Gate Canyon Road about 8 miles to Robinson Hill Rd, turn left and continue to Camino Perdido, then follow signs to the park. You’ll feel as if on a clear day you could see forever, with sweeping vistas of many superimposed mountain ranges, canyons, meadows, homesteads, and pine forests. You’re on top of the world. This park is so new that both trailhead parking areas were still under construction when we arrived in the fall of 2008.  No horse trailers are allowed at the smaller, west one; the north one accommodates four rigs parked parallel to the railings. Both have rest rooms but there is no water – anywhere – in the park. A few springs were marked on the old topo maps but appear to have dried up completely. It’s hard to imagine how anyone could ever have made a living off this land, but the kiosk at the trailhead refers to “local folklore” about the area having been homesteaded by an African-American family. Remnants of farm equipment, foundations, and old barns bear mute testimony to someone’s hard work. The large 12-mile loop around Centennial Cone “rides best” in a counterclockwise direction. Proceed southwest on the Elk Range Trail, a wonderful old ranch road that traverses the upper meadows. Jefferson County is very talented at getting easements

by Suzanne Webel When it comes to the West Trail Study Area (and the ongoing task force of stakeholders who have spent years now studying the huge swath of City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks real estate west of Broadway for its trail potential), I alternate between despair and elation. Despair, because OSMP has closed more than half of all the historic trails in this iconic area to horses — when we’ve had access to them for more than 150 years. (Reasons range from the trails being too steep and eroded to be safe and there’s no will power or budget to fix them, to horses upsetting the ecosystem, all the way to horses just not being politically correct in the People’s Republic.) Elation, when I discover trails up there that actually do “offer a quality equestrian experience” and survived the bureaucratic axe at the conclusion of the West TSA process. The complex of trails that loop in and out of the terrain near the top of Flagstaff Mountain is a case in point. These old roads and trails offer a unique combination of relatively easy terrain, fabulous views, and proximity to Boulder. Go on a day you’re very sure won’t be icy or muddy, and you’ll have a great time. You’ll avoid the crowd if you can go mid-week. Drive carefully up Flagstaff Road (it’s really not as scary as it looks!) about 3.5 miles west of Chautauqua. I was unsuccessful in getting OSMP staff to agree to “designated horse trailer parking” for