On the surface, I knew this was going to be a story about a really big, long trail. What I didn’t know is that, in essence, it’s a story about the three Ps: patience, planning and people.
I don’t know if those are the official Ps of project success, but they’re what the Front Range Trail has going for it.
The Trail (as it will now be referred to with a capital T) is an 876-mile collection of tributaries surrounding a main line that runs through Colorado from Wyoming to New Mexico. Nobody’s sure when the idea first came to light, but the minds of Colorado’s trail planners started working on it approximately 2003. Today, about 300 miles of it have been completed.
Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo have existing trails that they were able to tie into the plan. I went to Castle Rock, Colorado, which is just south of Denver, because they recently finished their section of the Trail. That’s an important accomplishment because now the more urban parts of the state are connected to some beautiful journeys through some more rural areas. You can also end up in Colorado Springs, Pueblo and eventually on to New Mexico.
But there’s a lot of work to be done. One could doubt that it’ll ever get there, especially when you consider a lot of the unfinished areas include private property owners, river access and negotiations that sound impossible. On the other hand, so much has already been accomplished with people determined to push this project across a multitude of finish lines, that a smooth ride across the Centennial State seems pretty plausible.
Every municipality and every county is a new start and finish. Granted a lot of these places have county roads and other thoroughfares that, for now, are considered part of the trail. But the hope is one day to have a trail for all those modes of transportation that thrive much better anywhere but where cars go.
And since this story includes people who spent many years of their lives planning trails, helping fund trails, and being trail aficionados in general, I asked them their favorite trail recommendations.
Rich Havel, Town of Castle Rock’s trail planner, suggested Abel Tasman in New Zealand. Closer to home, he and his colleague Jeff Smullen agree that Castle Rock’s Mitchell Creek Canyon Trail is a must. Smullen, who’s the Assistant Director of Castle Rock Parks and Recreation, also put in a vote for the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness in Southeastern Colorado. Chris Yuan-Farell of Great Outdoors Colorado suggests The Whole Enchilada that runs along the Colorado River and drops you into Moab. It’s a doozie but there’s a shuttle that takes you to the top of the 32 mile ride.
There is no projected finish date for the trail. There is, however, available funding through lottery proceeds granted through Great Outdoors Colorado and, just as important, an undying optimism to turn the path less traveled into a space that more people can enjoy.
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