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Grand County trails

Diana Lynn Rau / Grand County Trails
Grand County, CO Colorado

The Labor Day weekend is the traditional sign summer is coming to a close. Even with the warm weather, fall is in the air and the aspens are just beginning to turn.

Everyone wants to make that last long ride or visit the peaks one more time before the snow hits. The trails are in great shape thanks to volunteer and agency work during the summer. More remains to be done so think about volunteering on your favorite trail – even a small effort makes a difference. Our local agencies and groups like FVPT and HTA work hard but the public itself can make the biggest difference. Please respect the forest closures starting after Labor Day and find a new area to explore or help spread the word to visitors and locals alike about the forest plan.

Visit Winter Park Resort or Bike Granby Ranch to see the huge development in downhill trail systems or the mountain bike trails at the YMCA or Devils Thumb.



Pass it on

The US Forest Service is seeking volunteers from the community to serve as greeters at the entrances to the upcoming closure area near Winter Park and Fraser. Folks are needed who know enough about the area to offer suggestions about places to hike, hunt, camp, bike, etc. This is an opportunity to provide Winter Park and Fraser residents and visitors with a positive experience and local interaction while the Forest Service works to make our forest safer.



Many popular roads and trails will be temporarily closed while work is under way on a large area of the forest between Vasquez Road and St. Louis Creek Road. Volunteer community welcoming committees and organizations are needed to set up stations on these roads near town and help pass out information about places to go stay, eat and recreate in the area. The closure goes into effect Sept. 4, and the Forest Service believes the first two weekends will be the most critical for getting information out to visitors. Everyone can work together to make this important project a positive thing for the community. Call Reid Armstrong at 970-887-4145 for more information.

Granby Ranch

While the forest trails are closed in September, visit Bike Granby Ranch (formerly SolVista Bike Park). They have some of the best downhill trails and terrain in the West – their downhill, cross-country, and family biking trails draw cyclists from far and wide, and are enjoyed by experts and beginners alike.

When you’re mountain biking in Grand County, the key is to find the sweet spot – rocky, unmarked single track might be too scary for some, but bike paths and dirt roads too sleepy for others. Bike Granby Ranch offers a topnotch mountain biking program and multi-use bike park with some of the most respected pros and instructors around. They have lift-serviced downhill and cross-country trails for experts and beginners, scenic and family friendly cross-country trails, a practice “pumptrack,” where you can play and build skills, expert-designed gravity-fed trails and terrain features. Private lessons and free clinics are offered through the end of September. Two for One lift tickets and lessons expire Aug. 31. Visit http://www.granbyranch.com for more details

Winter Park Resort

This is the last Wednesday to rip the bike park with the locals. Get a 2-for-1 downhill mountain bike package ALL DAY LONG! Tell them you want the “local’s deal” and enjoy extended bike park hours ’til 7pm on Wednesdays.

Trestle Gravity Series is Sept. 1-3. Get your chance at taking home some of the thousands of dollars in prize money to be awarded throughout the series. The 2012 Trestle Gravity Series will consist of seven races held during three weekends. Each race day will have one race in the morning, leaving afternoons free to pre-ride the next day’s course. Awards will be held in the base village late afternoon on each race day, giving everyone plenty of time to get the most out of their passes all afternoon. Series and Team Awards will be handed out on the final race day, Sept. 3 (Labor Day).

Red Bull Final Descent coming Sept. 8 is a 12-hour endurance downhill mountain bike challenge on the gnarly terrain in Trestle Bike Park at Winter Park Resort, geared to sport, expert and pro-class mountain bikers. Last year, Winter Park Resort and Red Bull welcomed 100 teams that competed for the 12 hours of racing, the winning number of total laps in Trestle Bike Park was a grueling 38! Go to http://www.trestlebikepark.com for more details.

Headwaters Trails Alliance

The 3rd Annual Run the Ranches Trail Running Series has two September events lined up – Sunday, Sept. 16, at Devils Thumb Ranch, and Sunday, Sept. 30, at Granby Ranch. Run the Ranches prides itself on unique trail runs (and distances) through amazing ranches. The participating host sites have graciously allowed access to their best trails and welcome you to an exciting adventure through the backcountry of Grand County. For more information, please visit http://www.runtheranches.com.

Shining Stars Foundation

The second Annual RACE FOR THE STARS is a bike and running duathlon at the YMCA on Saturday, Sept. 8. For children and adults 12 and over there is a 5K trail run/25K mountain bike ride/5K trail run for both individuals and teams. The Kids Race is .5 mile run/1mile bike. The Shining Stars is a local nonprofit organization that provides year round sport, recreation and outreach programs to children with cancer and life-threatening diseases and their families. Visit http://www.shiningstarsfoundation.org for more information or call Megan at 970-726-8009.

If you have information to share about trails events in Grand County, call Diana Lynn Rau at 970-887-0547 or email dianalrau@gmail.com.


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