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Stage I Fire Restrictions Now in Place
As of May 12, 2020, La Plata County and the San Juan National Forest have enacted Stage I Fire Restrictions.
Under the restrictions, the following acts are prohibited:
- Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, coal or wood burning stove, any type of charcoal fueled broiler, or open fire of any type in undeveloped areas. The use of charcoal or gas barbecue grills at private residences or fires within a designated campground are not prohibited, as long as not left unattended and fully extinguished after use.
- Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, in a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area that is at least 3 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable vegetation.
- Using explosive material (i.e., fireworks, blasting caps, or any incendiary device which may result in the ignition of flammable material), except that local community fireworks displays approved by and under the control of the Fire Chief within whose jurisdiction the display will take place are not prohibited.
- Welding and/or operating an acetylene or similar torch with an open flame, except that, as long as a fire watch individual is on site and readily available with proper hand tools and either one 2 ½ gallon pressurized fire extinguisher, one 5 pound ABC extinguisher, or pressurized water supply, welding and/or operating an acetylene or similar torch with an open flame in a 20-foot radius safe zone free of vegetation is not prohibited
- Operating or using any internal combustion engine, except that operating or using any internal combustion engine equipped with an approved, properly installed, and properly maintained spark-arresting device meeting either Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Standard 5100-1 or Society of Automotive Engineers recommended practice J335(b) and J350 (a) is not prohibited.
The purpose of these orders are to decrease the risk of fire and to maximize scarce resources otherwise needed to respond to the COVID-19 health crisis.
Please follow all local fire restrictions and help keep our lands safe!
Safe Trail Use During COVID-19
Updated May 22, 2020.
The Colorado Stay at Home Order that went into effect March 26 was changed to a “Safer-at-Home” order on April 27th. It continues to allow exercise outside the home, and travel via foot, bike or car to trailheads. Outdoor activities such as walking, hiking, fishing, biking, or running are still permitted under the order. State parks will remain open for the previously-mentioned activities.
The COVID-19 situation and subsequent Stay at Home Order by San Juan Basin Health is not something to be taken lightly. Getting exercise and getting outside is extremely important for our well-being and mental health, but we must keep open spaces safe and uncrowded. Here’s what Durango Trails is doing and our recommendations for safe trail use during this time.
TRAILWORK EVENTS ARE POSTPONED
All Durango Trails trail building events, parties, and other social events are postponed until such time as group activities are deemed safe again. We continue to look forward to our upcoming 2020 Trailwork Kick-Off Event, as well as our 30th Anniversary Celebration, and we will update you when new dates have been chosen for both.
TRAILS: THE GATEWAY TO OUTDOOR RECREATION
The current guidelines list biking, walking, hiking and other outdoor activities as essential, permitted activities while following social distancing. In order to comply with all social distancing orders, do not organize a group activity of more than 10 people and maintain a distance of 6 feet between all. Please remember, no matter how you choose to get outdoors, social distancing is not optional. Please abide by all guidelines and rules listed below.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Stay alert, slow down, and communicate with each other from a distance about how to proceed. With local gyms and rec centers closed, there may be new users on the trails. Now is a great time to educate the community on responsible trail use, and to be patient, exemplary stewards and neighbors. Remember, great communities build great trails and great trails build great communities.
TRAIL RUNNING
To follow proper social distancing guidelines, please do not run in groups. Please announce yourself.
DOG WALKING
Dogs must be on a leash! Please don’t put anyone at risk by not having your dog on a leash and please, always pick up after your dog.
KEEP OPEN SPACES UNCROWDED
- Pick off-peak times to ride, or choose less-used trail areas. If there is no available parking at a trailhead, it is too crowded!
- Ride fewer times a week.
- Remember to keep your dogs on a leash; this is important to help keep everyone protected and reduce the impact on emergency services.
PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING
- Don’t carpool, unless with household members.
- Don’t do shuttle rides.
- Ride solo. If you do ride with others, the intention is that you only go with people in YOUR HOUSEHOLD, and maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance at all times.
- Give plenty of room to all users on the trail. Instead of the MTB Lean, step off the trail and lift your bike with you to let others pass. Please don’t take a longer path and ride off-trail to avoid users.
- Check out our video learning series on current best trail practices
- When in doubt, remember the llama rule!
AVOID CONTAMINATION
- While masks are not required while recreating, please be conscious of conditions where passing one another at close proximity is required. Watch our video learning series on safe passing and keep a mask in your pack when needed, or for visiting public areas and shops.
- Don’t ride if you are sick.
- Avoid touching others’ bikes, racks or equipment like pumps and tools.
- Don’t share drinks, food, or anything else that goes in your mouth and can be inhaled.
- Be mindful of your snot rockets and loogies.
- Use the bathroom before you leave the house. Some trailhead restrooms are open but aren’t being maintained, others are closed.
KEEP TRIPS SHORT AND CONSERVATIVE
Ride and hike within your limits and don’t take risks. Now is not the time to go big; our healthcare system has enough to do without setting your broken collar bone.
KEEP IT LOCAL
- If you can safely ride to the trailhead, please do so.
- Do not get in your car and travel to other communities. Communities like Moab shut down camping and request visitors to stay home. They do not have the resources or infrastructure to handle visitors during this time and are trying to stop the spread of COVID-19 in their own towns.
GRAVEL RIDING
Our trails have been very busy since COVID-19 was first detected, so now is a great time to explore https://gravelmap.com/browse/colorado/durango.
No special bike required, just turn off your suspension and have a sense of adventure.
BE SAFE AND BE SMART
We want to get outside with you when this is over, please take this pandemic seriously!
RESOURCES
Seasonal Wildlife Closures Dec. 1 through April 15
Video campaign highlights the importance of respecting seasonal wildlife closures in Durango – in effect Dec. 1, 2019
Ever wonder why certain trails in Durango have seasonal wildlife closures? During the winter months, deer and elk need safe harbors and seasonal wildlife closures are essential for the animals to survive. Even when there is no snow on the ground these areas are critical for animals to make it through the winter. That’s why Trails 2000 this week launched an informational and educational video campaign aimed at educating and inspiring users to follow certain etiquette and safety guidelines when traveling on trails in Durango and the surrounding area. The first video, “It’s Up To Me,” highlights the importance of abiding by the winter seasonal wildlife closures.
It’s up to me. It’s up to us. It’s up to all of us to protect wildlife in Colorado.
The seasonal wildlife closures go into effect Saturday, Dec. 1, 2019, until April 15, 2020, on the following areas:
Grandview Ridge
- Big Canyon and Sale Barn trailheads (access located east of U.S. Highway 160)
- Grandview BLM trails
Animas City Mountain
- BLM lands above the lower loops (about 1.5 miles above the 32nd Street Trailhead)
Twin Buttes Area
- The upper trails only, as marked.
Bodo State Wildlife Areas
- This area is closed with the exception of the Smelter Mountain Trail that is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dogs are prohibited.
Perins Peak
- Please note this area is closed through July 31, 2018, to protect nesting peregrine falcons.
Watch the video here or by clicking the video above. Visit our Trail Conditions Report for up to date trail conditions. You can also learn more about wildlife in Colorado by visiting the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website.
Campaign video made possible through Trails 2000 receipt of the Partners in the Outdoors grant from the Colorado Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) in partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). The videos were produced by Coldstream Creative and include local talent.
Please Volunteer: Sign Up to help Durango Trails 2000 at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Holiday Bloomer Sale
Volunteer spots have been filled. Thank you to everyone who signed up to help!
Volunteers are needed to work the RMCF Holiday Bloomer Sale next weekend November 22 and 23, benefitting Trails 2000. It’s a fun day, helping customers with chocolate purchases (and maybe eating a piece yourself) and giving back to your local trails!
Please sign up this week. All details, along with the signup form, are outlined below.
Trails 2000 Volunteer Details for November 22 and 23, 2019
Trails 2000 is pleased to invite volunteers to volunteer at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Holiday Bloomer Sale.
This year’s sale will again benefit local organizations, which may include United Way of Southwest Colorado, Trails 2000, and Civitan International.
We would greatly appreciate volunteers on one, or both days and even for setup. Not only would you help us with the largest sale of the year, but your work would help us contribute to these great local organizations! Plus… employees and volunteers receive employee special pricing.
We will need help on Friday with setup and during the evening sale (2-7 pm) and Saturday (8 am-2 pm). We have to clean up after and even sweep the floor.
Actual sale hours are Friday 5-7 (invitation) and Saturday 9 AM to 1 PM (general public, advertised)
Most volunteers hand out candy to customers by the piece or the box, work in a section by types of candy or help carry items to the cars. You are on your feet the entire time. Volunteers team up with RMCF employees to answer questions about candy.
Subway sandwiches or pizza along with various drinks are provided for each sale with a break for eating.
When: Friday, November 22, 2019 OR Saturday, November 23, 2019
Where: LaPlata County Fairgrounds
What to wear: Volunteers should wear closed-toe very comfortable shoes or boots, long pants, and bring a water bottle, and a jacket (optional)
Check In at the front when you arrive
Thank you for volunteering and giving back to Durango Trails 2000!
Happy Trails!
ALL GUARDIANS MUST REGISTER IF THE PARTICIPANT IS UNDER 18 YEARS OLD
Durango Trails Town Challenge Fundraiser
Donate in honor of the Durango Trails Town Challenge to support our local trails!
Payson McElveen invites Durango to conquer every trail
Payson McElveen is ready to celebrate the end of the 2019 mountain biking season in his backyard of Durango. He wants the community to join him.
In 2016, McElveen and fellow professional mountain biker Howard Grotts set out on a mission to ride every trail in Durango’s city limits in one day. After roughly 80 miles and 12,000 feet of elevation gain, the sun set on their goal before it was complete.
Only four days removed from his final race of the year – the Iceman Cometh Challenge in Michigan – McElveen will set out from his front door under the glow of early morning light Thursday and give it another shot. He hopes to be joined by other mountain bikers along the way.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for a while,” he said. “We are going to make it happen at the last minute with help from Osprey and Trails 2000. The last time Howard and I tried this, people joined us on the trail. It would be sweet if that happened again.”
McElveen, a two-time marathon mountain bike national champion, estimated the ride would be roughly 100 miles with 15,000 feet of climbing. It’s not a race, but he knows he will have to be moving at a fast pace all day to finish before dark. He said the ideal scenario would have him drop into the descent of Hogsback as the sun sets for a grand finale before he rides back home to complete the day.
McElveen
“The important component is that this isn’t a race. It’s not like the White Rim (fastest known time) or anything like that,” he said. “I will have to ride at a decent clip and reduce my stops, but this is meant purely to celebrate another awesome summer of mountain biking here in Durango.”
For every named trail McElveen completes, he will donate $1 to Trails 2000, the nonprofit responsible for building and maintaining so many of the beloved trails in Durango. Several people have already signed on to match that donation, and McElveen hopes more do, as well.
“There’s a lot to thank Trails 2000 for. There are well over 100 trails with individual names, and every trail I ride I will donate $1,” he said. “I want to showcase what a ridiculously great trail system and the access to those we have in this town. A lot of towns are investing big in trail systems, but no town has the access and diversity of trails we have.”
Trails 2000 is also thankful for McElveen giving back.
“We’re thrilled that Payson, as a young athlete, is recognizing the effort that our paid crew leaders, staff, and thousands of volunteers have made in planning, building and maintaining our trail network which is the cornerstone of the outdoor recreation community,” said Trails 2000 executive director Mary Monroe Brown. “The efforts of Durango Trails 2000 began in 1990 with the mountain bike world championships and is one reason why Payson chose to attend Fort Lewis College due to of all of the mountain bike opportunities, and now he is completing that circle by giving back to the trail network that he trains on and that have provided him with so many personal connections to Durango.”
McElveen will have a Garmin GPS tracking his progress, and people will be able to follow him online throughout the day and get out on the trails and join him for sections of the ride if they would like to. McElveen will release a link to the tracking page via his Instagram and Facebook pages Wednesday.
“The more folks come out, the merrier,” McElveen said. “Ten hours is a long time to ride the bike. It wouldn’t be very fun to ride the entire thing alone.”
Payson McElveen is used to riding his bike fast around Durango. On Thursday, he will have to ride at a strong pace from sunrise to sunset to try to tackle every trail in city limits.
Funded by Osprey, McElveen will release a short video about the ride. It will be filmed by Durango’s own Dylan Stucki, who will race around Durango’s trails to get a variety of footage.
To start, McElveen will pedal his Trek Top Fuel bike up Florida Road to the route known as “Bread Express.” He will tackle the Skyline trail to Raider’s Ridge from there. Riding the entire Colorado Trail as part of the mission is, of course, not possible. But he said he may try to include a ride from the trailhead to Gudy’s Rest and Dry Fork trail because it is such a popular easy-access trail enjoyed by so many in Durango.
He anticipates having to make brief stops to pick up food and more hydration products. He will have an Osprey pack loaded up with supplies and hopes to stop as few times as possible. He does not plan on taking a light, which means sunset is his finish line no matter what.
“How many miles it will be, I don’t know,” McElveen said. “Last time, we came up short. I’m making a few adjustments and being more strict on defining what an ‘in-town trail’ is and defining that as any trailhead within city limits.
“What sunk us last time is that we got suckered into longer stops and wasted time. This time, I’ll be doing NASCAR-type pit stop action to some extent with the hope of completing the ride. There’s absolutely no guarantee, and I might come up short again, but since we are doing the donations for Trails 2000, it’s a win even if I come up short.”
jlivingston@ durangoherald.com
Ed Zink
Our friend, mentor, and hero has passed. We are forever grateful for Ed’s vision and dedication to our community. The family has requested that contributions can be made in Ed’s name to Trails 2000. You can add “Ed Zink” in the notes when making a donation to Durango Trails 2000. The funds will be set aside in a separate account.
https://durangoherald.com/articles/297746-ed-zink-bicyclist-rancher-and-durango-native-dies-at-71
Winter Trail Reporters Wanted
Are you out and about fat biking, ski-touring, hiking? We need your help to update the Winter Trail Conditions page. Please submit photos and a brief update on trail conditions in our area from Horse Gulch to Sand Canyon and beyond and email us at info at trails2000 dot org or via Contact on the website and we’ll get your email. Thank you for helping collect winter trail information to keep the trail community informed! Happy Trails.
Application Closed: Trail Operations Manager
Are you interested in a unique opportunity to join a leading nonprofit organization in the outdoor industry? Do you want to live in a mountain town community, while making a significant positive impact on the lives of residents and visitors? Are you passionate about the outdoors and wish to combine your passion for trails and recreation with a career in the outdoor industry?
Trails 2000 seeks a full time, seasonal Trail Operations Manager interested in the planning, building, and maintenance of area trails; managing volunteers; laying out and mapping trails; and balancing cerebral office work with physical trailwork.
The ideal candidate must be a hard worker with a love for the outdoors and creating great trail experiences for all types of trail users; know how to work with varying leadership styles, community members and youth; have excellent written and verbal skills; and aptitude for using mapping software or Google Maps.
A typical work week includes a Monday morning meeting with the Executive Director to evaluate a work plan that you’ve prepared and updated, followed by Tuesdays through Thursdays in the field laying out trails, doing recon on maintenance projects, and coordinating and leading volunteer crews during weekly trailwork projects (Tuesday and/or Wednesday evenings and some weekends). Weekly duties also consist of meeting with and presenting to land managers (both in the field and in office meetings), creating maps for presentation or review, and maintaining tools and trucks. Head outside and enjoy the fruits of your labor during most three-day weekends; work includes 1-2 weekends a month and typical field months run from late March to late October.
The position provides a fun and organized office space, work computer, and the opportunity to build on a three-decade history of organizational success while infusing your creativity and expertise into the organization.
Salary based on experience.
For full job description, click here.
TO APPLY:
Applications are now closed – thank you for your interest in Trails 2000.
Schedule Donations Now for Colorado Gives Day
Give where you live & play | Donate to Trails 2000 for Colorado Gives Day
So many of us – whether locals or visitors; recreation-ists or commuters; mountain bikers, hikers, trail runners and more – use the trails. So why not give where you live and play? Trails 2000 invites Coloradans and all outdoor enthusiasts to support our efforts to plan, build and maintain the over 300 miles of trails in Durango, Colorado by donating to your local nonprofit trail organization on Colorado Gives Day, December 4, 2018.
Presented by Community First Foundation and FirstBank, Colorado Gives Day is an annual statewide movement to celebrate and increase philanthropy through online giving. The event is powered by ColoradoGives.org, a year-round, online giving website. Visit Trails 2000’s CO Gives profile, to make your safe and secure donation in a few easy steps.
Schedule Donations Today
Donations can now be made online by visiting Trails 2000’s CO Gives profile. Once on our profile, simply click the “Donate” button. Add your donation amount and press the “CO Gives Day” button to schedule it. Complete the other fields and click “add to cart.” Continue checking out by logging in or creating a donor account, entering your payment information, and then submit. Scheduled donations will process on Colorado Gives Day, December 4.
