A new mountain bike trail system is turning heads in Colorado’s Crystal Valley.
That’s not so much for the uniqueness of the trails themselves — riders in the neighboring Roaring Fork Valley have plenty of options around — but instead for the unique land arrangement.
Coal Basin Ranch has been described as a “demonstration site.” While on private property, the nearly 5-mile singletrack network last month opened for all free of charge through a Pitkin County easement.
The idea is “to demonstrate that trails can be an important part of land restoration,” read the announcement welcoming riders to the 200-plus acres. “This property was once the processing center for a large-scale coal mining operation and is being developed as a community asset for advancing healthy landscapes and healthy lifestyles.”
The ranch is owned by Catena Foundation, an extension of the Walton family’s Walmart empire. In recent years, the land has reportedly been covered by new trees and native vegetation — restoration efforts in response to erosion caused by mining, which stopped in 1991.
The ranch seeks to rally visitors around these efforts, “showing how restoration and recreation can come together to broaden public perspectives about stewardship,” explains partnering nonprofit Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association.
Mountain bikers on the new Coal Basin Ranch trail network near Redstone.
The arrangement goes a step further than conservation easements, said the association’s executive director, Mike Pritchard. Common to Colorado, those easements provide tax benefits to landowners for leaving land undeveloped.
“Certainly, there’s a benefit to preserving open space and preserving wildlife habitat,” Pritchard said. “But we would contend you could meet those goals while also allowing for some limited recreation.”
At Coal Basin Ranch, it seems young cycling families are the main beneficiaries, he said.
Kids and beginners have lapped gentle pump tracks and jump lines built along ponds, while parents and intermediate types have embarked into the forest for a scenic loop. Dutch Creek Trail is a hard-earned climb over 2 miles, meeting Bear Ridge Trail, a long, winding plunge through aspen back down to the valley floor.
Dutch Creek Trail also meets Coal Basin Trail, which tours adjacent White River National Forest and connects with other trails to form “big, epic loops,” by Pritchard’s description.
His group has been focused on stewarding those routes — “knowing people will graduate, so to speak, from the new system,” he said.
Off Colorado 133 near Redstone, Coal Basin Ranch is reached about 4 miles down Coal Creek Road, just west of town. Trails open daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check the ranch’s Facebook page for more information.
This content was originally published here.
