QUICK FACTS Total acreage: about 390 (open space) Year of acquisition: 1969 – 2014 Purchase partners: Pitkin County, City of Aspen, Aspen Valley Land Trust Conservation easements: Stein/Red Butte Ranch CE - 59 acres held by Pitkin County and AVLT, Deer Hill/Park Trust Exemption CE - 100 acres held by AVLT Trail easements: Holy Cross Trail Easement Fishing easements: Moore Property Fishing Easement, Aspen Consolidated Sanitation District Fishing Easement Key features: The Roaring Fork Gorge is comprised of various open spaces, conservation easements, fishing easements and the Rio Grande Trail. The gorge stretches from Henry Stein Park near Aspen to Wilton Jaffee Sr. Park near Woody Creek, encompassing a stretch of the Roaring Fork River (including Slaughterhouse Falls) that is popular with rafters and kayakers, as well as anglers. Gold Butte Climbing Area is within the Gorge, as is the historic Stein Bridge, which links the Rio Grande Trail to populated areas on the opposite side of the river. The Rio Grande, built on the former Denver and Rio Grande Railroad corridor, is Pitkin County’s most heavily used trail. It extends from Aspen through the Gorge and down the Roaring Fork Valley to Glenwood Springs – some 42 miles in all. The trail is used year-round, though use varies by season from bicycling, walking and running to nordic skiing. Within the Gorge, the trail passes by Stein Falls, a popular stopping point for bicyclists and a wintertime ice-climbing venue. At Jaffee Park, a boat ramp serves boaters taking out of the river or putting in for floats farther downstream. The Gorge also sees use by a wide range of wildlife. Many mammals common to the upper Roaring Fork Valley have been documented there, along with a variety of migratory and resident bird species and a wild, reproducing trout population. KEY LINKS Roaring Fork Gorge Management Plan (2019) Ecological Communities & Fluvial Geomorphology Baseline Report - Roaring Fork Gorge (2015) Upper Roaring Fork River Aquatic Life Use Assessment (2012)
