PITKIN COUNTY/ASPEN, CO - Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, in partnership with the Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association (RFMBA) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is urging bikers to ride from the Town of Carbondale or Willits Center to the trail network on the Crown instead of driving and parking at the trailheads. The goal is to reduce the amount of vehicle traffic en route and parking at the trailheads.
The county is pursuing construction of a parking area at its Bullpen Parcel, located at the new Prince Creek trailhead, this spring in order to alleviate parking problems along Prince Creek Road. As part of this effort, the county has joined with RFMBA and the BLM to launch a Town to Crown campaign encouraging mountain bikers to pedal to the Crown trail system. The campaign will make its official debut on Saturday at Carbondale’s Dandelion Day celebration. Open Space and Trails will have a booth at the event, with information regarding the initiative and activities for children at Sopris Park.
“The increasing popularity of mountain biking on the Crown trail system will continue to put pressure on the limited parking along Prince Creek Road even after the Bullpen lot is built,” predicts Lindsey Utter, Open Space planning and outreach manager. “Beginning your ride in town is a great warmup for trail riding and minimizes impacts at the trailhead and in the area neighborhoods.”
The Bullpen is located directly across Prince Creek Road from the lower end of the new Prince Creek Trail, constructed by Open Space and Trails last year with the help of many volunteers. The new trail, with separate climbing and descending routes, connects into the Crown trails on BLM land. OST’s hope is to eventually extend the connector trail farther down the road to get cyclists off the road as much as possible as they pedal to and from the Crown. But for now, it is about 20 minutes/3 miles from downtown Carbondale to the Prince Creek trailhead, and 15 minutes/2.6 miles from Willits Center to Glassier Open Space.
Access to trails on the Crown will expand next week with the May 16th opening of trails at Glassier Open Space off Hooks Spur Road. Designated parking is at an Open Space and Trails trailhead at the corner of Hooks Spur Road and Hooks Lane. Trails users are encouraged to bike from Town to the Crown on the Willits side, as well. Trails at Sky Mountain Park that have been closed for the winter also reopen on the 16th. Trail users are urged to observe these winter wildlife closures until the trails reopen.
Media Contact: Lindsey Utter
lindsey.utter@pitkincounty.com or 970-920-5224