The Colorado Trails Symposium is an annual gathering for agency trail managers. The two-day event allows agency staff to network and share ideas through presentations and field trips.

Join us this fall for the 6th Annual Colorado Trails Symposium on September 11 and 12, 2023. The Symposium will be hosted by The Headwaters Trails Alliance.

Register Here for the 2023 Colorado Trails Symposium

2023 Colorado Trail Symposium Schedule

All Sessions meet at the Headwaters Center (730 Baker Dr, Winter Park, CO 80482)

September 11, 2023

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM Registration

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM    Welcome/Introduction of Steering Commitee

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM     Key Note Speaker: Travis Wright (President of Preserve Rollins Pass Foundation)

11:15 AM – 12:00 PM     Session 1

  • Developing a Volunteer Program. Scott Waters, Jefferson County Open Space. Beau Clark, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. Erica Bean, Headwaters Trails Alliance.

  • Trail Program Snapshots. Dan Allen, Colorado Springs. Jenny Carey, Town of Steamboat Springs. Maire Sullivan, Headwaters Trails Alliance. Joel Schwab, Larimer County. Joel Brunger, Town of Erie.

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM     Lunch

1:15 PM – 2:00 PM       Session 2

  • Friends Groups and Collaborative Partnerships - How Friends Groups Can Benefit Your Organization And Strategies For Getting Everyone To Play Well Together In The Same Sandbox. Meara McQuain, Headwaters Trails Alliance. Maire Sullivan, Headwaters Trails Alliance.

  • Safety and Efficiency in Trailside Skyline Rigging. Mike McHugh, Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

  • Safe Operation of Mini-Excavators. Brock Messner, Jefferson County Open Space.

2:15 PM – 3:00 PM      Session 3

  • Building 11 Turns in 1.8 Miles. Joel Schwab and Forest Nichols, Larimer County Natural Resources.

  • Agency Project Highlights. Dan Allen – Bluestem Prairie Reroute, Sean Burke – Jim Creek, Chris Smith – Plymouth Creek Reroute, Gabe Wilson - North Sky.

  • If you Groom It, They Will Come - The Benefits and Effects of Winter Trail Grooming. Maire Sullivan, Headwaters Trails Alliance. Ben Glassmeyer, City of Steamboat Springs.

3:15 PM – 4:00 PM      Session 4

  • Improving User Experience to Reduce Social Trails - How the Trail Smart Sizing Project in the Fraser Valley Has Improved The User Experience While Reducing The Proliferation Of Social Trails . Meara McQuain, Headwaters Trails Alliance.

  • Designing Trails With Wildlife In Mind - Wildlife Factors To Consider When Planning And Building Trails. Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM     Networking Event and Presentation of the Golden McLeod Award. Cooper Creek Square (47 Cooper Creek Way, Winter Park, CO 80482)

September 12, 2023

All Field Trips meet at the Headwaters Center (730 Baker Dr, Winter Park, CO 80482)

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM         Breakfast/Grab Lunch

9:15 AM - 10:00 AM        Session 5: Round Table Discussions

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM      Closing Remarks

10:15 AM – 2:00 PM       Field Trips

  • Rollins Pass – led by Travis Wright. Historical tour of the original route into Grand County. The route was originally used first by Native Americans, followed by a wagon route and eventually was the primary east/west route for the railroad from Denver westward. See connecting trails, old railroad works including the famous Rifle Sight Notch Trestle and beautiful scenery.

  • Jim Creek 2022 Golden McLeod Winner – Sean Burke, Headwaters Trails Alliance. In September 2020, the Jim Creek drainage was hit by a Derecho wind event which levelled the forest from treeline to treeline. Over a one mile stretch of trail, 15,000 trees had to be cut to reestablish the trail which in subsequent years required extensive rerouting of drainage and restoration of trail tread. The forest in this area is the closest to a large bomb explosion that anyone of us will likely ever see.

  • Trail Smart Sizing/MTB ride. All levels mountain bike tour of the Trail Smart Sizing Project. This landscape level project strove to reduce trail density and impact while improving the user experience primarily by adding purpose built, modern features for mountain biking. (maybe 2 speeds or skill levels) (Max 12-15)

  • Trestle Bike Park. This is an opportunity to check out Trestle Bike Park which is generally considered on or the top 3 resort bike parks in North America. (possible fee required) (Max 10)

  • Hiking up Yankee Doodle - Headwaters Trails Alliance Staff. This trail is the result of a collborative connectivity project between HTA, the Town of Winter Park and Rendezvous Development. This is a generally moderate hike that provides great views of downtown Winter Park.

  • Hiking to Broome Hut - Headwaters Trails Alliance Staff. 1 mile hike to a modern backcountry hut on Berthoud Pass. Hut is above tree level providing spectacular views of the Fraser Valley.

  • Mechanized Trail Building - Brock Messner (max 12)

  • Safety and Efficiency in Trailside Skyline Rigging. Mike McHugh, Park Resource Technician, Colorado Parks and Wildlife

  • Fraser Experimental Forest (FEF) - one of only 5 USFS experimental forests in the country, the FEF has the longest running snow data collection in the continental US. It is host to a variety of scientific projects relating to snow, hydrology and high alpine environments including one by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. If you are a science nerd, this is not to be missed!

Self-Guided Field Trips

Lodging

Camping

Golden McLeod Award

Each year attendees vote on trail projects nominated for the Golden McLeod Award. This award goes to a trail project that represents ingenuity in trail construction and maintenance. If you have a project you would like to nominate, please send pictures and a brief description to Gabe Wilson with Golden McLeod in the subject line by September 1.

Information for Presenters

All break out rooms have a laptop computer and projector. Please bring your presentation on a USB flash drive.