2025 Colorado Trail Symposium Schedule

All sessions will meet at the Frisco Adventure Park located at 621 Recreation Way, Frisco, CO 80443.

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM Registration

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Welcome/Introduction of Steering Committee. Guest speaker: Eric Manula, former mayor of Breckenridge

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Key Note Speaker: Fletcher Jacobs

11:15 AM - 12:00 PM Session 1: Volunteer Program Panel Discussion. Calla Balliet, Community Engagement Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Field Institute. Lizzie Morrison, Programs Manager, Friends of Dillion Ranger District. Becky Pomering, Natural Areas Senior Supervisor, City of Fort Collins. Dan Allen, Trail Project Specialist, Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. Scott Waters, Trail Team Senior Specialist, Jefferson County Open Space. Beau Clarke, Trail Asset Manager, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks.

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch (At Slope Side Lodge)

1:15 PM – 2:00 PM Session 2

• Hands On Equipment Demonstration - Dan Allen and Joel Dukes

  Get a chance to familiarize yourself with trail building equipment including a mini-excavator, track barrow, and compact skid loader.

• Reroutes and Restoration - Scott Waters. Trails Senior Specialist, Jefferson County Open Space.

  Trail reroutes offer a unique opportunity to not only improve user experience but also restore degraded landscapes and build stewardship through volunteer engagement. In this session, we will share lessons learned from two significant trail reroute projects completed over the past two years.

• Bike Park Maintenance - Valmont Bike Park

  Learn the basics of maintaining bike park features.

• Rock Rigging. Nate Boschmann, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers.

  Learn the skills and safety concerns regarding rock rigging in the field.

2:15 PM – 3:00 PM Session 3

• Introduction To Mechanized Trail Building. Brock Messner, Jefferson County Open Space.

• Trail Data for Design, Maintenance, and Accessibility. Jake Engleman, Recreation Stewardship Senior Program Manager, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks.

  OSMP has been using the high efficiency trail assessment program (HETAP) software to monitor the designated trail system for a decade. With two rounds of survey data, trends in trail condition can provide valuable information regarding successes in trail design, challenges of trail maintenance, and trail access information for accessibility. The presentation will examine OSMPs trail condition data and provide lessons learned on building a data driven trail management program within an organization

• Cliff Bands, Quarries, and Steep Side Slopes. Building trail through sedimentary rocks formations of Horsetooth Reservoir. Joel Schwab, Larimer County.

• Stop the Bleed: Be the One to Save a Life. Duke Barlow from the Town of Breckenridge Open Space and Trails.

  Serious bleeding injuries can happen anywhere—on the trail, in the workplace, or during everyday accidents. The number one cause of preventable death after injury is uncontrolled bleeding. With just three quick actions, you can be trained to save a life. In this hands-on session, Duke Barlow from the Town of Breckenridge Open Space and Trails will guide participants through the nationally recognized Stop the Bleed training. Using materials designed specifically for bleeding control education, you'll learn practical techniques to respond effectively in an emergency. While this is not a certification course, you will leave with the skills and confidence to act as an immediate responder in a life-threatening situation.

3:15 PM – 4:00 PM Session 4

• Planning Trail with Wildlife In Mind. CPW

• Colorado Seed Tool: Increase Your Seeding Success. Dani Neuman. Northwest Region Land Use Specialist, Colorado Parks & Wildlife.

  Learn how to apply the Colorado Seed Tool on your projects. The Colorado Seed Tool has two functions, “Produce Seed Menu” and “Verify Seed Mix.” The simple interface allows users to enter project management goals (ex. elk habitat, greater sage-grouse habitat, fire reclamation, etc.) and site conditions to either produce a seed menu of candidate species for a seed mix or to verify if an existing seed mix will meet management goals and establish well at your site. As of 2025, Version 1 of the Colorado Seed Tool is live in the Apple App and Google Play stores. The Colorado Seed Tool is actively utilized by the general public, restoration practitioners, partner agencies, county governments, and internally at CPW. Please consider having a test project available to run through examples together during the talk. If time allows, participants can run the tool functions in advance of the session to prepare questions. We can discuss specific scenarios and use real audience projects as examples. 

• Hands On Equipment Demonstration - Dan Allen and Joel Dukes

  Get a chance to familiarize yourself with trail building equipment including a mini-excavator, track barrow, and compact skid loader.

• Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument Access Planning - Jordan Mead, Senior Resource Specialist with Summit County Open Space and Trails.

  Learn about the development of several key trailheads at Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument. This will include a discussion on partnerships, signage improvements, trailhead infrastructure, and social trail management.

4:30 PM - 7:00 PM Networking Event and Presentation of Golden McCleod

Thursday, September 18, 2025

8:00 AM - 5K Fun Run. Start your day with a scenic 5K fun run guided by Frisco staff. Enjoy the beautiful morning light and sweeping views as you explore the trails around the Frisco Peninsula.

8:30 AM - 8:45 AM Breakfast/Grab Lunch

8:45 AM - 9:30 AM Session 5: Round Table Discussions

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM Closing Remarks

10:15 AM – 2:30 PM 

• Mini Ex Training. Instructor: Brock Messner, Jefferson County Open Space. Max Participants: 8.

  Get hands-on training with a mini excavator and learn the essential techniques used to build sustainable singletrack. This field-based session will be held at the Frisco Peninsula.

• Bike Park Dirt Shaping. Instructor: The Jump Doctors. Max Participants 8.

  Work alongside bike park professionals to learn the techniques of dirt shaping, compaction, and watering. This hands-on experience is designed for those interested in maintaining or building dirt jump features. Bring work clothes and gloves. Held at the Frisco Peninsula Bike Park.

• Bike Park Dirt Shaping Instructor: The Jump Doctors. Max Participants: 8.

  Work alongside bike park professionals to learn the techniques of dirt shaping, compaction, and watering. This hands-on experience is designed for those interested in maintaining or building dirt jump features. Bring work clothes and gloves. Held at the Frisco Peninsula Bike Park.

• Best of Breck MTB Tour – Intermediate/Advanced. Leaders: Town of Breckenridge Open Space Staff. Max Participants 15.

  Experience the best of Breckenridge’s directional singletrack, including trails like Sidedoor, Hard Luck, Slalom, and ZL. This 18–20 mile ride highlights the Town’s trail network and Open Space program efforts.

• Trail Maintenance Walk. Leaders: Frisco Peninsula Staff. Max Participants: 10.

  Learn hands-on maintenance techniques, including backslope shaping, drainage clearing, critical edge restoration, and tread repair. Wear work clothes and gloves for this practical, field-based session.

• Adaptive E-MTB Ride. Instructor: Topher Downham. Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. Max Participants: 8.

  Gain firsthand experience with adaptive e-mountain bikes while discussing trail accessibility and design considerations. Held at the Frisco Peninsula. Participants are encouraged to bring their own bike to allow for rotations between e-MTBs and traditional bikes.

• Naturalist Hike. Leader: Town of Breckenridge Naturalist. Max Participants: 15.

  Take a scenic hike with a Town of Breckenridge Naturalist to explore local flora, fauna, and wildlife in the Frisco Peninsula area.

• Safety & Efficiency in Trailside Skyline Rigging Instructors: Nate Boschmann. Wildland Restoration Volunteers. Mike McHugh. Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Max Participants: 10.

  Learn the fundamentals of setting up skyline rigging with a focus on safety and operational efficiency for trail construction and restoration.

• Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument Site. Visit Leader: Jordan Mead, Summit County Open Space. Max Participants: 12.

  Tour several key trailheads and hike in the Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument, with discussion on partnerships, signage improvements, trailhead infrastructure, and social trail management.

• Volunteer Management in the Field Leaders. Lizzie Morrison & Maddie Kornutiak, Friends of the Dillon Ranger District Max Participants: 12.

  Ever led trail work with volunteers who’ve never held a tool? This session dives into real-life scenarios, covering safety briefings, effective tool talks, group dynamics, and how to lead a productive, safe volunteer workday in the field.

• Lake Dillon Self-Guided Kayak/Canoe Tour Partner: Frisco Marina Max Participants: 12.

  Thanks to the Frisco Marina, kayaks and canoes will be available for a peaceful self-guided paddle around Lake Dillon. Enjoy the lake at your own pace.

• Mt. Royal Self-Guided Hike Max Participants: Open

  Head out on this 4-mile out-and-back trail near Frisco. This challenging hike takes approximately 3 hours and offers breathtaking views of Summit County, Lake Dillon, and the Gore Range.

Lodging

AC Hotel. 1202 Summit Blvd, Frisco, CO 80443. Reserve your room here.

Camping

Camping nearby can be reserved through Recreation.gov

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 Beau Clark with Golden McLeod in the subject line by August 30. It’s best to submit the highest quality images (.jpg or .png) and text to be in word or .pdf format.

Information for Presenters

All break out rooms have a projector with an HMDI port. Please bring your presentation on a USB flash drive with a laptop computer and a HDMI connector.

Supported By

• Mountain Smith

• Great Outdoors Colorado

• Timberline Trail Craft