The discussion surrounding the Carbondale and Crested Butte trail has been going on since 1994. Now, Pitkin County is expected to receive a grant from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to make the dream a reality.
In January 2016, Governor John Hickenlooper said the Carbondale and Crested Butte trail would be a priority in his “16 in 2016”. The initiative includes 16 trail gaps that Colorado believes would better connect the state upon completion. Commissioners in Pitkin County unanimously agreed to submit a grant application to GOCO for $200,000 in hopes to get the trail started. The grant is likely to be at least $100,000, and Pitkin County has already allocated funds for 2017 to match the grant amount.
The 74-mile trail has been partially built in both Pitkin and Gunnison counties, but there’s still a lot of work to do. Public comments, engineering-feasibility studies, environmental analysis and other aspects must be assessed to make the trail as successful as possible.
Dale Will, director of the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails program says that although there are some problems to solve, he wants to get things done while the initiative has the state’s attention. After 22 years, we’d have to agree! What do you think about the Carbondale and Crested Butte trail?
