It seems the city folk have found out our secret – we are naturally distanced in Grand County.  I have hiked or biked trails at the YMCA and seen virtually no one.  I have gone across Main Street at Granby Ranch and met only 2 or 3 people.  The Fraser to Granby Trail from the YMCA to Tabernash has been the busiest – two people here, one person there, three kids together.  In Grand County, we have space to spread out, especially in the face of required masks and social distancing.  In the stores or on the trails, the people I have seen have generally been respecting the rights of others.  These mask and distancing requirements are meant to keep you safe from others who may be unwitting carriers or keep them safe from you who also might be asymptomatic.  We all have a right to be safe. So, if you feel sick or are coughing, stay home away from others.

The access we have in our everyday lives to the open forests and spaces is unparalleled. This open environment allows germs and bacteria to be dispersed such that their effect is minimal.  That doesn’t mean closely following a hard-breathing biker who is laboring up a steep trail.  Please allow space when moving with others so bacteria can dissipate whether moving rapidly or even just walking.  When in confined spaces, allow more distance or filter your breathing with a mask.  Remember, your space ends where someone else’s space begins.

Some of the popular trails currently closed to the public are parts of the Fraser River Trail and the Fraser-to-Granby Trail.   The Town of Winter Park is doing construction work rebuilding their Town Shop. The Fraser River Trail is blocked only at this point until approximately August 11.  You can access the trail from the Winter Park Resort to the Shop facility area or from Beavers up to the underpass before the Town Shop.

The section of the Fraser-to-Granby trail from the Fraser ballfields to Hidden River in Tabernash, now a popular commuting route, is closed thru at least Labor Day for gas line installation.  Try the section from Tabernash at Cty Rd 5221 to the YMCA and then thru Tim’s Tunnel to the Granby Ranch section.  You can continue on to Granby if you like.

To find the current issues on Grand County trails or just current conditions, go to Headwaters Trails Alliance Facebook page.  Besides doing a fantastic job of repairing known problems, HTA is doing a great job of reporting those current conditions including trail closures, concerns and cautions.  This pinned post is usually the first posted item.  You can also find delightful reports on recent accomplishments like the replacement last weekend of the two old bridges on the Strawberry Creek Trail.  The pictures show the work involved.  Posts also thank individuals and small groups of people volunteering to help with projects. 

The reports on trail works in progress allow people to decide when they want to experience a new area like the East Shore Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Over ten years in planning alone, this was a cooperative project giving access from Forest Service land onto National Parks land to bicycles, I think a first in the Nation! Go into the Green Ridge Campground to the Double A Barn and take the bridge across the Colorado River heading left on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.  This phased restoration, first the Double A Barn (currently used for weddings and celebrations), then the Bridge across the Colorado River and connection into the National Scenic Trail have been the focus for years of National Public Lands Days and crews from US Forest Service, National Parks Service and Headwaters Trails Alliance creating a continuous trail along the lakeside like none other in Grand County!  It is a must do for any family or individual rider.

Make the Headwaters Trails Alliance Facebook page a GO TO for current conditions and trail reports.  These are YOUR trails and HTA is doing a great job maintaining those trails, rerouting when needed for sustainability, and connecting out and back trails to make loops.  Report problem you see. Let your County Commissioners know you appreciate the work and, if you have the time, sign up to volunteer on a trail in your favorite area.  Or adopt-a-trail and help regularly to maintain it.  The satisfaction of having “your” trail is immense!