The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“We’re moving forward slowly”
The Crested Butte Nordic Council went before the Board of County Commissioners on November 15 to discuss plans to establish cross-country ski trails on Smith Hill. Still in the early stages of planning, the proposed trails would make use of historic easements to give skiers an extra loop and more varied terrain from the existing Peanut Lake Road trailhead to the Gunsight Pass Bridge. The commissioners were supportive of the Nordic Council’s objectives to connect existing trails, but requested more information before making a decision.
According to Nordic Council executive director Keith Bauer, there is an option for skiers to cross Crested Butte Land Trust property from just below Magic Meadows to the base of Slate River Road and Smith Hill. From there, a groomed trail would continue up Smith Hill and then drop down to Slate River Road via the Kochevar easement and Kiekel parcel. Skiers would follow Slate River Road above the winter trailhead to the Gunsight Bridge turnoff, and hook back into Mike’s Mile.
The Nordic Council would like to start using the trail this winter, but Bauer realizes that working through approvals with all stakeholders, including private landowners, will take time. He told the commissioners that the Trails Commission recommended approval, and he had mentioned the plans to the town of Crested Butte but had yet to seek formal approval.
“We’re moving forward slowly. If it did come together for this season, we would just have it be a snowshoe trail, not groomed,” Bauer said.
Skiers or snowshoers could use the trail, but it would not be regularly maintained. Grooming more than 54 kilometers of existing trails already maximizes the Nordic Center’s resources; expanding trails, Bauer said, will require securing a second groomer.
“I’m generally supportive of the Nordic Council and what you all try to do and what you’ve done in the past,” said Commissioner Hap Channell, “The way you operate is good. I personally need a little more dissection of this proposal in terms of staff input and descriptions of potential impacts to county operations and private properties.”
County public works director Marlene Crosby raised several concerns, including the issue of parking on Slate River Road if skiers were to start at the Smith Hill trail instead of the Magic Meadows trailhead.
She also questioned whether there would be a conflict between plowing and grooming, both in when they want to work and in plows pushing big, heavy chunks of icy snow up onto the trail.
“It’s a high snow area. At Nicholson Lake subdivision, we plow more snow there than any other place we plow in District Three in the winter,” Crosby said.
She also raised questions regarding ongoing trespass issues on Smith Hill. The road on Smith Hill was given to the county as an easement but was never accepted for maintenance and plowing. Unresolved issues still linger from summer use of the Lupine Trail, which connects with the Smith Hill Road, when recreational use of the road conflicted with the wishes of private property owners.
“I think what Hap said about doing due diligence, we want to do that,” responded county attorney David Baumgarten. “It may be with the property owners that we can solve it with staking and flagging and then folks know where the road is…. But I think we really want to hear from them first.”
“Well I hear a parking plan, the grooming plowing interface concern, potential signing and trespass issues along county roads called out so far, so I guess what I’m needing … is for staff to drill into these areas of concern and have more conversation,” Channell said.
“We just wanted to get it in front of you. We brought it in front of the Land Trust, and we wanted to let people know this is a direction we’re going,” Bauer said when asked if he expected a county decision that day.
Bauer agreed that the Lupine situation could have been handled better, but doubted that parking on Slate River Road would be a problem with skiers.
“There were parking problems associated with the Lupine Trail, and I never once saw someone pull their car up with their bikes and take their bikes off to ride the Lupine Trail. They were always hikers, because it is problematic to hike from town… I don’t think that’s going to be an issue for skiers because it’s more like biking—they can cover snow faster to access it,” Bauer said.
“I think parking needs to be addressed, but my personal feeling is that we have a connector trail that comes off of our existing trail system, that is a gigantic inducement for people to not drive,” said Nordic Council board member Skip Berkshire.
There was some disagreement from Crosby, who cited winter parking problems on Brush Creek. But Channell encouraged staff and the Nordic Council to find solutions after the meeting.
“Rather than working out those details at this table now, I would ask you all to go forth and to deal with the identified concerns so you can hopefully reach agreement and then come back to us,” he said.
The proposed trail is part of the Nordic Council’s broader plans to extend trails in the Slate River valley. According to Bauer, the BLM recently granted the Nordic Council permission to groom a trail from the end of Mike’s Mile, up Gunsight Bridge Road and around the abandoned mining building. Discussion is also in the works for an expansion near Gunsight Bridge, with the addition of a small overnight hut, and long-term plans include options to connect the Slate River Valley trails with the North Village.
