CB Nordic opening up some East Side trails this season to bikes, dogs

Town Ranch open to all, and free!

By Mark Reaman

Some of the local Nordic trails are opening to uses beyond skinny skis. Primarily, the Town Ranch trails system south of the Crested Butte Community School will be open and free to just about everyone, including dogs.

Crested Butte Nordic surveyed its members and the group indicated they were okay with walkers and dogs on specific locations. “There was interest, from several town residents, in walking on our trails. Our pass holders were okay with folks walking from Town Ranch to Riverbend, but did not want to see walkers on any additional Nordic trails,” explained Crested Butte Nordic executive director Keith Bauer. “The good news is, this winter folks can now walk on the Town Ranch Nordic trails all the way to Brush Creek Road.

“The big news is that the town of Crested Butte gave us a generous grant to help with grooming costs on the Town Ranch trails,” Bauer continued. “This will enable us to make trail use on the Town Ranch free for everybody: Nordic skiers, snowshoers, fat bikes, dogs, and walkers. This means that all users can use the Rec Path, Town Ranch, and Riverbend Connector for free.”

The town’s support also means Crested Butte Nordic will be grooming the recently completed Rec Path extension all the way to Elk Avenue from the Slate River bridge. This is another free trail section for all users, but due to town regulations, dogs must be on a leash on this trail and also on the Rec Path.

While there will be no charge at all for fat bikes this year on approved Nordic trails, including the Teocalli Connector, the connection to the Town Ranch trails and the Rec Path, will be closed to fat bikes as well as dogs and walkers. Bikers coming off the Rec Path will spill out on Elk and then have to navigate Ninth Street to the Town Ranch trail-head where they can jump on the Nordic trails all the way to Brush Creek Road.

“So, the Rec Path, Town Ranch, and Riverbend Nordic trails are all open to fat biking,” said Bauer. “The good news is other trails in our area may be groomed for fat bikes under a proposal from the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association to the Forest Service. The Nordic board has supported CBMBA’s fat bike grooming proposal on public lands.”

Bauer emphasized that these changes impact primarily the east side trails. But he said there are some changes to the west side as well. “Remember that dog and skier passes are required on the west side trails. Some of our pass holders requested opening up the Beaver Trail to dogs, so skiers could take their four-legged friends around Peanut Lake. The survey showed sufficient support, so the Beaver Trail will now be open to dogs on a one-year trial basis,” he explained. “Our landowners, while okay with this change, were concerned about dog waste and wildlife harassment, so please pick up after Fido, and keep your pets in voice command at all times. This will ensure the Beaver Trail will remain open to dogs going forward.”

As a community-supported organization, Bauer said Crested Butte Nordic strives to accommodate as many users as possible while still staying true to the mission and pass holders. “Sometimes that means skiing a fine line, but we do our best,” he said. “If you have any suggestions you can always reach me at director@cbnordic.org.”