Trailhead improvements coming to Elk Meadow Park

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Elk Meadow Park in Evergreen is getting some upgrades, including improved trailheads that will accommodate more visitors to the popular park.

Je erson County Open Space, which owns the park, also plans to open the area on the south side of Stagecoach Boulevard that formerly was the o -leash dog park next year and to improve trails near Evergreen Parkway to help those with mobility issues use the park.

“We are working to improve different components of the park for everyone’s enjoyment,” said Matt Robbins, a spokesman for Je erson County Open Space or JCOS, which hosted a virtual community meeting last month to highlight the changes.

Elk Meadow with 1,658 acres and 14.7 miles of trails has two trailheads, one on Stagecoach Boulevard and the other on Bergen Peak Drive.

Both trailheads will see improvements, Robbins said. e trailhead o Bergen Peak Drive will get an additional 25 parking spaces and two additional oversized parking spaces, plus JCOS will formalize parking areas on the shoulders of the access road. at work is expected to be completed later this year.

e Stagecoach trailhead will get a makeover with an additional 19 parking spaces, a new vault restroom and a crossing area to get to the southside of Stagecoach. at work is expected to be started in spring 2024 and be completed by spring 2025. e former o -leash dog park south of Stagecoach Park will be open by next summer, and the existing trails are being improved, plus a new trail has been created leading south to Jenkins Peak. Robbins said rehabilitation of the former dog park has gone well in the ve years since JCOS closed the dog park.

Trailhead work will be done in stages so park users can continue to access the park, he said.

JCOS is improving the Elk Meadow, Painters Pause, Meadow View and Founder’s trails, including three miles of hardened surfaces. ese trails are generally visible from Evergreen Parkway.

Robbins said while the trails won’t be completely ADA accessible, JCOS is dedicated in the last few years to making trails more usable by those with mobility issues.

JCOS hopes to partner with the Evergreen Park & Recreation District to house accessible tricycles at the Buchanan Park Recreation Center, so they can be reserved by those who need them to experience Elk Meadow. He said including everyone so they can experience JCOS parks was important, and JCOS is planning to add climbing and equine experiences at the park.

JCOS also will continue re mitigation in the park as it helps the area prepare in case of wild re. Robbins said Elk Meadow has the secondhighest wild re danger rating of all of Je co Open Space’s parks.