what's up in the west
NEW AQUEDUCT TRAILS IN MANCOS
“TALK OF THE TOWN” Words by Erin Phillips | Photo courtesy of Manco Trails Group
T
his spring, Mancos Trails Group (MTG) will
pinyon, juniper and sage, with big views of
open 11.4 miles of the smooth and flowy
Mesa Verde, the Sleeping Ute and the La Plata
Aqueduct Trail System on BLM land. “The trails have been the talk of town,” says Don Hoffheins, chair of MTG.
mountains. “It’s a huge amount of work, but it’s almost magical how you can take rough terrain and
Everyone — from the elderly population to
provide a full experience of rideability, scenery
youth development biking organizations — have
and sustainability for users,” explains Hoffheins.
been in support. High Desert DEVO, one of the
It’s been proposed to the BLM to add a trail
youth organizations, jumped from 35 members
segment so that someone could ride over 13 miles,
to 152 within this past year.
overlapping the same piece of ground for only 0.2
MTG’s largest grant came from Colorado
miles. The proposed trail connects the intersection
Housing and Finance Authority, which directs its
where Riprap meets Ridges to the intersection
efforts towards community livability. They were
where Evenflow meets Mountain View.
also awarded Mancos Valley Resources’ Sponsored
Additional changes to come in the spring
Project of the Year because of their service to the
are a five- to six-car parking lot at the south
town. Volunteers accumulated 3,750-plus total
end trailhead. MTG also received a grant from
hours in 2022, which equates to over $112,300 of
LOR foundation for over $19,000 to construct a
contributed labor. Hoffheins gives a special shout
trailhead shade structure.
out to Mancos Brewery’s support. The Aqueduct Trails are multi-use, nonmotorized (except for class 1 e-bikes) beginner and intermediate trails on Mancos shale through
The trails are closed from Dec. 1 to April 30 for wildlife. : Learn more about MTG at mancostrails.org or through social media at facebook.com/ MancosTrails/ and @mancostrails.
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