COLORADO SPRINGS — The City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department officially opened its first dedicated downhill mountain bike trails, Almond Butter and Rattle Rocks, Tuesday.
The ribbon cutting took place in Ute Valley Park. The new trails are part of several recent improvements in the park, all prescribed by the Ute Valley Park master plan, which was completed in 2015.
The total project cost was $100,000, provided by Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) as part of the Ute Valley Park master plan implementation. The work was completed by Timberline.
“We’re very excited to open the city’s first dedicated downhill mountain bike trails in Ute Valley Park and are grateful for the community’s support of this project,” Parks Director Karen Palus said. “The mountain biking community, in particular, rallied around the improvements and gave invaluable input to make this a success.”
Ute Valley Park improvements include:
- Two purpose-built, difficult-rated, downhill bicycle-only trails, approximately 0.5 miles
- Fenced-in session area, where riders can practice repeating a particular section of trail or feature, taking various approaches to improve technical skills and confidence in a shorter amount of time
- Trail realignments that provide 1.5 miles of more sustainable, multi-use trails
- Closure of approximately 1.2 miles of rogue, unsanctioned and unsustainable trails
- Split rail fencing to help fortify the closed areas
- Trail signage and wayfinding throughout the project area
