Colorado Front Range Trail Corridor Plan

1. Colorado Front Range Trail Corridor Plan

2. Description The Colorado Front Range Trail The Colorado Front Range Trail will link existing trails systems with new trail corridors to create a pathway between Colorado’s burgeoning population centers

3. Initiation How this concept began • Colorado State Parks Board discussed the idea of a border to border trail and directed staff to initiate a planning process • Staff met with local community stakeholders to discuss this concept and to identify potential corridor routes • Planning team toured the proposed corridor in 2001 • Support for the Trail was overwhelming

4. Process Colorado Front Range Trail Process

5. Vision, Principles, and Goals Vision To link the Colorado front range’s diverse communities and scenic landscapes with a multi-use trail from New Mexico to Wyoming

6. Vision, Principles, and Goals Principles During the planning process two guiding principles emerged: • First Principle • All trail routes comprising the Colorado Front Range Trail must be determined and approved by the local jurisdictions through which they pass. All acquisition and trail development decisions will be determined by the local jurisdictions’ land use decision processes.

7. Vision, Principles, and Goals Principles During the planning process two guiding principles emerged: Second Principle: The Colorado Front Range Trail should be funded through a variety of long-term funding sources that build upon, rather than take away from current trail funding sources. Additional sources that can be dedicated to the trail’s completion should be pursued.

8. Vision, Principles, and Goals Goals • Form a spine trail corridor along Colorado’s front range that links communities, points of interest, and public lands • Create a safe, fun, attractive, continuous, interesting, diverse, and educational trail • Utilize existing and approved • proposed trails as the basis for • the corridor

9. Vision, Principles, and Goals Goals • Create a fairly direct north - south route • Link to other trails, especially major east - west trails, along the corridor • Have a separated trail, away from highways and roads, when possible

10. Vision, Principles, and Goals Goals • Incorporate cultural, historical and environmental themes which enhance educational opportunities • Identify and protect sensitive natural, cultural and scenic resources when planning and constructing the trail

11. Vision, Principles, and Goals Goals • Create a trail corridor that enhances eco-heritage tourism along the front range • Incorporate alternatives and loops, so the trail can be used for a diverse range of trail uses • Involve youth from the diverse mixture of corridor communities in trail construction through local youth corps

12. Colorado Front Range Trail Southern Area

13. Images Southern Front Range

14. Images Southern Front Range

15. Colorado Front Range Trail Metro Area

16. Images Metro Area

17. Images Metro Area

18. Colorado Front Range Trail North Area

19. Images North Area

20. Next Steps • Implementation Plan • Logo • Sign standards • Front Range Trail Grants • Private partners • Funding Strategies

21. Colorado State Park Web Site http://parks.state.co.us/home Plan is Available: