ACTION ALERT
Support BCPOS Staff - Picture Rock Trailhead in Lyons
On Tuesday, April 29, BCPOS staff will hold an Open House at the Lyons High School Cafetorium at 6pm to gather public input on the trailhead facilities that will mark the northern terminus of the Picture Rock Trail. This issue has created a significant amount of controversy and dialogue in the greater community of Lyons. BMA has kept silent on this issue, mainly because early on, we were assured by the County planning team that a 'no parking access point' would be established along Red Gulch Road, making access a non-issue for cyclists.
It's been our position that we don't care where the trailhead actually is, as long as we can get to the dirt in a short period of time. That position has not changed, but we feel we, as a community of responsible visitors and owners of public lands, need to 'get the backs' of BCPOS staff as they work through these issues.
Unfortunately, it seems this open house will be full of angry, opinionated people who are making a lot of noise, but not offering substantive solutions. It's NIMBYism at its worst, and we on the BMA advocacy team hate to see it in action and would rather not expose ourselves to it.
Rather than encourage you to attend this meeting, (which you certainly can) we are asking that you send an email to BCPOS staff, praising them for their efforts to find a solution that works for everyone. We believe staff is going to get beat up at this meeting, and they don't deserve it.
We have provided a boilerplate message that you can cut and paste and send to [email protected] Adding your own comments and making it personal doubles the impact.
Subject Line: Comments on Picture Rock Trailhead Process
Greetings;
I am a Boulder County cyclist that visits both Heil Valley and Hall Ranches. I am excited to see the Picture Rock Trail moving toward completion and support BCPOS and their efforts to make it a reality.
I am gratified and relieved that BCPOS has already planned a no parking access point along Red Gulch Road. With an access point like this, I can park in Lyons or at the Hall Ranch parking lot and ride to the trail. I do not care about the exact location of the eventual trailhead for the Picture Rock Trail. However I do care that it offers toilet facilities, educational tools, and adequate parking for all users. But where it actually ends up isn't a priority for me.
I believe in being a good neighbor to the communities near where we recreate. But I also hope those living in those neighborhoods recognize that we are Boulder County residents, just like them and we are part of the community too. Trail users are nature lovers, responsible citizens, and recreationists. We are nothing to fear. We are your neighbors. It is my hope that the trailhead facilities reflect a welcoming attitude, so I think fondly of Lyons and possibly decide to spend some money there after my ride. I will try to look beyond the small minority of people who are protesting so loudly and prefer to think of all of the others who live in Lyons who welcome our presence.
I support BCPOS staff in their efforts to find an equitable trailhead facility that meets the needs of the users and minimizes the impacts to the local neighborhood. Thank you for your efforts!
Sincerely,
The Picture Rock Posse Reaches
The Great Wall of Heil
The toughest section is roughed in
Last Saturday, the Posse connected the dots by roughing in a trail to the upper connection to the switchback known as the Great Wall of Heil. Almost 300 linear feet of trail were built through some of the toughest terrain that volunteers will tackle on this trail. Some pictures of the work and the now finished Great Wall of Heil can be found by clicking here. Pictures from previous Posse work days can be found here and here.
The Posse Needs Recruits!
We plan to be onsite again this weekend. We will put the finishing touches on the rocky section of trail above the Great Wall and begin working on trail below this switchback. If you are interested in particpating, click here to register. Our sincere thanks to those that attended April 26:
Paul Maude
Duncan Wheeler
Aaron Bouplon
Henning Seljenes
Newton Logan
Catherine Schweiger
Adam Massey
10 Miles End to End: A Remote Work Site
That's right, the shortest distance from the trailhead in Left Hand Canyon to the trailhead in Lyons is estimated at 10 miles. You are going to LOVE this trail, but building it will be difficult, mainly because of the remoteness of the worksite. Pictures and a map are here.
Picture Rock Trail
Construction Event with BCPOS May 17
Almost Full!
We are going back to the big bang event model on May 17. We are working with Boulder County to construct long stretches of relatively easy to build trail so the BCPOS Trail Crew can concentrate on the tough stuff.
It takes more than an hour to shuttle and hike workers to the construction site. Because of that reailty, we must expand the duration of our trail work events to a full day. Lunch will be provided as always, but the trail work event will have to run to late in the afternoon to get a reasonable amount of work done. We won't actually be working much longer than a typical BMA trail work event, but we'll be spending a lot of time getting in and out of the site. Shuttles will leave the parking lot/registration area at 8:30 am SHARP and shuttles will not leave the site until 3pm at the earliest.
For years, BMA has pushed Boulder County to embrace volunteer resources for getting work done on our trails. They are now delivering and it's time we stepped up to the challenge. It's an exciting time!
To sign up for the May 17 Trail work day, click here. Only a few slots remain! Sign up for the June 7 National Trails Day event here.
Can't swing a trail tool all day anymore? Logistics/volunteer support is just as important and we need help! Contact Mike Barrow at [email protected]