The popular U.S. Forest Service trail to Columbine Lake, which is accessed from the Junco Lake Trailhead in the Arapaho National Recreation Area, will be closed to all use August 13-16 while a group of more than 30 volunteers from Grand County Wilderness Group, Headwaters Trails Alliance and Rocky Mountain Youth Corps work with U.S. Forest Service crews to reroute the trail onto a more sustainable path. Portions of the 1.3-mile trail cross wet meadows and climb eroding slopes, causing extensive resource damage as hikers attempt to avoid soggy and muddy areas. Sections of the trail will be improved from the trail’s junction with the Caribou Pass Trail all the way to Columbine Lake. The entire trail is in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.
This project is part of the Grand County Wilderness Group and Sulphur Ranger District celebration of the 50th anniversary of Wilderness. The National Forest Foundation’s Ski Conservation Fund, which is paid for by an optional lodging tax at Winter Park Resort, helped fund this project. Through that program, Headwaters Trails Alliance secured a $13,000 grant to bring the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps to the area for two weeks this summer to help complete several trails projects, including this one.
If the reroute work is not complete by August 16, the trail may close again temporarily for a portion of the following week. If you have any questions about this project or need suggestions on where else to hike, contact Sulphur Ranger District visitor information at 970-887-4100.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
Showing posts with label Arapaho National Recreation Area. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arapaho National Recreation Area. Show all posts
Friday, August 8, 2014
Friday, May 24, 2013
Memorial Day Weekend on the Arapaho National Forest
Eleven campgrounds on the Sulphur Ranger District in Grand County, Colorado will be open today for the Memorial Day Weekend, and with a forecast of warm weather and sunny skies, it should be an ideal time to enjoy the Arapaho National Forest.
Late spring snows and recent rains have left much of the Forest’s road system soggy and mucky, so gates will remain closed across much of the Forest, and seasonal closures are still in place to protect the road surface. According to the ranger district’s Motor Vehicle Use Map, which can be obtained for free at the district office in Granby, the majority of National Forest roads become available for use around June 15th. The lower portions of several roads, including Vasquez, Beaver Creek, Crooked Creek and Kawuneeche may have a few sites available for dispersed camping, although the ground in these areas may still be wet.
The Arapaho National Recreation Area is an ideal place to recreate at this time of year with seven developed picnic areas, six campgrounds (all of which are open) great fishing piers, boat ramps and trailheads. Lower than average water levels in Lake Granby create expansive beaches where the family can play. Monarch Lake loop is a very popular early season trail and offers a visitors cabin where you can learn more about the history of the area. Portions of that trail, as well as many others on the district, are still snowy and muddy, so if you plan to hike the entire loop be sure to wear appropriate footwear.
In the Winter Park area, Idlewild and St. Louis Creek campgrounds both open this weekend as well. Denver Creek Campground on Colorado Highway 125 is also open. Water may not be available in all campgrounds so be sure to call ahead or check the Sulphur Ranger District recreation webpage.
Due to the wet conditions, off-highway vehicles are currently restricted from riding on motorized trails and roads until the seasonal closure is lifted on June 15th. And, while mountain bikes may not be prohibited from various trails, staying on dry trails will help minimize resource damage.
For additional information you can stop by the Sulphur Ranger District Office at 9 Ten Mile Drive in Granby to pick up maps, information about wildlife, souvenirs and books. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends and holidays. You can also call 970-887-4100, or visit the USFS website at www.fs.usda.gov\arp.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
The Arapaho National Recreation Area is an ideal place to recreate at this time of year with seven developed picnic areas, six campgrounds (all of which are open) great fishing piers, boat ramps and trailheads. Lower than average water levels in Lake Granby create expansive beaches where the family can play. Monarch Lake loop is a very popular early season trail and offers a visitors cabin where you can learn more about the history of the area. Portions of that trail, as well as many others on the district, are still snowy and muddy, so if you plan to hike the entire loop be sure to wear appropriate footwear.
In the Winter Park area, Idlewild and St. Louis Creek campgrounds both open this weekend as well. Denver Creek Campground on Colorado Highway 125 is also open. Water may not be available in all campgrounds so be sure to call ahead or check the Sulphur Ranger District recreation webpage.
Due to the wet conditions, off-highway vehicles are currently restricted from riding on motorized trails and roads until the seasonal closure is lifted on June 15th. And, while mountain bikes may not be prohibited from various trails, staying on dry trails will help minimize resource damage.
For additional information you can stop by the Sulphur Ranger District Office at 9 Ten Mile Drive in Granby to pick up maps, information about wildlife, souvenirs and books. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends and holidays. You can also call 970-887-4100, or visit the USFS website at www.fs.usda.gov\arp.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Spring breakup begins on Lake Granby
Spring breakup is underway on Lake Granby, located within the Arapaho National Recreation Area. As temperatures warm, typically in April, ice on the lake begins to rot and weaken, and holes develop, making conditions increasingly unsafe.
The U.S. Forest Service does not mark specific hazards as they emerge on the lake in the spring and recommends that anyone going ice fishing or otherwise recreating on the lake carefully evaluate the quality and strength of the ice prior to walking on it.
The level of Lake Granby has been drawn down in recent weeks to accommodate spring runoff, leaving most of the area’s boat ramps well above the ice line. To prevent resource damage, most boat ramps on Lake Granby are currently closed, however Sunset Boat Ramp remains open and available for use.
Shadow Mountain Reservoir has almost completely melted off and Green Mountain Boat Ramp also is open and some boating has already begun.
For up-to-date information about the status of lakes located within the Arapaho National Recreation Area, please contact Visitor Information Services at 970-887-4100.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
The U.S. Forest Service does not mark specific hazards as they emerge on the lake in the spring and recommends that anyone going ice fishing or otherwise recreating on the lake carefully evaluate the quality and strength of the ice prior to walking on it.
The level of Lake Granby has been drawn down in recent weeks to accommodate spring runoff, leaving most of the area’s boat ramps well above the ice line. To prevent resource damage, most boat ramps on Lake Granby are currently closed, however Sunset Boat Ramp remains open and available for use.
Shadow Mountain Reservoir has almost completely melted off and Green Mountain Boat Ramp also is open and some boating has already begun.
For up-to-date information about the status of lakes located within the Arapaho National Recreation Area, please contact Visitor Information Services at 970-887-4100.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Hazard tree work to cause delays on Arapaho Bay Road
If conditions allow, the U.S. Forest Service is planning to begin hazard tree work on Arapaho Bay Road (County Road 6) in the Arapaho National Recreation Area on Friday, March 8th.
To improve safety along the road, the Sulphur Ranger District has contracted a logging company to cut dead and dying trees within falling distance of the travel corridor. While hazard tree cutting is in progress, expect 30-minute delays in both directions for traffic passing through the work zone. Parking along the road will not be allowed between flaggers, and there is no overnight parking allowed at trailheads during this time. Recreationists are also being asked to avoid the active work area, especially along the lakeshore.
The contractor will be using a combination of hand-sawyers and specialized mechanical equipment to reduce potential resource damage. Merchantable timber will be decked along the road and then loaded onto trucks and hauled away for use by the wood products industry. Smaller materials will be lopped and scattered or piled to burn.
Work is expected to begin east of the dam and will eventually be completed all the way to Monarch Lake and up to the Roaring Fork Trailhead. Some work will be completed in the fall. When tree felling is occurring along the final stretch from Big Rock Campground to Monarch Lake, all access to the trailhead will be temporarily prohibited for public safety.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
To improve safety along the road, the Sulphur Ranger District has contracted a logging company to cut dead and dying trees within falling distance of the travel corridor. While hazard tree cutting is in progress, expect 30-minute delays in both directions for traffic passing through the work zone. Parking along the road will not be allowed between flaggers, and there is no overnight parking allowed at trailheads during this time. Recreationists are also being asked to avoid the active work area, especially along the lakeshore.
The contractor will be using a combination of hand-sawyers and specialized mechanical equipment to reduce potential resource damage. Merchantable timber will be decked along the road and then loaded onto trucks and hauled away for use by the wood products industry. Smaller materials will be lopped and scattered or piled to burn.
Work is expected to begin east of the dam and will eventually be completed all the way to Monarch Lake and up to the Roaring Fork Trailhead. Some work will be completed in the fall. When tree felling is occurring along the final stretch from Big Rock Campground to Monarch Lake, all access to the trailhead will be temporarily prohibited for public safety.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
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