Picking up speed
Propelled by $1.1M in grants, Phase 2 of Silverton's Baker's Park to begin this summer 

Silverton’s new homegrown trail system is about to get a big boost. The Silverton Singletrack Society (SSS), a trail advocacy group, announced this week it has received $1.1 million in new grant funding for Phase 2 of the Baker’s Park Trail System, the first purpose-built, nonmotorized trail network in San Juan County.

Located about half a mile from downtown Silverton, the first phase of Baker’s Park opened in fall 2024 with a 7-mile beginner-to-intermediate loop. According to SSS, trail counters recorded nearly 3,900 individuals using the system in its first season, confirming strong demand for close-to-home recreation in a community that previously had no purpose-built trails.

“Seeing people of all ages out enjoying the trail – locals walking their dogs, kids learning to ride, visitors discovering Silverton in a new way – has been incredibly rewarding,” Klemens Branner, Board Chair for SSS, said. “It confirms what our community believed from the beginning: that Baker’s Park could become a place where people connect with the outdoors and with each other.”

With design and planning for Phase 2 completed last summer, construction is set to begin in July and continue through 2027, adding approximately 10 new miles. The new trails, which will more than double the existing trail mileage, will be roughly 29% beginner, 53% intermediate and 18% advanced, and designed for hikers, runners and mountain bikers, including Class 1 e-bikes.

The system will use a stacked-loop design, with hubs and clusters that let users “choose their own adventure” and mix and match routes to fit their ability and time, according to designers. Phase 2 will also include a trailhead restroom and wayfinding signage.

Trail construction will be led by IMBA Trail Solutions, with help from Southwest Conservation Corps, local contractors and community volunteers.

The main funding for Phase 2 came from a $750,000 Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) grant.

“Baker’s Park is exactly the kind of project the program was created to support,” Mike Wight, GOCO’s Southwest Program Officer, said. “This is a community that identified a real need, did the hard work to build consensus and prove the concept, and is now delivering lasting recreational infrastructure for residents who have had very little access to the outdoors close to home. We’re proud to be a partner in this effort.”

Additional funging for the project came from a $250,000 grant from Colorado Parks & Wildlife’s Nonmotorized Trail Program, $100,000 from the Foundation for America’s Public Lands and $7,500 from San Miguel Power Association. The Bureau of Land Management will also contribute in-kind support for biological and cultural clearances, signage and restrooms.

CPW’s award marks the agency’s second $250,000 investment in Baker’s Park, following a grant for Phase 1.

“Colorado Parks & Wildlife is proud to continue supporting Baker’s Park,” Fletcher Jacobs, Assistant Director for Outdoor Recreation and Lands at CPW, said. “Our initial investment helped launch the first phase of trails, and it has been exciting to see how quickly the community embraced them. Projects like Baker’s Park expand access to high-quality outdoor recreation while supporting local communities and protecting the landscapes that make Colorado special.”

When complete, Baker’s Park will encompass 30 miles of purpose-built trail on BLM lands adjacent to Silverton (for comparison purposes, Durango’s Horse Gulch system is a little more than 57 miles.) The project represents the most significant investment in public outdoor recreation infrastructure in San Juan County’s history.

While the grants represent a major milestone, the work isn’t finished, according to SSS. “Significant additional funding is still needed to bring the full 30-mile vision to completion, and SSS is actively seeking partners, donors and supporters to help carry Baker’s Park across the finish line,” said Branner.