Quick 'n' Dirty
Celebrating Silverton singletrack and Million Dollar maintenance

 

After years of planning and construction, Silverton’s new Baker’s Park Trail System is open for business, and the town is celebrating. The festivities will take place this Sat., Aug. 23, with a full day of free activities including a community trail excursion, party, live music, food trucks and more.

 

 “We’re excited to welcome the community and visitors to experience and celebrate Baker’s Park,” Klem Branner, board president of Silverton Singletrack Society, said in a news release. “These trails represent years of collaboration and a shared vision for sustainable outdoor recreation in Silverton.”

 

Currently with 7 miles of trails, when complete, the Baker’s Park Trail System will offer a 30-mile network of nonmotorized trails on the outskirts of town. The multi-year project, led by the Silverton Singletrack Society in partnership with San Juan County, the Town of Silverton, and the Bureau of Land Management, recently received a $750,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado, marking one of the largest recreation investments in the county’s history.

 

 The group hike/run/ride takes off at 1 p.m. from the Baker’s Park trailhead, and all ages and abilities are welcome. A party will follow in Anesi Park (1239 Blair St.) starting at 6 p.m., including food trucks, local libations and live music by Telluride jam band Joint Point.

 

 

 

And speaking of points north, if you’re heading up the Million Dollar Highway next week, you may need to adjust your plans. The Colorado Department of Transportation will be closing Highway 550 from south of Coal Bank Pass to Andrews Lake from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Mon.-Thurs., Aug. 25-28. The closure is to allow crews to install a new culvert under the roadway near the summit of Coal Bank Pass.

 

CDOT urged motorists to plan accordingly and schedule all travel around the closure times or consider an alternate route via Colorado Highway 145 through Telluride. However, be aware that Highway 145 is undergoing construction of its own through Aug. 28, with “lengthy delays” planned between Mountain Village and Society Turn. A paving operation, which is taking place Monday - Thursday between 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.,  will entail full stops, alternating traffic and up to 30-minute delays. 

 

Back on our side of the mountains, after next week’s closures, motorists can continue to expect full stops and up to 20-minute delays at the two traffic signal locations near Coal Bank and Deer Creek for the foreseeable future.

 

The project at Deer Creek, which began May 12, is mitigating rockfall and replacing a wall in that section of highway. CDOT crews are currently working on slope excavation and rock removal; the excavated material is being stockpiled at a pull-out near Andrews Lake.

 

Meanwhile, the work at Coal Bank Pass to stabilize and reinforce the sub-grade under the roadway just north of the Engineer Mountain Trailhead has finished. However, crews there are now working to install a culvert and build a new retaining wall underneath the highway.