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The environment desk at Aspen Public Radio covers issues in the Roaring Fork Valley and throughout the state of Colorado including water use and quality, impact of recreation, population growth and oil and gas development. APR’s Environment Reporter is Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

Draft plan identifies route for most of Crystal Valley trail

Denver Public Library and Dale Will

 

Pitkin County has released a draft plan for its proposed trail through the Crystal River Valley. It could eventually connect to Crested Butte.

Open Space and Trails staff have identified a preferred route for most of a proposed trail from Carbondale to the top of McClure Pass. It’s a combination of segments along Highway 133 and others that run along an old wagon road or rail bed on the opposite side of the river.

There are still five sections of the trail that don’t have a recommended alignment; that will come after discussion with the Board of County Commissioners and other agencies.

A trail through the narrow canyon would mean coordination from a wide range of interests, including the Colorado Department of Transportation, the White River National Forest and nearby property owners.

At a meeting Tuesday, Pitkin County Commissioners will discuss the draft plan with Open Space and Trails staff and its board. There is another meeting scheduled for mid-April, and it is likely the plan will be opened to public comment following that.

Aspen native Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is excited to be making a return to both the Red Brick, where she attended kindergarten, and the field of journalism. She has spent her entire life playing in the mountains and rivers around Aspen, and is thrilled to be reporting about all things environmental in this special place. She attended the University of Colorado with a Boettcher Scholarship, and graduated as the top student from the School of Journalism in 2006. Her lifelong love of hockey lead to a stint working for the Colorado Avalanche, and she still plays in local leagues and coaches the Aspen Junior Hockey U-19 girls.
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