{"id":2458499,"date":"2020-05-15T22:32:01","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T04:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/red-hill-area-set-to-close-for-road-parking-work\/"},"modified":"2020-05-15T22:32:01","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T04:32:01","slug":"red-hill-area-set-to-close-for-road-parking-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/red-hill-area-set-to-close-for-road-parking-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Hill area set to close for road, parking work"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"784\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/RedHill-gpi-051420-1-1024x784.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/RedHill-gpi-051420-1-1024x784.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/RedHill-gpi-051420-1-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/RedHill-gpi-051420-1-768x588.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/RedHill-gpi-051420-1-1536x1176.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/RedHill-gpi-051420-1-2048x1568.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>A pair of hikers make their way up Red Hill toward Mushroom Rock on a sunny and windy morning near Carbondale.<\/strong><br \/><em>Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A planned closure of the popular Red Hill Recreation Area trailhead near Carbondale, possibly through June, admittedly comes at a bad time with people trying to recreate as close to home as possible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But it could have been worse had the long-planned road and parking area improvements happened on schedule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThere are going to be way more options for trail users now than there would have been if we would have been able to start the project as planned in April,\u201d said Carbondale Public Works Director Kevin Schorzman.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With the later start, it means that many of the area U.S. Forest lands are now accessible, and will become more so over the next couple of weeks as the high-country snowpack melts, he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">After nearly a month\u2019s delay, the town finally received approval last week from the Colorado Department of Transportation to begin work on the Red Hill Road realignment project at the intersection of state Highways 82 and 133.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That work begins Monday when the trail access and parking lot will be closed until the project is completed. That could be anywhere from four to six weeks, Schorzman said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">During the construction, pedestrians and bicyclists will not be allowed access onto Garfield County Road 107 and the adjoining trailhead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis is due solely to safety concerns while construction is actively taking place, and also after hours,\u201d Schorzman said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">During working hours, there will be equipment moving around the entire site, he said. After hours, \u201cthere may still be hazards in the area based on how things finish up on any given day,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The road itself, which provides access to several houses and will remain open for those residents, also will likely be one lane. If pedestrians and bicyclists were to be allowed, it would increase conflicts with cars.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The project hits as local hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers have been flocking to Red Hill and other nearby trails in an effort to keep their outdoor recreation close to home during the coronavirus public health restrictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With the Red Hill closure, it will put added pressure on other area trails, including the extensive Prince Creek and Crown Mountain trail network southeast of Carbondale, and trails in the Thompson Creek area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Town officials, along with the Bureau of Land Management, which directly oversees the Red Hill area, have been working to get the word out to user groups, including the Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association, to make sure they are aware of the looming closure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Electronic message boards also have been placed at the parking lot advising of the closure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Since the trailhead parking lot doubles as a park-and-ride lot, Schorzman said the town is asking commuters to use alternative parking lots next to Carbondale Town Hall on Colorado Avenue, and at the rodeo grounds east of town on County Road 100.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As for trail enthusiasts, the BLM recommends using the Crown Mountain trail system as an alternative \u2014 so long as users spread out, maintain social distancing and not linger in trailhead parking areas, BLM Assistant Field Manager Brian Hopkins said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThat\u2019s really where we would rather have you go,\u201d Hopkins said. \u201cWe have the infrastructure there and numerous access points to accommodate that extra use.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Those include various trailheads along Prince Creek Road, as well as to the north off of the Rio Grande Trail on the El Jebel side.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With forest land opening up, trails through Hay Park will soon be dry and ready to ride or hike, and much of the Thompson Creek area is already rideable, Hopkins noted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThere are a lot of close-to-home options where we will be sending folks, instead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">Sutey still limited<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Hikers and horseback riders also have the option of the recently acquired Sutey property to the north of Red Hill, accessible via County Road 112.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The 557 acres remain a mix of working ranch land, along with a wintertime closure for wildlife habitat and a special management plan allowing multiple recreation uses during the warmer months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The area remains off-limits for now to mountain bikes, though, until a trail can be constructed connecting to the adjacent Red Hill area. Parking also is limited to about a dozen vehicles, and even fewer if it\u2019s being used for a horse trailer or two, Hopkins said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Eventually, in addition to the bike trail connection, the BLM and other entities plan to expand the parking area to include separate sections for horse trailers and single vehicles, as well as add more capacity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHopefully next year,\u201d Hopkins said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Once the trail is built, the Sutey section will be opened up to mountain bike access between June 1 and Sept. 30 and will be limited to foot and horse access during the spring and fall shoulder seasons. A full closure is in effect for that area from Dec. 1 through April 15 each year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">Keep your distance<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While social-distancing guidelines are still in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Hopkins also urged trail users to be conscientious, especially at crowded trailheads.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOur message remains consistent with the state, in that people definitely need to practice social distancing, travel in groups of less than 10 people and use good hygiene,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want people to go out and enjoy our public lands, but we want people to be responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Bike riders also are encouraged to ride to trailheads from town, if possible, and not use the parking areas if they can avoid it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For those using the parking areas, once done with their ride or hike, they should vacate as soon as possible, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That\u2019s not only a good idea for maintaining social distancing but to free up parking spaces for the next users who come along, Hopkins said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><span class=\"Body Copy Italic\"><a href=\"mailto:jstroud@postindependent.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">jstroud@postindependent.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/red-hill-area-set-to-close-for-road-parking-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A pair of hikers make their way up Red Hill toward Mushroom Rock on a sunny and windy morning near Carbondale.Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent A planned closure of the popular Red Hill Recreation Area trailhead near Carbondale, possibly through June, admittedly comes at a bad time with people trying to recreate as close to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 16:31:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458499\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}