Larimer County Natural Resources discovers and restores two unauthorized trails at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space

Larimer County Department of Natural Resources (LCDNR) announced the closure and successful restoration of two unauthorized trails discovered by trails staff at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space.

The larger of the two trails spanned 0.9 miles and was constructed by unknown individuals. The unauthorized trail included jumps, poorly constructed rock walls, banked turns, and a loosely established trail surface. A second, separate 0.1-mile trail was also discovered and dismantled in another nearby section of the open space.

LCDNR trails staff spent 160 hours (4 staff x 40 hrs/week) to dismantle, close, and restore the two unauthorized trails. Restoring the trails cost thousands of dollars in salary and materials to mitigate the issue. Staff is actively monitoring the sites to ensure no attempts are made to use or rebuild the trails.

"Every single step off an authorized trail carries weight," said Joel Schwab, Trails Supervisor, LCDNR.  "What some might see as a harmless, thrilling ride actually inflicts immediate and severe damage to the ecosystem—damage that multiplies rapidly over time. Land managers need the community's help in protecting our public lands."

Covertly building unauthorized trails on public land carries significant consequences, including:

• Creating a visible scar on the landscape, which takes many, many years to return to its natural condition. 
• Disturbing soil and native vegetation, fragmenting wildlife habitat, and leading to significant erosion and noxious weed growth.
• Diverting land managers’ time and limited funds away from priority maintenance of authorized trails suitable for the widest spectrum of users, to instead mitigate and restore unauthorized trails.
• Conflicting with the existing publicly vetted trail system, which is specifically designed to maximize visitor experience while protecting native vegetation, wildlife corridors, and rare or sensitive habitats.
• Requires ongoing future monitoring by land management staff to treat any noxious weed infestations, erosion impacts, and unauthorized visitor use.

LCDNR urges all visitors to stay alert when visiting local open spaces and to report any observed social trails or unauthorized use to their surroundings to Natural Resources staff. 

Visitors should stay on designated, authorized trails to protect and sustain the long-term health of our public open spaces.  Authorized trails in Larimer County-managed open spaces are properly marked with 4x4 welded trail signs and can be located on publicly displayed maps (kiosk panel, brochure) and on COTREX, the official state trails app.

Members of the public who have any information regarding the creation of the specific unauthorized trails are encouraged to contact Natural Resources at 970-619-4570. 

If identified, offenders will be charged with destruction of public property, which is punishable by a fine and additional costs assessed by the court. 

For more information about Larimer County trail conditions, please visit COTREX at trails.colorado.gov.