Muddy Trail Conditions

The Muddy Trails Report will be available for lower elevation trails beginning in November. This report will be available for all trails from January through May. Conditions will be updated by noon every Friday.

In general, current conditions for our trails in the lower elevation front range are poor to poor/fair due to the moisture and freeze/thaw conditions we are experiencing. The slope orientation and soil type on these two trails make them especially susceptible to damage.

Shortcutting around muddy trails greatly increases erosion and destroys vegetation. The open space properties and natural-surface (not gravel) trails listed below are the most-used and most likely to have resource damage due to use of trails that are extremely muddy. If a trail is listed in poor condition, please consider taking a trail that is in better condition.

When you do encounter mud, please go through the mud instead of widening trails. Boots and bikes clean fast, but trails take years to heal, so get muddy! Thank you for protecting your county's natural resources.

In addition to the information posted here, check the trail heads at Heil Valley Ranch, Hall Ranch and Rabbit Mountain for our new "Muddy Trails Conditions Meter" kiosks. These are updated by trail users and should have the most current conditions.

If you'd like to report significantly different conditions than are listed here, please send an email.

Click on the property name for this week's report:

Betasso Preserve - February 1, 2010

Link Trail – Poor/Fair - Long stretches of Mud. Some dry surface in exposed areas. Steep sections of mud and snow.

Bummers Rock Trail – Poor - Snow covered, as well as muddy and icy in spots

Canyon Loop Trail – Poor - Trail is muddy and slick due to recent snow. Very few dry spots. Long stretches of ice and mud, with ice on sloping, steep hillsides.

Hall Ranch - February 5, 2010

Antelope Trail (1.0 mile) – Fair/Poor – Snow and ice in the shady areas. Expect muddy conditions when temperatures are above freezing.

Bitterbrush Trail (3.7 miles) – Fair – Snow-packed from the 2 mile mark to the Antelope Trail. Expect muddy conditions in stretches from the top of the “Rock Garden” to the Nelson Loop, when temperatures are above freezing.

Button Rock Trail (2.0 miles) – Fair – Snow-packed with drifts, icy in spots. Expect muddy conditions when temperatures are above freezing.

Nelson Loop Trail (2.2 miles) – Fair/Poor – Snow-packed with drifts, icy in spots. Expect muddy conditions when temperatures are above freezing.

Nighthawk Trail (4.7 miles) – Fair/Poor – Expect muddy conditions on the western end, when temperatures are above freezing.

Heil Valley Ranch - February 5, 2010
Avoid trail use during the middle of the day (11am - 3pm) as these are the times when temps are the warmest and trail conditions are the worst.

Lichen Loop (1 mile) - Fair - Areas of mud through the meadows and at the red clay switchback.

Wapiti Trail (2.5 miles) - Fair - Some mud in the road up to the prairie dog town. Then patches of mud through meadows past the bridge. The trail is mostly good the rest of the way to the junction.

Ponderosa Loop (2.6 miles) - Fair - Patches of snow, ice and mud on the western section, patches of mud and dry stretches on the eastern section.

Wild Turkey Trail (2.9 miles) - Fair - Some mud through the meadows, drier in the forested areas.

Picture Rock Trail (5.2 miles) - Poor - First 3 miles are mostly patches of mud, ice and snow all the way to the quarry area. The trail above the quarry is rated as Fair, with some patches of mud and snow, but mostly dry in the forested areas.

Mud Lake - No Current Report

Rabbit Mountain - February 5, 2010

Eagle Wind Loop Trail (2.0 mile) – Fair – Expect muddy conditions when temperatures are above freezing, especially on the north side.

Indian Mesa Trail (1.6 miles) – Good/Fair – Graveled road that stays relatively mud free, the access from the parking lot can be muddy.

Little Thompson Overlook Trail (1.0 mile) – Fair - Expect muddy conditions on the top when temperatures are above freezing.

Trailhead Main Trail (0.5 miles) – Fair – Drying out some mud in spots when temperatures are above freezing.

Walker Ranch - January 8, 2010

Meyers Homestead Trail (2.6 miles) – Fair- The trails still have a lot of packed snow on them. Some areas are icy and there is some mud on Meyers Gulch as well as the road heading down from Ethyl Harrold.

Walker Ranch Loop (7.6 miles) – Fair- The trails still have a lot of packed snow on them. Some areas are icy and there is some mud on Meyers Gulch as well as the road heading down from Ethyl Harrold.