Saving the toughest for last on the Eagle Valley Trail

Officials and backers had hoped the Eagle Valley Trail might be completed by the end this year. That’s unlikely.

During a Tuesday update to the Eagle County Board of Commissioners, trail program manager Kevin Sharkey noted it’s now likely that the trail will be complete by the end of 2025. There have been some unexpected stumbling blocks on the final segment, the 7.5-mile section between Edwards and Horn Ranch west of Wolcott.

While the $38 million trail project has in the past few days received a $7 million boost from the Great Outdoors Colorado program, a significant stumbling block has appeared.

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The final segment was going to be difficult to finish in the best case, requiring construction — including river crossings — in narrow portions of the Eagle River Valley and crossing some private property.

Complications have come in a few areas. A new design may be needed to get around the Colorado Department of Transportation’s maintenance yard at Wolcott. Instead of running the trail between U.S. Highway 6 and the yard, it may be necessary to put the trail between the yard and the Eagle River.

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The owners of the ditch between Wolcott and Cordillera may ask the county to pay to install a pipe to replace the open ditch in that area.

The biggest complication may be a portion of the trail that crosses open space owned by Cordillera.

The property owners association for Cordillera has withdrawn support for the project, something that could add between $8 million and $10 million to the ultimate cost of the trail.

Sharkey said there are currently four options to route the trail through that 2-mile segment between the Bureau of Land Management’s parking area for fishing access and Edwards. One of those would require new easement agreements with a pair of landowners in that area.

Sharkey told the commissioners that it might be worthwhile to again reach out to the Cordillera property owners.

Commissioner Kathy Chandler-Henry suggested perhaps offering to build a berm along the trail to shield trail users from those using Cordillera’s private fishing access. Once a trail alignment is set, design work can continue.

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Even if the price remains the same, there’s still another $3 million needed for the effort.

Fundraising marketing person Amy Cassidy noted that the $7 million grant lends more “credibility” to the effort.

Fundraising manager Robin Thompson said that the grant could spur more private giving. “You never know,” she said.