Help EPRD Envision the Future of the Evergreen Lake North Trail

Evergreen Park & Recreation District (EPRD) invites you to attend a 

Public Meeting Thursday, Jan. 11

to discuss our vision for the future of the Evergreen Lake North Trail. 

The meeting will be held from 5-7 PM at Buchanan Park Recreation Center (Bergen Peak Room), 32003 Ellingwood Trail, Evergreen, CO 80439.

The District will discuss its vision for the trail's future, present long-term alternatives and solicit community input. EPRD will also provide background about the trail, including:

• what happened to force its closure, 
• what has been going on since then, 
• what the District has done to improve the trail, 
• plans for the future. 

 A follow-up public meeting is planned for March.

First, a little background ...

Short-Term Fix

As you probably know, the trail section between Upper Bear Creek Road and the Evergreen Dam along Highway 74 was reopened Nov. 30 after being closed for more than a year and a half due to instability. 

So yes, you can use the trail ... for now. This short-term fix is not expected to last beyond five years.

Long-Term Solutions

What's next? EPRD is looking for alternatives that will last long-termand meet the needs of the trail's diverse users and our growing community. At the public meeting, we will show you some conceptual alternative solutions and you will have an opportunity to provide feedback.

About the Trail Project

The District is working with OV Consulting, a trail project consultant, on the Evergreen Lake North Trail Project. We launched the project in response to the spring 2016 closure of 1,200 feet of the trail, which is located on property owned by the City and County of Denver and managed, through intergovernmental agreements, by EPRD. Details and trail updates can be found here.

Planning Phases I and II have been funded by Great Outdoors Colorado's Connect Initiative Trail Planning Grant Program. GOCO's Connect Initiative increases access to the outdoors in communities across Colorado and fills gaps in important trail systems.

About GOCO

Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state's parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces. GOCO's independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts, and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a Constitutional Amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 4,500 projects in urban and rural areas in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information. 

We'll see you on Jan. 11! Please tell your friends!

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Evergreen Lake North Trail is OPEN ... thanks to EPRD's Parks Department!

Meet Heart Cameron, EPRD's Park Operations Manager. 

Heart and his crew, working with the Evergreen Metropolitan District, are the reason the Evergreen Lake Trail between Upper Bear Creek Road and Evergreen Dam along Highway 74 is finally open! 

They have been working diligently to replace a bin wall (a U-shaped underground support structure) that had crumbled almost completely to dust because of 30 years of use and a lot of water, leaving the trail unsupported and unsafe. 

They also set anchors to complete maintenance on the handrails and resurfaced the trail. 

What's that in Heart's hand in the picture below? The last remaining bit of bin wall. We may mount it on the wall at Park Ops HQ!

This Should Last a While

But it's not over. This is a creative short-term solution that gets the trail open for the community.  We may still need to do maintenance from time to time on the trail, so expect occasional short closures. 

EPRD continues to work on the planning phases of a long-term solution for the trail system. Please monitor EPRD's website for updates.

We highlighted the piece of wall so you can see the only piece of bin wall that had survived. The rest had crumbled to dust.

The trail is open for your use!

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