Headwaters Trail Alliance Strategic Trails Plan (2019)

The Headwaters Trails Alliance (HTA) is a nonprofit advocacy organization for trails in scenic Grand County, Colorado. The mission of Headwaters Trails Alliance is to preserve, enhance, and promote sustainable, high quality, multi-use trail opportunities in Grand County. Its primary goal is to provide high-quality trails linking towns and recreational areas within Grand County, with secondary trail systems connecting historical, cultural and recreational sites near our communities.

The organization was formed in 1996 following the development of the Headwaters Master Trails Plan, with the charge of administering that plan. The plan was updated in 2014, and during the public outreach process to support the update, HTA felt strongly that with 1) the large geographic area of Grand County and 2) regional differences throughout the county regarding trail priorities, it would be beneficial to supplement the overall Plan with more specific, local direction that would best serve the specific needs of the various communities. HTA moved forward with a geographic regional approach to defining specific priorities and goals, splitting the county into the Winter Park-Fraser, Granby-Grand Lake, and Kremmling-Hot Sulphur Springs Sub-Areas. HTA believes that this sub-area approach provides the organization with the ability to best address local challenges and desires related to land management regimes, municipal interfaces, and stakeholder groups. The organization implemented the planning and outreach process in the Winter Park-Fraser Sub-Area in 2015/16, initiated the Granby-Grand Lake Sub-Area process in late 2017 and Kremmling-Hot Sulphur Springs Sub-Area in mid-2018.

Through significant stakeholder outreach and internal deliberation, HTA’s Trail Planning Subcommittee distilled four overarching goals for improving the trail system, including:

• Improve the interconnectivity between federal lands and municipal/ residential centers throughout Grand County.
• Provide enhanced outreach/education to trail users, residents, and visitors.
• Redevelop the area trails into a diverse, four-season system that provides high-quality experiences while minimizing conflicts.
• Enhance the community focus of the trail system to provide quality of life and potential economic activity improvements throughout the area.

The full HTA Strategic Trails Plan is attached, below. To learn more about the Headwaters Trails Alliance, please visit their website at headwaterstrails.org.