The construction of a new parking area to serve Glassier Open Space and improvements to two other trailhead parking areas managed by Pitkin County Open Space and Trails are scheduled to commence soon.
Pitkin County has contracted with Frontier Paving of Silt for the three projects for a total of $299,246.
Work may begin this week on the trailhead parking for Glassier Open Space and improvements to the Rio Grande Trail parking area near Basalt High School. The goal is to have both projects finished by the end of May or early in June.
The Basalt trailhead will be cleaned up and organized. The parking will be pulled closer to the roadway, leaving room for a new shade shelter along the Rio Grande Trail. A shelter for a porta-potty will also be built. In addition, a water station that gives trail users a spot to fill water bottles will be installed in cooperation with the Town of Basalt, and a bike maintenance station will be installed in partnership with RFTA.
The Glassier Open Space trailhead, to be constructed on an acre owned by Open Space and Trails at the intersection of Hooks Lane and Hooks Spur Road, will provide parking for vehicles pulling horse trailers as well as other vehicles, increasing the capacity of the existing parking that serves the Rio Grande Trail at this corner, on the opposite side of Hooks Spur Road.
There is no parking available at Glassier Open Space; those looking to access the equestrian and bike trails leading from Glassier to the Crown must park at the existing RFTA parking area and ride from there. The new trailhead will expand the available parking. It will be a gravel, landscaped lot.
Glassier Open Space reopens to recreational use on May 16. A new entrance to the property off of the Rio Grande Trail was constructed last year; recreational users should use the entrance when Glassier Open Space reopens next month.
Finally, parking improvements are planned at Jaffee Park near Woody Creek starting in mid-August, after the whitewater rafting season has concluded. Parking near the turn-around will be widened to accommodate horse and boat trailers. Closer to the Jaffee entrance, the parking will be pulled back from the river, though there will be no reduction in parking spaces.
Contact: Gary Tennenbaum
Open Space and Trails director
970-920-5355 or gary.tennenbaum@pitkincounty.com