Pitkin County Open Space and Trails has launched a month-long public comment period on the 2021 draft management plan for Sky Mountain Park. Citizens may provide feedback through Oct. 17.
The heart of Sky Mountain Park on the outskirts of Snowmass Village first opened to the public a decade ago. Open Space and Trails began work on an updated management plan for the popular park earlier this year with an initial round of public input. More than 600 individuals offered their feedback.
The 2,400-acre Park is made up of various open spaces that are cohesively managed under a single plan. There are 28 miles of trails in the park, including 16.7 miles of singletrack built since 2011. Mountain biking is the predominant use, though most trails are also open to hiking/trail running and some are open to equestrians.
The updated plan seeks to enhance the area’s ecological integrity and address recreation pressures. Management actions aimed at the Park’s natural resources include a mechanical treatment of mature Gambel oak to improve wildlife habitat, restoration of riparian habitat and enhancing old pasturelands with native sagebrush. Recreation actions include building an additional singletrack route paralleling Airline Trail to separate uphill and downhill mountain bike traffic, and instituting a dusk-to-dawn closure at the Park.
These and many other management actions are detailed in Section 4 of the draft plan, starting on page 52, as well as in a management plan summary. Both documents are available at www.pitkinOSTprojects.com (click the Sky Mountain Park link). Also provided on the web page is a link to an online survey for those who wish to provide input.
Contact: Carly Klein, Open Space and Trails senior planner | carly.klein@pitkincounty.com | 970.920.5224