SILT, Colo. - The Bureau of Land Management has awarded a contract for construction of the Sutey Ranch Trailhead. The trailhead will be closed for up to five weeks during construction activities beginning September 28.
Construction will block parking for nearby public land access, and parking is not allowed on County Road 112. Therefore, visitors should plan to hike, hunt and horseback ride elsewhere in the Roaring Fork Valley through October. The Red Hill Special Recreation Management Area can be accessed via the new parking area near Carbondale.
The Sutey Ranch trailhead reconstruction project will expand the parking area, providing oversized spaces for vehicles with horse trailers and a separate area for individual vehicles. A restroom will also be added.
“The BLM worked with the Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council on expanding the parking area to improve horse trailer parking," said Colorado River Valley Field Manager Larry Sandoval. “The new trailhead is a critical facility for meeting increased visitor demand." The improvements are funded through a State of Colorado non-motorized trail grant, BLM funds, and donated funds from the Sutey Ranch land exchange.
Other improvements are in the works for the area. Volunteers, organized through the Wilderness Workshop, are removing unnecessary barbed wire fences to improve conditions for wildlife on National Public Lands Day - September 26. The BLM is working with the Red Hill Council to design and build a mountain bike trail to access the Red Hill Special Recreation Management Area. The access trail will be constructed in spring 2021 with portions of the trail built by contractor and other sections built by volunteers. The BLM also plans to survey and convert Sutey Ditch into a piped irrigation system within the next couple years.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
