The Future - Clear Creek Canyon Trail

Wenk Associates were retained by Open Space to make a feasibility study for a trail up Clear Creek Canyon from Golden to the County line. A major difficulty for a trail corridor is that Highway 6 occupies most of the easy-to-build trail corridor. Most of the proposed trail alignment is within the CDOT Right-of-Way.

The trail length is anticipated to be about 12.6 miles and will cross Clear Creek 11 times. Three trailheads are planned - canyon mouth, near Tunnel 3, and at Mayhem Gulch. The Mayhem Gulch trailhead also will serve as an access point to Centennial Cone Park.

The trail will be expensive to build as very little of the corridor can utilize flat benches or the old railroad bed. Six cross-sections will be required: A) two using the Highway 6 embankment for 5.6 miles; B) filled bench, 1.6 miles; C) natural bench, 3.1 miles; D) railroad grade, 1.9 miles; and E) 0.4 miles along a vertical rock wall. Options for the vertical rock wall are a 0.2 mile tunnel and/or up to 0.4 miles structurally supported from the rock wall.

The trail is divided into eight segments for detailed design and construction.

1 .1.6 miles from Golden to Tunnel 1

2. 2.8 miles from Tunnel 1 to Huntsman Gulch

3. 0.5 miles from Huntsman Gulch to Hwy Bridge 1

4. 1.6 miles from Hwy Bridge 1 to Tunnel 2

5. 1.5 miles from Tunnel 2 to West ent of Tunnel 3

6. 1.9 miles from Tunnel 3 to #37 Pullout Area

7. 1.0 miles from #37 Pullout Area to Mayhem Gulch

8. 1.9 miles from Mayhem Gulch to the County Line

Detailed planning is scheduled for 2005 and, if the budget permits, Segment 7 may be constructed in 2006.