Teller Nonprofit Plays Major Role in Preserving Area Trail Routes
Trevor Phipps
Photos Courtesy of Teller Trail Team
After the Ute Pass region received a blast of warmer whether to start the month of February, many realized they suffered from a case of cabin fever after being stuck indoors in the frigid weather conditions for a lengthy period.
As a result, many outdoor buffs are now getting the urge to hit the trails.
And once spring officially strikes, a local organization, called the Teller Trail Team, plans to ramp up efforts on maintenance and preservation of local trails. Although rather new, the organization has hit the ground running fast and they have already been known for helping the city with their Avenger Open Space land acquisition that took place last year. They have become the go-to people regarding trail upkeep and current and future maintenance of key hiking routes in the area.
According to Chris Gonzales, the founder and executive director of Teller Trail Team, the need for an organization to maintain the local trail systems was noticed as soon as he arrived to the area. “A few years back I kind of looked up and I noticed that a lot of our trails in Teller were unofficial trails,” Gonzales said. “There are a lot of social trails that go through National Forest, but even a lot that cut through private property. So, I kind of saw the writing on the wall and starting thinking that we should get ahead of these problems now before they become bigger problems. Because the way we have always done things is not going to last very long.”
When Gonzales first came up with the idea to help preserve local trails, he searched for an organization he could join that was already geared towards maintaining trails in Teller County. He quickly found out that there wasn’t one formed in the Woodland Park/Teller County area, even though the region is ripe with hiking routes.
He was hoping that someone may start up a non-profit focusing on local trails. But when it never happened, he decided to launch the Teller Trail Team in 2022. Their stated mission is to “create, maintain and advocate for better trails and outdoor recreation in and around Teller County.”
Gonzales formed a board of directors with diverse backgrounds and immediately started looking at some local trails that ran through private property. They initially eyed the Avenger property, but realized this area was filled with plenty of logistic challenges.
“For the Avenger Open Space that was one that we identified that could be a problem area because it does go through a lot of private property and it is surrounded by unofficial trails,” Gonzales said. “So then very quickly it actually went up for sale. So, we went to the city of Woodland Park and said here’s the problem, ‘you are about to lose 120 acres that people have been using for generations that don’t even know it’s private land.’ Even the El Paso County property appraiser didn’t realize it was private land because it was an old mining claim.”
After the city completed their master plan, the Teller Trail Team noticed that many residents who participated said that they wanted the city to have more options for outdoor recreation. The organization presented the plan to the city by telling them how they could fund it through a Great Outdoors Colorado grant, and preserve it through the Palmer Land Conservancy.
As a result, this turned into a win-win for their group, residents, outdoor users and the city. It also served as a model for addressing other trail projects, where problems may exist with routes that cross into private properties and other jurisdictions.
Additional Trail Projects
Aside from the Avenger Open Space project, the organization has also worked on other trails in the area. “Last fall, we were out cutting down a bunch of trees that were blocking the view for folks merging off of one of our trailheads,” Gonzales said. “You only had like 35 yards of visibility to merge onto Highway 67, which was not great especially in the winter. We went through all of the appropriate channels and got approval and everything and went and trimmed a bunch of trees. Now you can actually see to safely merge onto the highway when you are leaving the trailhead.”
In that same area, the organization also did some maintenance work on a trail that runs along Mule Creek about three miles north of Woodland Park west of Hwy. 67. “The trail had gotten majorly washed out, so we were able to correct the trail corridor and put it up on a hill so that people aren’t slipping on ice during the winter and wading through mud during the spring,” Gonzales said.
The group also cleared up a spur of pavement that leads off the Centennial Trail that runs along Hwy. 67. Plant growth had overgrown to the point where the trail couldn’t be seen.
Gonzales said that the Mule Creek Trail could become another area that could have issues with access in the future. Currently, the trail that has been used by residents for generations, runs through city property, forest service property and private property in places. The organization is currently looking for solutions to prevent possible closures of the trail in the future.
The Teller Trail Team is also focused on presenting ideas for trails that are located in areas that could be neighborhood developments in the future. There are a few places in town that the organization has pointed out to city officials where future developments could help connect existing trails.
Next summer, the organization will have public work days during which people can go out and help the team with their trail maintenance projects. Anyone interested in helping the organization is invited to sign up for their newsletter by visiting their website at tellertrailteam.org.
