Volunteers break ground on new Mad Rabbit trails atop Rabbit Ears Pass after 8 years of planning
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – It’s 10 a.m. on a sunny September Saturday at 10,000 feet on Rabbit Ears Pass and Laraine Martin, executive director of Steamboat Springs’ trails advocacy group Routt County Riders, wipes the sweat off her brow. It’s only 60 degrees or so, but she’s moving a lot of dirt.
She’s here on National Public Lands Day, along with a cadre of volunteers and a handful of U.S. Forest Service employees, as part of a workday on Bruce’s Trail, a wintertime Nordic trail, marking the groundbreaking of the new Mad Rabbit trail system just west of the Continental Divide off U.S. 40. The group is working on a user-friendly flow trail off Bruce’s, using hand tools to establish a flat traverse across the slope.
“Words can’t really describe how good it feels to actually be clearing corridor and moving dirt,” Martin said. “It brought tears to my eyes. There is a deep sense of satisfaction in knowing that years of work are finally paying off, and priceless trail experiences are going to be provided for a variety of users.”
The Mad Rabbit trails project dates to 2013, when local voters approved Steamboat’s 2A Trails ballot measure dedicating funds from an existing 1% lodging tax — estimated to eclipse $5 million — to help fund trail-building projects over the ensuing 10 years. Among 46 trail-related project proposals within 30 miles of town, the Mad Rabbit project was nominated as a frontrunner for the trail funds.
“It’s the last jewel in a string of projects outlined in the 2A program and will offer great access and take traffic away from other high-use areas like Buffalo Pass,” said Martin, who credits Mad Rabbit to a joint effort including local trail nonprofits, the city of Steamboat Springs, the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
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