Bay to Bay Trail wins Golden McLeod Award for innovative construction

Built across steep, rocky ridgelines, and dense vegetation, this 1.8-mile trail connects the South Bay and Inlet Bay areas of Horsetooth Reservoir, finally making an otherwise impassable peninsula accessible to hikers and mountain bikers alike.

Construction meant working through old rock quarries, 8-foot cliff bands, solid sedimentary rock, thick stands of vegetation (closely packed growth like wild plums and cedars), multiple drainage crossings, and across 100% cross-slope terrain (no level ground to build from). The trail was also designed to protect the environment, avoiding sensitive plants like mountain mahogany shrubs and bell’s twinpod, and minimizing visual impact along the hogback ridgeline.

With all of these challenges our Larimer County Trail Crew, with help from the Larimer County Conservation Corps and dedicated Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC), took it on the hard way: by hand. Over 130 VOC volunteers joined a single weekend trail-building event in May, with many others contributing time and effort throughout the project. It was tough, but it offered the opportunity to use creative trail-building techniques and the abundant natural rock to build something that lasts.

The result is a beautiful, moderate-level trail with sweeping views of the reservoir that strengthens the Horsetooth trail network and opens up an entirely new way to experience this incredible landscape.

This project was also made possible by funding support from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), we’re grateful for their investment in expanding access to the outdoors for Larimer County residents. 

To every volunteer who gave their time and energy: this award is yours, too. Thank you for helping make the Bay to Bay Trail a reality. Over a million people visit Horsetooth each year, and now, thanks to your hard work, they’ve got a brand-new way to explore it.

Come see what all the hard work built.