The NEW Eider to Mill Creek Connector Trail

Help Telluride Mountain Club Build the New Eider to Mill Creek Connector

UPDATE: July 25, 2022

Telluride Mountain Club Successfully Builds the New Eider to Mill Creek Connector Trail
Celebrate with the club at their annual summer party on July 28th

Telluride, Colorado – The Telluride Mountain Club (TMtC) has successfully completed the new Eider to Mill Creek Connector Trail. This new trail segment is just under two miles and connects the first switchback on Mill Creek Road and the Eider Creek Trail with the intersection of Deep Creek Trail and Waterline / Mill Creek Trail. Trail construction took two months to complete and included tree and brush clearing, tread work, and hand finishing.

The project was a collaboration between Telluride Mountain Club and the United States Forest Service (USFS). TMtC proposed this trail in 2017, in 2019 an alignment was flagged, and then the USFS spent two years doing an in-house National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis. The trail was approved in the fall of 2021, TMtC secured public and private funding by March of 2022, and the trail was constructed in May, June, and July this year. Planning, project coordination, construction, and funding were all the responsibility of TMtC, construction alone cost over $90,000. The club is focused on signage and revegetation before the Memorandum of Understanding is closed out with the USFS.

TMtC will be celebrating this exciting new trail success at their annual summer party in Telluride Town Park on Thursday, July 28^th. The event starts at 5:15 PM and includes food, drinks, a reusable TMtC cup, and music for $30 per person or $100 per family. The event sold out in 2021 so purchasing tickets in advance is highly encouraged. More information and tickets are available at https://www.telluridemountainclub.org/tmtc-summer-bbq-membership-drive/.

“Our board and staff have worked so diligently to analyze, propose, and plan for new trails in the Telluride region,” said Heidi Lauterbach, TMtC Director. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to have this new segment of trail completed and being utilized by the community. I encourage people to get up there, the views are stunning.”

“The feedback about the new connector trail has been overwhelmingly positive,” said John Hidy, Trail Director for the USFS. “We are excited to continue working with TMtC to identify new trail solutions for users in the area.”

TMtC is beyond grateful to the Telluride community for helping to make this trail a reality. Nearly 70 donors contributed to the fundraising campaign to make it a success. The TMtC Board and staff hope to see you on the new trail and at their summer party to celebrate.

UPDATE: June 27, 2022

The new Eider to Mill Creek Connector Trail is coming along and looking awesome! We are still doing finishing work and maintenance along the trail. We anticipate at least three more weeks of construction. Once the USFS walks, inspects, and approves the trail, it will officially be open to the public. In the meantime, please respect those of us working on the trail and be mindful of nature’s obstacles that have yet to be removed. Be careful and enjoy the views.

UPDATE: June 8, 2022

PSA: If you are traveling on Mill Creek Road, please be cautious and aware of rocks and debris from above. Please avoid parking at the end of Mill Creek Road near the water plant Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm.

TMtC is working on building the NEW Eider to Mill Creek Connector Trail. Due to the steepness of the landscape and proximity to Mill Creek Road, we are asking for your help in keeping our community safe while this work takes place. Thanks for your help!

UPDATE: April 26, 2022

Telluride Mountain Club Successfully Fundraises for New Trail
Alpine Bank’s donation helps the project cross the finish line

Telluride, Colorado – The Telluride Mountain Club (TMtC) is beyond grateful to the Telluride community for a successful fundraising campaign for the new Eider to Mill Creek Connector Trail. Nearly 70 donors contributed to the campaign to make it a success. Most recently, Alpine Bank dedicated $10,000 to ensure the fundraising goal would be achieved and the project could start this spring.

“TMtC’s work to provide recreational opportunities in the Telluride community has been instrumental and this new connector trail will be a great addition to the current trail inventory in Telluride. Alpine Bank’s donation is made possible thanks to our customers that use their Alpine Bank Environmental Loyalty Debit Card. Every time one of our customers uses this card, it allows Alpine Bank to donate to environmental and recreation organizations like the Telluride Mountain Club,” says Danny Craft, President of Alpine Bank in Telluride. “I know how much this community loves outdoor recreation and I look forward to seeing everyone on this new trail when it opens.”

TMtC would like to dedicate a huge thank you to Alpine Bank, and all the donors and anonymous benefactors who contributed to make this new trail project a reality in 2022. The fundraising goal of $45,000 will be matched by another $45,000 TMtC has already received from membership donations, private donors, and Opt in for Trails contributors. With the $90,000 trail cost fully fundraised, TMtC is excited to get started on the project in May of 2022. Corridor clearing will kick off the project, followed by construction, machine operation, and finishing work. If Mother Nature and weather cooperate, TMtC hopes to have the entire project completed and opened to the public sometime in the fall of this year.

The new Eider to Mill Creek Connector will be built to accommodate beginners through advanced user groups for multi-use hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. This new segment of trail has been professionally scouted and flagged to meet USFS trail standards and requirements. An additional connector on the sunny side will allow for more connectivity options and early season recreation opportunities (while other trails are still closed), thus creating less damage on other trails that are not yet rideable or hike-able early in the season. This area is very popular among trail users and spreading out use is a proactive approach to future overcrowding.

“TMtC is excited to embark on this new trail project with huge community support. It truly takes a village, and we are so thankful to Alpine Bank, everyone who donated to this fundraising campaign, our TMtC members and donors, and the United States Forest Service,” says Heidi Lauterbach, TMtC Director.

TMtC looks forward to keeping the community up to date on the project throughout the summer season. Stay tuned for volunteer trail workdays being planned for June and July!

Thank you to everyone who donated to make this trail a reality!

Anonymous – 1
Alpine Bank
Martin Owens
Travis Mohrman
Denise Jackson & Trevor King
Dolores & Thomas Gahan
Mark & Lindsey Hana
Donald Smith JR
Mike Slattery
William McManemin
Bob Posey
Susan Williams
Tracie Renfroe
David Moon
Charles Tyler
Suzanne Nikolaus
Kevin Martin
Elizabeth Farrar
Lauren Woodward
Hilaree Nelson
Sarah Lavender Smith
Eric & Rosemerry Trommer
Anonymous – 2
Tor Anderson
Joanne Steinback
Gordon & Kristin Davenport
Lucy Lerner
Peter Hathaway
Heidi Lauterbach
Thalia & John Pryor
Katie Lintner
Dave & Nan Hachigian
Linda & Irwin Borof
Anonymous – 3
Anonymous – 4
Jonn Vise
Christopher Harkin
Kurt Friederich
Clark Matheney
Ken Wimberly
Easy Rider
Drufur Williamson
Maureen Miller
Diane Heasley
Valerie Warburton
Anonymous – 5
Laura & Bertrand Marchal
Michael Rothschild
Roger Box
Cary Savage
Joe Dillsworth
Robert Beardsley
David Callicott
Sherab Kloppenburg
Ryan McGovern
Anonymous – 6
Lindsay Remigio
Chris Jaquet
Nicole Pieterse
Michael “Hawkeye” Johnson
Tim & Susan Kunda
Mariza Brimhall
Audrey von Poelnitz
John Haggerty
Dave-O Whitelaw
Naani Sheva
Glenn Steckler
Stephen Wise
Anonymous – 7
Mary Kenez

March 2022

Telluride Mountain Club (TMtC) is excited to have recently signed a Non-Funded Challenge Cost Share Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States Forest (USFS) Uncompahgre National Forest, Norwood Ranger District in Norwood, Colorado. The MOU allows TMtC to take on the funding for the approved Eider to Mill Creek Connector Trail. TMtC originally submitted this trail to the USFS in 2017 as part of a larger trails proposal. In 2019, TMtC hired a third-party contractor to flag an appropriate alignment. In 2020, the Norwood Ranger District initiated National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis on the trail. In 2021, the trail was deemed feasible by the NEPA and was thus approved by the USFS. With proper funding, TMtC hopes to build this new trail and open it to the public in 2022.

The new Eider to Mill Creek Connector Trail will take recreation off the Mill Creek Road and create more trail opportunities, loops, and connections for users on the sunny side of the valley. This area is very popular among trail users and spreading out use is a proactive approach to future overcrowding.

This project will cost TMtC over $90,000. The estimate includes corridor clearing, trail construction, finishing work, signage, staff, and more. TMtC needs to fundraise $45,000 by July 8th, to make this trail a reality in 2022. The $45,000 will be matched by another $45,000 that TMtC has already received from private donors and membership donations. The plan is to break ground on the trail this spring as soon as the snow melts. TMtC hopes to have this trail cleared, built, and open to the public during the summer or fall of 2022! Join our efforts and donate here.

The Eider to Mill Creek Connector will allow for, and be built to accommodate, multi-use hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. The design accommodates beginners through advanced users for all user groups. This new segment of trail has been professionally scouted and flagged to meet USFS trail standards and requirements. An additional connector on the sunny side will allow for more connectivity options and early season recreation opportunities (while other trails are still closed), thus creating less damage on other trails that are not yet rideable or hike-able early in the season.

Fundraising for the new trail has started and will run until the $45,000 goal is met, or July 8^th, whichever comes first. You can learn more and donate HERE. No donation is too small and every dollar helps.

If you are considering a donation, check out these fun facts:

$25 donation = 3 feet of trail
$100 donation = 12 feet of trail
$250 donation = 29 feet of trail
$500 donation = 59 feet of trail
$1,000 donation = 118 feet of trail
$5,000 donation = 588 feet or .11 miles
$10,000 donation = 1,176 feet or .22 miles
$11,220 donation = 1/4 mile of trail
$22,440 donation = 1/2 miles of trail
$44,880 donation = 1 mile of trail

If you prefer making a donation by check, you can send it to: Telluride Mountain Club, PO Box 1201, Telluride, CO, 81435. Please send telluridemountainclub@gmail.com so we can credit your donation on the backend. Thank you for your support.