Poudre River Trail

Poudre River Trail Corridor

FUNDING TO THE FINISH LINE: Let's get it done! The completion of the Poudre River Trail in Weld County will bring recreational,educational and environmental benefits to Northern Colorado and we are looking for your help to finish the fund raising needed to build the trail. The Poudre Trail Board has recently enlisted a friend to help complete the trail. Her name is Penelope La Poudre and she is the trail's mascot. Penelope is Cacheus poudreus, an imaginary fuzzy gray mammal that can be found along the banks of the Poudre River in Colorado. Penelope, who loves to frolic along the trail, wants it completed so you can join her. In order to finish the trail, an estimated $2, 500,000 is needed. The City of Greeley and Weld County are contributing a total of $500,000. Grants of $761, 000 have been awarded to the trail and applications are in for another $300,000. These monies combined with trail funds on-hand bring the remaining amount needed to $750,000.

Your help is needed! If you know a potential donor, would like to make a donation or assist in the fund drive call the trail office at 970-350-9783 or email poudretrail@ci.greeley.co.us Every private dollar contributed is matched with two dollars in grant and local government funds. Please send your tax-deductible gift to: Poudre River Trail, 1100 10th Street, Suite 100, Greeley, CO 80631

BUY SOME COOL ITEMS AND SUPPORT THE TRAIL: You can pick up all of our merchandise at the City of Greeley Planning Office, Greeley City Hall or call 970-350-9783 to order . All proceeds will benefit the Poudre River Trail. Merchandise includes stuffed critters (Large and small porcupine, fox, owl, large and small eagle, buffalo, bear, ram, bunny, frog, turtle, moose and small ladybug), t-shirts, sweatshirts, golf balls, golf tees, burlap bags with trail logo, and kids coloring books. Please call for merchandise availability and new products.

TRAIL CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: Construction began Fall 2001 on the section of trail at 71st Ave west towards 83rd Ave and will continue into 2002. Look for a late spring /early summer opening date. A local barn that was donated to the City is located by the trail at 71st Ave that will be available for public use and trail events in the future. Remember unopened sections of trail are not available for public use.

SPRING AND SUMMER WORK DAYS: At various times throughout the spring and summer work days will be held to assist in a variety of projects on the Trail. We were very successful in 2001 with local church groups, community members, and UNC staff and students helping to plant trees, shrubs, do trail cleanup, and build a path from the parking lot at 83rd Ave to the trail. If you or a someone you know needs service hours or would like to help with a project that benefits the whole community, contact the trail office 970-350-9783 or email poudretrail@ci.greeley.co.us or look at this site for updates on work dates.

NEW WEB SITE FEATURE: The Poudre Trail web site has a brand new feature. Leave your stories and fun experiences you have encountered on the trail. Did you see a deer or a wild turkey? Did the trail provide you with a great family outing? Did you have the best workout of you life on the trail or discover yourself in the beauty of nature? Please leave your comments about the beauty and fun on the Poudre River Trail.

Trail Ribbon Cutting--New Section to be Open

Help Us Celebrate! Ribbon Cutting to Open the Newest Section of the Poudre River Trail Saturday, June 29th, 2002 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Recreation, Refreshments, Merchandise, and Trail Information! North on 71st Avenue Past Poudre River Ranch North of No. 3 Ditch. Parking is Available at the Red Barn. For More Information, Please Call: Poudre River Trail Office at the City of Greeley (970) 350-9783.

Picnic on the Poudre Bikers

DATE: Sunday, June 23
TIME: 7:30 a.m.
LOCATION: Bike Peddler Store to Poudre Trail

Greeley SmartTrips, Bike Peddler and Take-A-Look Cyclists Mirror are sponsoring an event on the Poudre Trail. Picnic on the Poudre is an annual Bike Month Event that will take place on Sunday June 23. Participants will start their journey at the Bike Peddler Store 3820 W. 10th Street at 7:30 a.m. and ride to the Poudre Trail in Windsor. The round trip is approximately 20 miles and a picnic type brunch will be provided on the Trail.

A donation of $5 per person or $10 per family will provide you with a morning full of fun. Preregistration is encouraged and a prize drawing will be held. Please call 356-3663 for additional information.

Ribbon Cutting for new Trail Section

A new link of the Poudre Trail is opening for your enjoyment! The new section begins at 35th Avenue and F street in Greeley. We are having a ribbon cutting for this new section on Saturday, October 26th at 9:00 a.m. Please join us to be the first to enjoy the newest trail section and to thank Lafarge for their generous contribution of land to the community for trail use.

Directions to the site: driving, north on 35th Ave. at F Street, enter at Lafarge Company sign, follow directions to event; if riding, proceed north of Lafarge entrance to trail just south of Poudre River Bridge.

UNC work day a success!

On Friday, August 16, a group of University of Northern Colorado students, including Resident Assistants and dining services employees, volunteered to pull weeds along the Poudre River Trail as part of a community service day. Although temperatures reached 100 degrees that day, 15 college students used their youthful energy to improve the surroundings of the Trail. Thank you for your positive contributions to the community, UNC!

If your group or organization would like to plan a volunteer day on the Poudre River Trail, please call (970) 336-4044.

Now Open--New Section of Poudre Trail

This section of the Poudre River Trail, commonly referred to as the Orr Section or the Poudre River Ranch Section, stretches between 83rd Avenue on the west to 71st Avenue on the east about a mile north of 4th Street. It is approximately 1.5 miles in length. Features of this section include the Greeley Canal #3, the Poudre River, a large hay meadow, cottonwood groves and native vegetation and a stretch along the sandstone ledge between the top of the river bluff and the river itself.

71st_Avenue_Section This section of the trail was built on land donated by Ed and Susie Orr. It was built in two phases with federal TEA-21 grant funds from the North Front Range Transportation and Air Quality Planning Council (MPO). These grants funds were matched with funds from the City of Greeley that were pledged towards the completion of the trail corridor. Additional work outside the scope of the federal project including the spur trail up to the subdivision, the bridge crossing, the parking lot and the connecting portions to the 83rd Avenue trail head were done by Poudre River Trail Corridor, Inc., the non-profit board that oversees trail development throughout the corridor, utilizing pledged funds from the City of Greeley along with some funds from the first Great Outdoors Legacy grant left after previous construction.

A portion of the bridge costs were donated by Ms. Nancy Gray in memory of her father, Col. Thomas M. Gray, US Army 9th Division, Commander of the 15th Engineers Battalion, a combat outfit in World War II in Europe, and her brother, 1st Lt. Thomas M. Gray, Jr., killed in Vietnam, who built bridges with the men under his command and the children of Vietnam.

Total Cost (not including land value): $366,294
Federal Funds: $206,157
City Funds: $152,137
Cash Donation: $8,000

With your financial support, more sections of the trail are in the works. The Trail Board is working to complete and open another 2-3 miles in 2002 and the balance of the trail in 2003. Please fill out the donation form and show your support to keep the trail movin' along....by making a contribution today!

National Recreation Trail

Zebra Tree The U.S. Interior Department has designated 26 new national recreation trails — including two in Colorado — in 16 states. The Colorado designations include the Poudre River Trail that, when completed, will stretch from Greeley to Fort Collins; and the Mineral Belt Trail. Interior Secretary Gale Norton praised the national trail system as an example of cooperative efforts between the government and local communities and private groups in developing recreational outlets. These “partnerships build trails and trails build healthy Americans,” said Norton. The program provides technical assistance through the National Park Service and the Agriculture Department’s Forest Service.

The main benefit of having the Poudre River Trail designated as a national recreational trail is that it will be included on federal trails information. The trail won't necessarily get more funding because of the designation, but it may help in grant applications.

Related Web Links:
Interior Department
American Trails
American Hiking Society

Colorado State Trails Grant

River The Poudre River Trail received at $250,000 grant from Colorado State Trails in May. Matching funds need to be raised by the trail committee, or the trail won't get all the grant money from the state. To make a donation to the trail, call 336-4044 or 350-9783. You can also follow this link to access a printable donation form that can be mailed to the Poudre River Trail.

Plans have been in the works since 1994, when the first two sections of the trail were built and a master plan was adopted. Since that time, about $1 million has been spent (and very little tax money used). Now the Poudre River Trail Corridor Inc. has the grant money to not only finish the sections to connect the trail to Island Grove, but also to take it beyond Eastman Park out to Colo. 392 in Windsor, where it will one day meet the Larimer County/Fort Collins section of the Poudre Trail if enough private funds are received to match the grants.

Related Web Links:

Colorado State Trails

New Section of Trail Now Open
A ribbon cutting ceremony on October 26th officially opened the most recent addition to the Poudre River Trail. This section of the Poudre River Trail, commonly referred to as the Lafarge Section stretches between 35th Avenue on the east to approximately 47th Avenue on the west about a ½ mile north of F Street. It is approximately 1.5 miles in length. Features of this section include the Poudre River and the reclaimed gravel lakes along with active sand and gravel mining. The trail will continue to the south through property owned by the City of Greeley to Rover Run Dog Park on F Street. That stretch is approximately .4 mile in length and currently is not paved. Trailhead parking and access for this section is at Rover Run but cyclists can access this portion directly from 35th Avenue just south of the river bridge, south of “O” Street.

This section of the trail was built on land donated by Lafarge West, Inc. It was funded by a grant from Colorado State Trails and Great Outdoors Colorado. These grants funds were matched with funds from Weld County that were pledged towards the completion of the trail corridor. Dumar Contractors, the contractor that did the concrete work also gave a discount on their services and materials as a contribution to the project.

Total Cost(not including land value): $214,915
Great Outdoors Colorado Grant Funds: $70,000
Local Funds: $144,915
In-kind Contribution: $4,719

Don't forget about the other new section of trail completed in 2002. This section of the Poudre River Trail, commonly referred to as the Orr Section or the Poudre River Ranch Section, stretches between 83rd Avenue on the west to 71st Avenue on the east about a mile north of 4th Street. It is approximately 1.5 miles in length. Features of this section include the Greeley Canal #3, the Poudre River, a large hay meadow, cottonwood groves and native vegetation and a stretch along the sandstone ledge between the top of the river bluff and the river itself.

Poudretrail.org Receives Web Award!

The Poudre River Trail web site has been reviewed and chosen to bear the 2002-2003 Golden Web Award. Web sites are judged by the International Association of Web Masters and Designers and is presented to sites whose web design, originality and content have achieved levels of excellence deserving of recognition.

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