Trustees hear calls to open short bike connection from Shanahan Ridge to Dowdy Draw amid 7‑C planning

At the Open Space Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 10, 2025, several residents urged trustees to open a short, existing trail connection through Shanahan Ridge to provide a safe bicycle route to the Dowdy Draw and Marshall Mesa trailheads.

The comments came during public comment on the city’s 7‑C multimodal access planning effort and a staff presentation of preliminary data on visitor travel choices and trailhead infrastructure. The board heard that many riders — including high‑school mountain bike teams — currently must ride on Marshall Road and cross Highway 170 to reach the popular South Boulder trails.

The most direct appeals came from Wendy Sweet, executive director of the Boulder Mountain Alliance. “There is no bike legal way to make this connection through OSMP,” Sweet said. “Fixing this doesn't require building a new trail. It just requires thoughtfully opening a short section of an existing trail to bikes, enabling a safe, low emission, non motorized route that aligns perfectly with OSMP's climate goals.”

Andrew Feeney, a Fairview High School mountain bike coach, told trustees the issue was largely about safety for youth riders. “Our kids and our community need a safe non…