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Summit County advisers approve 5,000-foot “Bobsled” flow trail with wildlife, routing and maintenance conditions
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Summary
The Summit County Open Space Advisory Council unanimously approved SCOMBA’s 5,000-foot Bobsled flow trail on Aug. 12, 2025, with six conditions including maintaining a winter wildlife closure, routing to avoid a seep and wetland, and requiring SCOMBA to assume long-term maintenance.
Jeff Zimmerman, chair of the Summit County Open Space Advisory Council, moved and the council unanimously approved construction of the 5,000-foot “Bobsled” flow trail proposed by SCOMBA on Aug. 12, 2025.
The approval included six conditions: the winter wildlife closure for Tenderfoot Meadows will apply to the new trail; SCOMBA must produce a detailed comprehensive plan before pursuing any larger “ride center” proposals; the Bobsled Trail must be routed to avoid a natural seep, a small wetland and a historic structure; the trail must connect to the three-way intersection rather than intersecting the Sage Trail; SCOMBA must minimize fragmentation and opportunities for shortcutting; and SCOMBA will be responsible for long-term maintenance.
OST staff told the council that the Bobsled alignment closely parallels the existing Sage Trail and would require a short, approximately 150-foot reroute of the Sage. Staff also reported a natural groundwater seep that feeds an isolated wetland on the property and recommended routing the new trail away from that area.
Council members pressed on public-safety and wildlife concerns. Members flagged emergency-vehicle access and potential increases in accidents as issues to monitor, and reiterated that Tenderfoot Meadows is designated winter habitat and that Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s recommended winter closure would remain in place.
The Town of Keystone provided informal support for the proposal’s benefit to the countywide trail network; the Town of Dillon said it did not foresee major impacts from a single trail but asked that future conversations address parking, access and restroom amenities.
The council did not endorse turning the nearby Sage Trail into a one-way trail and recommended keeping the Sage Trail multi-directional. OSAC also recommended removing barbed wire fencing as a mitigation measure to improve wildlife movement and suggested volunteer efforts to complete that work.
Outcome: motion passed unanimously. Next steps include SCOMBA submitting the comprehensive plan for any future, larger proposals and OST staff overseeing alignment work to ensure the setback from the seep and wetland.