Comment on The Lubahn Trail on STM, Ignored But Not Forgotten (updated) by Andrew Terrill

PlanJeffco,

I am responding to the article above, and in particular to the untrue statement made by Colorado Lifestyle that: ‘No one ever hikes the Lubahn Trail by itself’, and also to the thinly-veiled suggestion made that with the Olivine Trail now open the Lubahn Trail is obsolete.

Firstly: yes, a great many visitors use the Lubahn Trail to reach Castle Rock. But, not all visitors go beyond it. Personally, I have been hiking the Lubahn Trail for nearly 20 years, and have frequently hiked it just to the bench and back, especially with my kids when they were small, as well as with elderly relatives. I have seen many other visitors do the same. There are plenty of easy solutions available that would limit visitors trespassing beyond the trail.

Secondly, not everyone considers the Olivine Trail beautiful. Indeed, in comparison with the more varied and more natural-feeling Lubahn Trail the Olivine Trail is unpleasant, ugly, and unimaginative. The Olivine Trail is open to the sun, lacks variation, and is an ugly scar on the hillside when seen from afar. Its repetitious switchbacks make it far less enjoyable to walk than the Lubahn Trail.

With the Olivine Trail in place, the Lubahn Trail is needed more than ever. The multi-user status of the Olivine Trail means that user conflicts are far more likely, which greatly reduces pleasure for some visitors on foot, especially families with small children. While it is wonderful that horses and bikes can now access South Table Mountain directly from Golden this absolutely does NOT mean that the Lubahn Trail has become un-necessary. The Lubahn Trail, as a hiker only trail, gives visitors on foot a rare opportunity for a short and safe walk in nature where they are free from having to consider potential trail conflicts.

The Lubahn Trail has been neglected and mistreated for several years. But attempts to close it are misguided, and there are practical solutions available to making it sustainable that solve all the issues faced. This City of Golden-managed trail is part of what makes Golden special. The benefits that come from accessing nature are well known and many, with health being prominent among them. Organizations such as yours should be doing all you can to keep access to nature open, and to maximize what is available, not close it off and limit it.