plan for awe-inspiring colorado trail seeking additional funding

A project that could see the construction of a single-track trail running from the peak of the Grand Mesa mountain to the small town of Palisade in western Colorado could soon receive more than $100,000 in development and building support.

Members of the Mesa County Commission have given their approval to applying for a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs that will help fund an envisioned 31-mile trail.

That trail, according to county documents, will be a “destination single-track,” open to “non-motorized uses such as biking, hiking, and equestrian uses.”

While the 31-mile trail isn’t long, its depth will be nothing less than breathtaking, dropping more than 6,000 vertical feet from an elevation of just over 10,700 feet to 4,700 feet in Palisade.

In the planning and talking stage for more than two years, the project last month won a $527,000 grant from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife division.

If the latest funding request proves successful, work on the first 18 miles of the trail is expected to begin next spring, with the second half of the trail seeing construction later in the year.

Besides the trail construction, the Palisade Plunge Trail is also expected to see the building of a parking lot and restroom facilities at the top of the Grand Mesa.

Mesa County and Town of Palisade officials have estimated that the completed trail could generate up to $2.5 million annually in visitor revenue.

By Garry Boulard

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