Everyone knows about 14ers, those 54 Colorado peaks over 14,000 feet (although the debate on exactly how many rages on).
But one group is getting money to spruce up at least one popular 13er, those 637 (!!) Colorado peaks over 13,000 feet.
Trails group Outside 285 was just awarded over $1.6 million for rehab on several peaks south of Breckenridge, including Mount Silverheels, a 13,829-foot peak in the Front Range. You can easily see this flat, approachable behemoth from downtown Breck, where it dominates the southeastern skyline as you approach Hoosier Pass.
The remainder of the Outside 285 award is going to trails work on 14ers in the Mosquito Range east of Alma and rehab for the Indian Creek trails system in Pike National Forest. The group’s mission, according to a state press release, is protecting and enhancing the “beloved rural ‘backyard’ for the metro area” in southwestern Colorado.
This grant is one of the largest of the year from the Regional Partnerships Initiative, which is funded in part by lottery ticket revenue through Great Outdoors Colorado, known as GOCO.
Other awards include $2.5 million for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust and Eagle County Regional Partnership, to protect 18,000 acres with a conservation easement, and $2.5 million for the Pikes Peak Recreation Outdoor Alliance, to continue work on the 63-mile “Ring the Peak” trail encircling Pikes Peak.
“Balancing outdoor recreation and our wildlife, water and lands is critically important as we face population growth and impacts from climate change,” says Dan Gibbs, Summit County resident and director of the state natural resources department. “Our Colorado’s Outdoor Strategy and these grants go hand in hand in our comprehensive and collaborative efforts to advance the on-the-ground actions needed to realize our goals for exceptional outdoor recreation, climate-resilient conservation, and coordinated planning and funding.”
So about those 600+ 13ers in Colorado… Mount Silverheels is one of the tallest. Here’s the entire list.
Preview image of Mount Silverheels from south of Fairplay via Wikipedia.
