On the surface this new trail from Lyons to Boulder is great! This could go a long way to get more folks on bikes who are normally to scared to ride on the roadway with cars or who simply want a nice ride on a Sunday afternoon with the family. What most are thinking is that this trail will be the existing roadway (gravel) that already runs along the canal that flows from Lyons into the Boulder Resevor however that is NOT the case! Apparently Northern Water of Colorado, the current owner of the trail is not going to budge on allowing access to their trail and if your noticed over the past year their fencing now resembles that of a prison and less of a trail. The new trail will at times run along the canal but on the opposite side. This has created a huge debate with home owners along the proposed route and the cost will be much higher then just opening access to the trail. The county's response to gaining access to the existing trail is...

"This road is owned by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD) who use it for canal maintenance. It is not a public facility and any non-authorized use of this road is prohibited."

Does this proposed process of not using the existing access point make sense to you?

Interested in learning more? There will be an information meeting June 23rd or check out their website