The Red Hill trail system, just off of the Highway 82 and 133 intersection, is one of the most popular and convenient recreation areas in the Valley. How popular? Well, the trailhead receives around 75,000 visitors each year. That is about three-times as many hikers annually compared to the state’s most popular 14,000-feet peaks. It breaks down to an average of 200 people a day using the trails.
The Red Hill Council, an all-volunteer nonprofit, has collaborated with other local entities like the Town of Carbondale and Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) to increase trail maintenance and signage. But trail work, and even new trail construction, can only do so much considering the high levels of foot and bike traffic.
Earlier this winter, the council introduced a new tool: a bilingual Muddy Meter. The meter, located at the base of the trail system, is meant to help visitors avoid muddy and delicate sections — especially typical this time of year. Red Hill Council President Chris Brandt shared more in an interview with The Sopris Sun. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
How did the idea for the mud meter come about?
We [researched] how other trail stewardship groups handle overuse pressures during mud season. There aren’t many examples that don’t include closure gates. Breckenridge has one novel approach that relies upon trail users to interact with a movable slider arrow, communicating to other users the current conditions.
Our bilingual Muddy Meter includes a trail map identifying Zones 1-3. On a sunny day, Zone 1 might be dry at certain times of the year while other zones are muddy … At other times of the year Zone 1 might be melting into mud while other zones are still snow covered or frozen solid.
Many trails located in other regions are seasonally closed by land managers when mud conditions are present. Red Hill has always been managed as open year round and it would be highly controversial if we were ever to consider a seasonal closure. With current resources, our ability to enforce such a closure would be like trying to stop a tidal wave with a paper towel.
How much time is spent maintaining and protecting the trails?
[Red Hill Council’s eight board members] invest 400-600 hours of our personal time each year, not including all of the additional volunteers helping on trail work days. Almost everything our community loves about Red Hill is possible thanks to the many volunteers.
Organizing trail work parties requires extensive planning to gather larger volunteer groups at the scale needed to effectively tackle regular trail repairs. We have grown heavily reliant upon partner organizations like RFOV to make this happen. With RFOV, we have a big project planned in the sage meadows of Blue Ribbon Trail this spring 2025 — largely to repair damage caused by mud season use that has been gradually increasing.
[When] including the Red Hill Council, RFOV staff and community volunteers, Town of Carbondale adopt-a-trail sponsors, Roaring Fork Mountain Biking Association trail agents and private working groups, we estimate 2,000 to 3,000 volunteer hours are utilized to maintain Red Hill annually. According to the Bureau of Land Management’s valuation of volunteer labor (roughly $32 per hour), this contribution to Red Hill is equivalent to $64,000 to $96,000 annually.
What else has the council done to help reduce muddy trail use?
We know that the majority of our trail users are locals. Many visit Red Hill like a daily ritual, unaware that they may be damaging this special place. We’d love to see more responsible users, visiting the trails only when conditions are appropriate. We are promoting a culture where bikes and shoes aren’t getting covered with red mud.
We have invested time and limited financial resources towards community messaging via social media, radio, local newspaper ads, posters, trailhead banners and in-person conversations on the trail. We would welcome more interactions with local schools and youth groups, hopefully inspiring the next generation of land stewards.
It would be tremendously helpful if local tourism tax dollars could be utilized. Red Hill is heavily marketed as an attractive asset, luring visitors and new residents who support local businesses.
What is your favorite thing about Red Hill?
What is there not to love about Red Hill? I love the many technical challenges available for mountain biking. There are incredible views from Mushroom Rock overlooking the convergence of the Roaring Fork and Crystal Rivers, with scenic Mount Sopris in the distance. The spectacular red sandstone cliffs are dappled with lush pinyon-juniper forest, numerous cactus species and an ever-changing display of native wildflowers. The air smells fresh and is invigorating.