Meadows Trail closed in interest of public safety due to dispute with landowner
Effective 8 a.m. Wednesday, September 1, the Town of Mountain Village closed the Meadows Trail to through traffic from Coyote Court to the Cul De Sac at the end of Lawson Overlook until further notice.
The Town’s decision to close the trail was not made lightly and arose out of an interest in keeping trail users safe given the owner of Lot 615 1CR threatened, both publicly and privately, to physically close or otherwise block a portion of the Meadows Trail.
Signage has been posted to redirect trail users. Local traffic to the property line of Lot 615-1CR is allowed and signs are now posted where the trail is currently closed. Trail users wishing to travel east to west should use Adams Ranch Road and Lawson Overlook as an alternative route at this time.
The Meadows Trail runs through Lot 615-1CR and has been a popular connection between Mountain Village, Lawson Hill and Telluride for commuters and recreational enthusiasts for over two decades. The Meadows Trail is a very popular trail that connects down to Highway 145 and Lawson Hill.
The owners of the property have pursued a development plan that requires moving a portion of the trail up to the road Lawson Overlook. The development plan also requested the town release easements to allow for, in the owners’ opinion, a more optimal building site. Town staff worked with the owners to identify a development plan that did not require moving the trail to the road, but the owners ultimately did not pursue any of those alternatives.
At its regular July meeting, Mountain Village Town Council reviewed a minor subdivision request to vacate a general easement and relocate the Meadows Trail out of the town’s easement onto the Town’s unimproved right of way, and Town Council unanimously voted to table the item until the Meadows Trail issue was adequately addressed by the applicant.
“The Town and council felt that moving the trail would diminish the quality of the experience on that trail,” said the Town’s Acting Senior Planner John Miller.
“The owners publicly threatened to close the trail down, and we do not know what risk that might pose to trail users where it crosses their property,” said Recreation and Transit Director Jim Loebe. “We believed it was imperative to proactively close the trail to keep users safe. We are very committed to resolving this issue and seeing the Meadows Trail reopened as soon as possible.”
The Mountain Village Town Council will convene virtually for a special meeting dedicated to this issue on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 9 a.m. See meeting details here.
For a map of the closure and more information, please visit our dedicated webpage to this matter.
