Keystone
Keystone’s Soda Ridge Trail to Colorado Trail
By The Walsh Group

From Keystone, Colorado real estate, outdoors enthusiasts enter the Soda Ridge Trail as it passes alongside the wonderful Keystone CO golf-course homes at River Course and in the Ski Tip Ranch neighborhoods.  The Soda Ridge Trail connects to the Colorado Trail—the premier 500-mile trail in Colorado.  Some join the Colorado Trail by hopping onto the Summit Stage shuttle as it passes through Copper Mountain, Silverthorne, Frisco, Dillon, and Breckenridge real estate.

Residents of vacation homes in Keystone CO can also access the Colorado Trail (CT) sign in the woods on the west side of Highway 9.  A white rock under Copper Mountain’s Eagle Lift marks another place to head up the CT via the cross-country trails where it passes Janet’s cabin (reservations required) and two mountain passes.  During that jaunt, the trail passes an overlook for Lake Dillon and the settling ponds at Climax.

The Colorado Trail extends east to Denver and southwest to Durango.  It is comprised of 28 segments ranging from 11.4 miles to 32 miles.  Elevation changes range from 1,040 to 4,520 feet.  The long segments, climbs in elevation, and sheer ruggedness can be daunting.  An experienced guide is recommended to accompany beginning hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, and explorers with pack animals and on horseback. 

One of the state’s greatest outdoor recreation and education achievements, the CT passes through eight mountain ranges, six national forests and wilderness areas, and along five river systems.  Just as commendable are the numbers of volunteers who come out to build bridges, switchbacks, and signs as well as maintain the trails through nature’s wonderland.   They pull noxious weeds, remove rock fall and commit to Adopt-a-Trail programs so everyone can more easily access the backcountry.

Residents of Summit County are first in line to volunteer to maintain these trails.  If they are not working on the CT or Soda Ridge Trail, they chip in along the American Discovery Trail, the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, Vail Pass National Recreation Trail, Wheeler Ten Mile National Recreation Trail or the renowned bicycle routes weaving through our mountains and valleys.  In fact, residents put in over 4,500 hours of time maintaining the recreational paths, open spaces, and natural surface trails in one year.

Glide along on X-country skis, pedal hard up the hills, or put one foot in front of the other hauling your backpack—any way you go, the experience is breathtaking.  No pun intended.  Go easy on horseback for a half day or extend your stay under the stars by signing up with your kids or grandkids for one of the weeks of Outdoor Learning along the CT.  What a great way to learn to appreciate our ever-changing environment.  A sampling of the courses held at the Colorado Trail Foundation Education Center high in the lofty peaks includes Learning Your Wildflowers, Oil and Watercolor Painting, Music in the Mountains, and Kids’ Natural World. Expect to rough it during your weeklong stay. 

We know that you’ll thank us for making sure that you know about the exciting benefits of purchasing real estate in our Rocky Mountain community.  Our real-estate professionals at The Walsh Group and RE/MAX Properties of the Summit would like the opportunity to let you also experience just why we are the #1 Broker in the county.