Table 1.  Countywide Athletic Field Inventory1
Jurisdiction	Field Type	Outdoor Field(s)	Indoor Field(s)
Breckenridge	Volleyball	2	2
	Softball/Baseball	5
	Basketball	1	2
	Tennis Courts	10	2
	Football/Soccer	3
Frisco	Volleyball	2
	Softball/Baseball	2
	Tennis	2
	Football/Soccer	1
Silverthorne	Volleyball	2	2
	Softball/Baseball	3
	Basketball	1	1
	Tennis	4
	Football/Soccer	1
Dillon	Softball/Baseball	1
	Basketball	1
	Tennis	4
Summit Schools	Volleyball		11
	Softball/Baseball	7
	Basketball		10
	Football/Soccer	2
Summit County	Softball/Baseball	4
Total		58	30

¹ The inventory does not include Summit School District RE-1 facilities.  The Upper Blue Elementary School field is considered a joint use facility with the Town of Breckenridge.

Sources: Inventory of Developed Recreation Facilities in Summit County, Colorado and Background Information on Recreation Special Districts, June, 1999; Summit County Planning Department.

Table 2. Countywide Recreation Facilities Inventory
Type	Number
Disc Golf Courses	3
Equestrian Centers	7
Golf Courses	5 (90-holes total)
Ice Rinks	1 indoor; 3 outdoor
Kayak Park	1
Marinas	2
Motocross Track	1
Nordic Centers	5
Recreation Centers or Athletic Clubs	4
Shooting Range	1
Skate Parks	3
Total	36

Source: Summit County Planning Department.

Table 3.  Countywide Park and Open Space Inventory1
Jurisdiction	Total Parks and Open Space Acres Served by Developed Facilities2	Total Parks and Open Space Acres Developed	Total Park and Open Space Acres Undeveloped	Total
Breckenridge	67.57	137.2	24	228.77
Dillon	205	38		243
Frisco	257.37	2.6	27.29	106.8
Silverthorne	35.76		10.53	46.29
County	144.94	4.25	1,747.333	1,896.52

¹ Summit County Government, Town of Breckenridge and Town of Frisco have adopted open space protection master plans.
² Represents park and open space with either one or a combination of: picnic areas, playground, trails, restroom facilities and fishing/ponds.
³ 1,208 acres of mining claims to be designated as open space.

Source: Inventory of Developed Recreation Facilities in Summit County, Colorado and Background Information on Recreation Special Districts; June, 1999.

The following provides a bulleted list of key recreation system issues/concerns:

·         Increasing use and demand for more traditional recreational facilities (e.g., baseball fields).

·         Need for revenue to support developed recreational facilities.

·         Athletic fields use at 100 percent of capacity and increase in competition for field usage (e.g., need for field time, pressure on turf, maintenance costs, use of volunteer staff and turnover).

·         Identifying future significant recreation facilities needed to serve future populations (e.g., no easy formula for determining facilities).

·         Need and possibility of the towns and Summit County Government to work cooperatively on future recreation facility development.

·         Level of public support and the extent to which true stakeholder relationships exist for expanded or new facilities.

·         Determining community’s predominant focus in terms of recreation and leisure.

·         Demand for a year-round indoor special event venue that is weatherproof.

·         Need for dog parks.

Trails

The County has hundreds of miles of trails that include backcountry single-track, jeep roads established during the mining era, trails within communities, and the Summit County recreational pathway (paved path).  The U.S. Forest Service, County and towns have all been heavily involved with establishing these trail systems and protecting existing trail networks.  In terms of management, the County’s primary role with trails is better defined than for recreation.  Generally, it is one of providing a seamless system to access trails located on public lands throughout the County.

The recreational pathway system has grown substantially since the first segment connecting Frisco to Vail Pass was completed in the late 1970’s to include over 40-miles of paved trail.  Today the system links the towns of Silverthorne, Dillon, Frisco and Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain resorts and Vail in Eagle County.  The Town of Silverthorne completed construction of an improved route (the Dillon Link Trail) in 2003 to link the town to the pathway system.

One of the most popular pathway excursions for County residents and visitors is the loop around Dillon Reservoir.  Currently no pathway exists on the southeast side of the reservoir to connect the Snake River and Blue River Inlets around Swan Mountain, and pathway users are forced to turn around.  Many bicyclists do ride on Swan Mountain Road to complete the reservoir loop, however, because of its heavy traffic volume, numerous curves, lack of shoulders, and steep grades, Swan Mountain Road is not well suited for such bicycle traffic.  To date the Forest Service has approved the County’s plan for a grade separated/detached pathway to connect Summit Cove to Farmer’s Corner (as outlined in the submitted Environmental Assessment).  The next steps include finding funding to construct and design this last connector segment.

The following provides a bulleted list of key trail system issues/concerns:

·         Increasing recreational use fueling the desire for a larger trail system.

·         Potential funding sources available for pathway/trail construction and maintenance.

·         Greater impacts to trail system caused by growing permanent population and increased visitors (e.g., overcrowding and user conflicts).

·         Providing for the orderly expansion of the trail system.

·         Developing standards for uniform trail construction and providing for coordination with the individual towns and their trail system(s).

·         Providing adequate accessibility to significant summer and winter trailheads and trails.

·         Developing trail systems to be in concert with natural and cultural resource protection.

·         Improvements to the paved pathway system, specifically a connection around Dillon Reservoir (Swan Mountain Road) and a safe connection between the towns of Dillon and Silverthorne.

·         Evolving and expanding recreational use types.

·         Trailhead parking

Winter Travel Management

The increased use and demands on the County’s trail systems is also a winter use issue.  How to better manage winter recreational uses and amenities across jurisdictional boundaries throughout the County is an area of concern.  A high level of confusion regarding inconsistent regulations and enforcement across these boundaries exists where winter recreation activities are allowed or prohibited.  In addition, there are a number of areas that have high user conflicts between motorized and non-motorized uses on winter trails. 

It is necessary to clarify the rules, regulations and policies for all agencies involved with managing winter recreation (e.g., trailhead improvements, better signage, grooming and plowing).  An underlying premise to this is the need to separate motorized and non-motorized winter uses as much as possible, without losing reasonable access for any particular user group.  Solutions and management prescriptions to clarify uses in the majority of the winter recreational activity areas will be largely dictated by and hinge on the Travel Management Plan for the White River National Forest. 

The following provides a bulleted list of winter travel management key issues/concerns:

·         Public information on winter recreation that is consistent and accurate.

·         Uniform signage.

·         Uniform and consistent enforcement across jurisdictional boundaries.

·         Clarification of snowmobile ordinance (e.g., status of County roads).

·         Determining appropriate winter uses of the bikepath.

·         Securing public access for winter travel.

·         Adequate separation of motorized and non-motorized winter travel.

Regulatory Framework

Planning and construction of recreational facilities has a tendency to be more jurisdictional and subjective than that of trail systems.  As most developed recreational facilities exist within town boundaries, the County is only minimally involved with developing and managing facilities not necessarily appropriate for uses within town limits.

There are several key reasons why recreation and trail system development and management is an interjurisdictional endeavor.  Almost all potential funding sources to benefit and implement recreation and trail system recommendations are made available through federal and state resources.  Moreover, park, recreation and trail policies and criteria are developed by state, regional and local planning agencies.

How the County trails are constructed and managed is guided by uniform industry standards.  These standards are used by the County and contained in Chapter 5 of the Land Use and Development Code.  For trail standards, the County defers to the Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration Guidelines known as "AASHTO.”  For natural surface trails, the County defers to current standards used by the National Forest Service as outlined in the latest editions of USDA Forest Service publications.  These publications include Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook (4E42A25-Trail Notebook), Trails management handbook (FSH 2309.18), Standard specifications for construction and maintenance of trails (EM-7720-103), and Standard drawings for construction and maintenance of trails (EM-7720-104).

Existing Recreation and Trails Plans for Summit County include:

·         United States Forest Service Forest Plan and Travel Management Plan; USDA Forest Service.

·         Town of Breckenridge Trails Master Plan, 1996; Town of Breckenridge.

·         Town of Frisco Parks and Recreation Master Plan, May 9, 2001; Town of Frisco.

·         Silverthorne Parks, Trails, and Open Space Master Plan, January 2001; Silverthorne Department of Recreation and Culture.

·         Summit County Recreational Pathways Master Plan. September 12, 1988; Prepared by: Summit County Planning Department.

Goals, Policies/Actions

Recreation

Goal A.         Develop and manage recreational facilities to meet the growing needs of County residents.

Policy/Action 1.  The County shall better define its roles and responsibilities in providing for developed recreational facilities. 

Policy/Action 2.  To the extent practicable, additional developed recreational facilities should be constructed to meet the growing recreational needs of County residents.

Policy/Action 3.  Work with the Summit School District to make school recreational facilities, especially playgrounds and multi-use fields, available for community use to reduce the pressure for the development of additional recreational areas.

Policy/Action 4.  Consider forming a multi-jurisdictional entity to manage developed recreational facilities and address public/private interest throughout the County (e.g., Blue River ballfields). 

Policy/Action 5.  Explore the feasibility of funding a countywide recreation district and local improvement districts.

Trails

Policy/Action 1.    Secure trail easements in efforts to carry out community visions, implement basin or subbasin master plans and create a complete network of interconnected trails.

Policy/Action 3.     Design trails or trailheads using the following guidelines:

Policy/Action 4.    Acquire property for trails and trailheads using the following guidelines:

Policy/Action 5.    Provide for access to trails using the following guidelines:

Policy/Action 6.     Where appropriate, provide for adequate parking to accommodate trailhead needs in a manner which is compatible with surrounding land uses.

Policy/Action 7.    Provide for new trail construction in environmentally appropriate areas:

Goal C.     Continue to develop and manage a complete network of interconnected and multi-use trails in cooperation with other public and private entities.

Policy/Action 1.     The County should work in cooperation with private and public entities to provide for appropriate trail connections beyond Summit County and maintain appropriate significant summer and winter routes as identified in basin master plans.

Policy/Action 2.     Work with the U.S. Forest Service, other agencies, developers and user groups in a cooperative manner to develop and maintain trails, trailheads and support facilities.

Policy/Action 3.     Work with the Summit Stage and Chambers of Commerce to provide transit loops to high use trailheads to minimize parking area impacts.

Policy/Action 4.     Increase enforcement of motorized restrictions, both summer and winter, in designated non-motorized areas to reduce severe damage to backcountry resources.  This could be done by combining field personnel and user groups.

Policy/Action 5.     Develop/negotiate incentives and work with property owners and developers in acquiring and providing trail easements and access to significant summer and winter routes.

Policy/Action 6.     The County should review their land use regulations to insure they have mechanisms in place to require the dedication of trails, trailheads and public access to streams, lakes and public lands where appropriate.

Goal D.               Develop a unique set of strategies to handle the impacts associated with urban  interface areas and the national forest in order to manage impacts from high-density recreational use.

Policy/Action 1.   Create functional trail networks in current urban interface areas that accommodate higher concentrations of use.

Policy/Action 2.   Formalize existing social trails, where appropriate and sustainable, in urban interface areas to connect  neighborhoods to regional trail systems, and to ensure compatibility with existing land use and natural resource values.

Goal E.            Provide public information to promote user awareness of appropriate trail use.

Policy/Action 1.   Encourage the development of uniform and consistent signage, maps, informational and web-based materials, readily available to all visitors and residents, indicating trail opportunities on adjacent national forest lands, trailhead locations and appropriate uses.

Policy/Action 2.   The County and other land management agencies should work cooperatively with user groups to develop informational materials outlining responsible use of national forests, "leave no trace" practices, wildlife values and ethical trail use.

Policy/Action 3.   Provide accurate information about trails and access points to publishers of trail guides and maps.

Policy/Action 4.   Develop “Adopt-a-Trail” programs and other partnerships to promote user education.

Policy/Action 5.    Improve enforcement and education of backcountry users by utilizing the recommendations outlined in the Winter Travel Management process (e.g., signage, enforcement and plowing priorities).

Bikepath

Goal F.         Maintain and, where appropriate, enhance, connect, and expand paved trails in the County.

Policy/Action 1.   Incorporate the following into the County bikepath system: connectivity, adequate setbacks, vegetative screening from development, and elimination of motorized use and crossing where appropriate.

Policy/Action 2.   A uniform requirement for improvement of shoulders to occur concurrent with improvements to state highways and other roads that are primary bicycle routes should be preserved.

Policy/Action 3.   Complete the development of a pedestrian and bicycle path that traverses the County, connecting to other basins in the County and connecting to Lake and Eagle Counties.

Policy/Action 4.   Ensure that the County bikepath can safely accommodate users and incorporate the path either as a grade-separated route or a bicycle lane along Highway 91.

Policy/Action 5.   Provide paved bike access from public buildings to the County bikepath, where possible.

Policy/Action 6.   Provide County bikepath connections (summer and winter) to adjacent national forest trailheads, where appropriate.

Trailhead & Trail Signage

Goal G.        Maintain and improve trailhead and trail signage.

Policy/Action 1.   Work with local, state, and federal agencies and appropriate non-profit organizations to standardize information and symbols on signage across jurisdictional boundaries to clarify land management.

Policy/Action 2.   Provide uniform signage across jurisdictional boundaries.  Provide public information on regulations, enforcement procedures, fines, alternative directions and responsible uses of winter recreation trails.

Policy/Action 3.    Improve signage to direct visitors to appropriate recreational opportunities.

Policy/Action 4.    Provide designated and signed parking spots for users and landowners at trailheads.

Policy/Action 5.    Separate day-use parking from long-term parking with proper signage at appropriate   trailheads.

Policy/Action 6.   Signage should be designed to: promote and enforce a "pack it in, pack it out" protocol, educating users on rules and code of conduct, and fostering voluntary concern for etiquette and trail care.

Policy/Action 7.   In developing signage, the Summit Fat Tire Society's “good neighbor” signs, rather than should be considered in addition to government agency regulatory signs.

Policy/Action 8.   Winter demarcation should clearly define motorized routes to eliminate intrusion into wilderness areas.

Policy/Action 9.   Priority should be given to installing proper signage in areas identified in the Winter  Travel Management process.

Winter Travel Management

Goal H.        Preserve, maintain and develop winter recreational and trail opportunities.

Policy/Action 1.    Separate use between motorized and non-motorized winter travel as much as possible without losing reasonable access for particular user groups.

Policy/Action 2.    Work with appropriate agencies to identify and manage legal access routes for winter motorized routes.

Policy/Action 3. Utilize maps developed in the Winter Travel Management process to guide winter  travel strategies in basin master plans.

Trailheads/Access

Goal I.        Maintain and improve winter recreational access to trails through developing trailheads as appropriate and to the extent practicable.

Policy/Action 1.     Separate trailheads for motorized and non-motorized uses as much as possible.  Where unfeasible, provide trailer facilities as shared use trailheads.

Trails

Goal J.        Preserve and improve winter trails to provide for the needs of County residents and visitors.

Policy/Action 1.     Identify appropriate winter uses for the County bikepath.

Policy/Action 2.     Develop parallel, alternative ski routes in heavily used snowmobile areas.

Maintenance & Regulation

Goal K.        Plan and provide for the sustainable maintenance and regulations of trailheads and trails for winter travel management.

Policy/Action 1.     Where separation of use is not possible, improve experience through grooming of main collector routes.

Policy/Action 2.     Establish a work plan for regular plowing of winter trailheads.

Policy/Action 3.     Establish mechanisms to determine which trails and trailheads should be plowed or not plowed for winter recreation activities.

Policy/Action 4.     If plowing of a significant winter route must occur, secure an alternate snow covered route that maintains the original character and function of the trail.  Require plow operations to leave a minimum of 4 inches of snow on the ground on significant winter routes in the backcountry.

Policy/Action 5.    When all other strategies are exhausted, require winter trailhead or access points to be relocated to the end of snow maintenance.

Policy/Action 6.     Seek state trails funding for grooming of high volume shared use trails (e.g., bikepath).

Policy/Action 7.     Create a countywide regulation addressing snowmobile speeds and hours of operation to minimize impacts in residential areas.  Speed limits should vary for ROWs versus trails.

Policy/Action 8.   Require a conditional use permit for new winter plowing in the backcountry zoning district on significant winter routes to ensure over-snow uses (i.e., cross-country skiing) are accommodated and safety issues are addressed.  [Proposed mandatory provision]

Basin Specific

Goal L.        Develop basin or subbasin plans to address and incorporate unique or specific trail issues.

Policy/Action 1.     Identify and map significant summer and winter routes for various recreational purposes in basin master plans.

Policy/Action 2.     Coordinate with the US Forest Service and other appropriate agencies to acquire and develop important trailheads and trail links identified in basin or subbasin plans.

Sustainability Measures

Sustainability measures will be used as a means to assess progress toward achievement of specific goals and policies/actions outlined in this element.  The indicators are quantitative and qualitative measurements that reflect data available from a number of resources.  While there are many forms of measurements, these indicators are representative of specific issues and concerns throughout the County.  The representative data from each indicator corresponds to the outlined goals within this element and can be tabulated and presented to illustrate trends or progress.  Analysis of these annually can serve as a basis to support County management decisions.An extensive network of natural surface and paved trails exist in the County; of which the majority of the natural surface trails are within the jurisdiction of the USFS.  Table 4 is intended to track additional paved trails built, maintained and managed by the County and Towns.

Table 4. Paved Trails Built, Maintained and Managed in Summit County / Jurisdiction
Basin	Year	Total Miles	Year	Total Miles Built (new)	Total Miles
Lower Blue
Ten Mile
Snake River
Upper Blue
Total
Town
Breckenridge
Dillon
Frisco
Silverthorne
Total

Source: Summit County Open Space & Trails Department and Towns.

Approximately a dozen types of recreational facilities exist in the County.  However, the two central year-round recreational facilities for permanent residents in the County are the Town of Breckenridge and Silverthorne recreation centers.  Table 5 is intended to track trends in the usages of these facilities. 

Table 5.  Total Users & Year – Breckenridge & Silverthorne Recreation Centers
Town	Year	Total Users
Town of Breckenridge Recreation Center	2002	Forthcoming
Town of Silverthorne Recreation Center	2002	206,020
Town of Breckenridge Recreation Center	200?
Town of Silverthorne Recreation Center	200?

Source: Town of Breckenridge and Silverthorne Recreation Centers.

Implementation Strategies

Many of the policies and actions identified in this element require some future work in order to see their successful implementation.  The table below identifies specific strategies needed to fully implement the element.  Priorities are identified to give an indication of the current relative importance of a particular implementation strategy.  These priorities are provided as guidelines only.

Table 7.  Recreation and Trails Element Implementation Strategies
Goal, Policy/Action	Project/Description	Timeframe	Priority
A.1, A.3, A.4	Initiate discussion with the Board of County Commissioners to clearly define the County’s roles and responsibilities in providing for developed recreational facilities.  This would require further discussions with the County Managers Office, Open Space and Trails Department, towns and School District in terms of specific facilities, feasibility and options (e.g., needs study, funding and formation of a multi-jurisdictional entity).	1 year	Medium
F.1, F.3	Complete/connect the recreational pathway around Dillon Reservoir (grade separate segment from Summit Cove to Farmer’s Korner).   The County should take the lead in seeking and applying for funding through state and federal agencies to complete the connection.	Ongoing	High
G.1, G.2	Standardize information and symbols on signage across jurisdictional boundaries to clarify regulations and land management.  A cooperative program needs to be developed between all towns and the Forest Service to garner cooperation between entities.  The County shall take action to initiate discussion.	1-2 years	Medium
H.1	Preserve, maintain and develop winter recreational and trail opportunities.  Through the County’s Managers Office, continue to work toward accomplishing the key winter travel management consensus goals as identified in the “Summary of Key Areas for Improved Interjurisdictional Winter Travel Management.”	Ongoing	High

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