Bicycle Colorado takes a trip to Trinidad

May 21, 2019
ByBicycle Colorado

Bicycle Colorado takes a trip to Trinidad

Situated on the I-25 corridor and just three hours from both Denver and Santa Fe, Trinidad is an excellent destination, whether you’re looking to spend a few hours in town or plan on an extended stay. Two Bicycle Colorado staff members recently spent 36 hours in Trinidad connecting with policy makers and advocates and exploring the area. Read on to learn more from our membership manager and policy director about their recent trip to Trinidad.

Erica and Piep, our membership manager and policy director

From the Friday night art walk, to meeting with local advocates and city employees, to exploring the city’s food and riding remote gravel roads, our 36-hour trip to Trinidad was full, fun, impactful and educational. We were lucky to experience the incredible scenery, infrastructure and some of the old west history by bike during our trip to Trinidad. Even more, the people we had the opportunity to connect with helped us understand the needs of the community.

Day 1: Road trip, Trinidad City infrastructure meeting, Bicycle Colorado outreach and First Friday on the town

After a three-hour drive south to the beat of the best singalongs of the 70’s and 80’s, we arrived for our scheduled meeting with the City of Trinidad.

City manager Greg Sund and a City Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee member, Tim Crisler, hosted us for a great discussion regarding the needs of people who bike in Trinidad. We learned about projects, including the upcoming recreational trail development of the Fisher Peak Ranch, a 30-square-mile area south of Trinidad. We also discussed connectivity from the city to their many outdoor recreation areas, as well as the Colorado Safety Stop law, “no right on red” policies, and other city safety laws.

“We’re looking forward to coming back to Trinidad for a future City Council meeting to talk about implementing Colorado Safety Stop in Trinidad,” says Piep van Heuven, Bicycle Colorado policy director.

Later that day, we also briefly met both Howard Lackey and Pat Fletcher, two additional Parks and Rec Advisory Committee members.

Since the timing of the trip aligned nicely with the Southwest Chief Fest Comedy and Bike Festival, we were able to set up a table on Friday evening at the festival headquarters at the Purple Toad to chat with attendees and residents about Bicycle Colorado, their statewide bike advocacy organization!

After an already-packed day of advocacy and outreach, we set up our tent on a picturesque camping spot on top of a hill just south of town. We then walked the entire downtown and enjoyed the First Friday activities. Here are some photos of the art and infrastructure downtown. We were especially impressed with the sidewalk infrastructure, bikeshare, lighting, trees, trash cans and the “Trinidad”-stamped bricks throughout town.

Bricks set in a wall with the word "Trinidad" stamped on each one.

A painted and decorated piano in an alley.

A person posing with a mural depicting a horse and a human both holding cups of coffee.

Metal lizards decorating a wall along a street.

A shopping area and a large mesa in the background.

An old steam engine with flags mounted behind it.

Day 2: City and gravel bike tour with a local advocate, delicious food, discovering Trinidad Lake State Park and heading home

Early Saturday morning, we spent time on the bike with Juan Delaroca, local advocate and founder of Explore Las Animas, who led us on a two-and-a-half-hour tour of the town and surrounding areas. We rode on-street infrastructure, gravel, rocks (almost would have been better on a mountain bike!) and some incredible Las Animas County open spaces.

We ended the tour at Las Animas Grill and devoured a delicious late breakfast before heading out to visit the Trinidad Lake State Park on our way back up to Denver.

A tent pitched on a dirt lot with trees and large mountains in the far background.

A mug on a placemat decorated with a Dia De Los Muertos-patterned skull.

Two people standing over bikes look over a field at large mountains in the background.

Spiky cacti with flowers in the foreground, a field and hills in the background.

In Trinidad and elsewhere, we are regularly blown away by the knowledge and passion of local advocates. Combine that passion with the true vastness of open and recreational space around Trinidad, and you get a potential for big things in this area of Colorado.

Trinidad is ready right now for an amazing gravel riding experience. There are hundreds of miles of gravel riding and mountain bike trails. Starting with the Fisher Peak Ranch project, local advocates have big plans for an even more extensive mountain biking network.

At Bicycle Colorado, we’re excited about the opportunity to support where we can as they expand their trail connectivity and street safety.

Have questions regarding bike-related activities, advocacy or news in Trinidad?

Please email erica@bicyclecolorado.org or head over to one of these resources:

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About the Author: Bicycle Colorado

Bicycle Colorado is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Denver. We use advocacy, education and passion to make Colorado one of the most bicycle-friendly states in the nation. We encourage and promote bicycling, increase safety, improve conditions and provide a voice for people who ride bicycles in Colorado. With the support of our members and numerous partnerships across the public and private sector, we’ve made significant strides in improving bicycling since 1992.

COMMENTS (1)

Lainee Parker January 9, 2020 at 7:22 am - Reply

Good read. Thanks for visiting our little town