Continental Divide Trail Alliance – Monarch Crest Trail, Colorado

The NPLD Prius rolled into Pine, Colorado to visit the offices of Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA). The CDTA is a 501-c(3) nonprofit organization with nearly 3,000 members working to increase public involvement, volunteer commitment and private sector support on the CDT. To date this grassroots movement has made a tremendous impact on the Trail.



The CDTA has been participating in National Public Lands Day for many years. This year The CDTA is hosting three National Public Lands Day events along the trail, including a very large volunteer event on one of Colorado’s most famous mountain bike trails, Monarch Crest located in Salida, Colorado. Because of the popularity of Monarch Crest with mountain bikers, the trail becomes eroded and causes damage to nearby vegatation. It also promotes bad trail riding which causes even more erosion.

In partnership with Arkansas Valley Mountain Bike Club and The International Mountain Bicycling Association (another NPLD partner!), The Continental Divide Trail Alliance will host 150 volunteers in Salida, Colorado to restore and maintain sections of The Monarch Crest Trail on National Public Lands Day. The National Public Lands Day Program is happy to award $1,000 for the purchase tools and materials for this project.

After presentiong the staff of CDTA, they presented me with a 6 pack of Colorado Micro Brew. If any other awardees are reading...take note!



Later, I felt compelled to visit the site of another one of their NPLD projects on the way to Wyoming. I stopped at Rocky Mountain National Park on the way up and was in complete awe of the landscape. Here are a few photos I took:

Elk grazing at sunset. Check out the racks!!

Spectacular views from 11,000 feet

This little guy was curious who was walking past his home. An NPLD tee shirt will go to the first person to identify this guy in comments section!