Preliminary Proposed Action

TRAILS (All miles listed are approximate)

 Total: 51 miles
Non-motorized: 42 miles
 Construct new trail: 36 miles
 Improve existing user-created trail: 2 miles
 Improve old Hwy 40 and designate as non-motorized trail: 4 miles
Motorized/multi-use: 9 miles
 Construct new OHV/multi-use trail: 5 miles
 Improve old route/road and designate as OHV/multi-use: 4 miles
Other Route Changes
 Remove and re-naturalize user-created trails: Approximately 20 miles of trail are currently
identified. Continue to monitor for and close new user-created trails.

INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGES
 Hot Springs Trailhead would be removed; Forest Service would collaborate with the
Strawberry Park Hot Springs on signs and information boards denoting access/easement
across Strawberry Park Hot Springs property and provide information for Forest Service
visitors to use the Lower Bear Trailhead (TH).
 Lower Bear TH: Increase capacity and improve traffic flow; install restroom.
 Ferndale Day Use Area would be reopened as a summer trailhead, and a restroom and
information kiosk would be constructed; the loop road would be reconfigured into a parking
area (estimate of 20 parking places). Re-establish as a fee Day Use Area.
 The planned NFSR 296.1 winter parking area would be designated as a year-round trailhead,
and a restroom and information kiosk would be constructed.
 An existing small pull-off on Hwy 40 between Ferndale and Rabbit Ears West Summit area,
where old Hwy 40 (NFSR 299) and existing Hwy 40 intersect, would be designated as a
summer trail access point.
 Existing trailheads would be altered as follows: Bruce’s Trail and Fox Curve winter trailheads
would designated as a year-round trailheads without toilet facilities; Dumont and Muddy
Creek winter trailheads would be designated as year-round trailheads; Rabbit Ears parking
area would be designated as a summer trailhead, and a restroom and information kiosk
would be constructed.
OTHER MANAGEMENT ACTIONS
 Restricted Use Area designation would restrict wheeled vehicle use on Forest Service land to
designated routes within an area of approximately 88,000 acres (excludes the existing Buffalo
Pass Restricted Use Area and the Steamboat Ski Area). The boundary would not extend onto the
Yampa Ranger District.
 Two site-specific Forest Plan amendments would be required:

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  The 0.02 mile long existing user-created trail to Rabbit Ears Peak would require an
amendment in order to be improved and designated as a Forest Service trail. Management
Area 3.31 Backcountry Recreation - Year-Round Motorized, Transportation Standard 2 states
“Do not allow new road and trail construction” (LRMP p. 2-29). Establishing this trail would
provide safe access to a frequently visited point of interest.
 The proposed 2.4 mile long Grizzly-Helena connector trail would require an amendment in
order to be re-establish an historic motorized route. The proposed route would be in
Management Area 1.32 Backcountry Recreation Non-Motorized with Winter Limited
Motorized, which prohibits all summer motorized use per Infrastructure Travelway Standard
3 states “Prohibit all summer motorized use in Management Areas 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.32, 2.2,
and 8.22” (LRMP p. 1-23). This segment would enable a continuous north-south route
approximately 70 miles long, that also creates other connections.
 Commercial special use permits would be issued to provide shuttles to trailheads; this would
improve access and reduce traffic congestion. Areas for consideration include the following
trailheads: Mad Creek, Lower Bear, Dry Lake, Buffalo Pass, West Summit of Rabbit Ears, Dumont
Lake, and Muddy Creek.
 Commercial special use permits outfitting/guiding and recreation events on trails would be
established, identifying allowable areas and thresholds for use.
 Where specified, seasonal timing restrictions would be placed on certain trails for protection of
resources, for example to protect wildlife during critical times, and to protect trail resources
from erosion and impacts during wet weather.

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 United States Department of Agriculture

Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests &

Thunder Basin National Grassland

Hahns Peak/Bears Ears Ranger District

News Release
925 Weiss Drive Media Contact: Aaron Voos
Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 307-745-2323
970-870-2299 aaron.voos@usda.gov
www.fs.usda.gov/mbr

New information sought regarding Mad Rabbit Trails Project preliminary

proposal
(STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo.) July 16, 2019 – The Hahns Peak/Bears Ears Ranger District, Routt
National Forest, is seeking new information on a preliminary proposal for the Mad Rabbit Trails Project.
An updated collection of trail-based options is now available for feedback. Three previous proposals for
a Mad Rabbit Trails Project have been presented to the public.
Originally, the Mad Rabbit Project was proposed to provide trail-based recreation opportunities, as well
as to protect forest resources by reducing user-created trails. Over the past year, planning and public
input processes have established more broadly the importance for conservation of natural resources
and consideration of social concerns regarding the impact of Mad Rabbit.
“The preliminary proposed action represents a collaborative effort to incorporate multiple viewpoints
surrounding the Mad Rabbit project,” said Hahns Peak/Bears Ears District Ranger Tara Umphries. “In
addition, the proposal attempts to achieve a balance between providing public recreation opportunities,
while addressing management concerns and resource issues. The District is committed to working
alongside our partners, cooperators, and stakeholders, as we build relationships to deliver on shared
goals.”
This preliminary proposal includes approximately 50 miles of new trails, associated trailhead
improvements, and additional management actions that would provide opportunities for a variety of
users, both in terms of skill levels and types of use. Several of the proposed trails would occur along the
Highway 40 corridor, creating both short and longer trail opportunities for varying abilities and uses,
with connections to the Buffalo Pass area.
To protect resources and improve wildlife habitat, approximately 20 miles of user-created routes,
mostly near Rocky Peak and Strawberry Park Hot Springs, would be rehabilitated to a natural state.
Limiting further adverse impacts to this area, which already has appreciable traffic on county roads, was
a topic of consensus during the roundtable discussions. Curbing trail development in this area would be
consistent with the existing management area direction in the Routt Forest Land and Resource
Management Plan (LRMP), as well as supporting previous and current actions aimed at conserving
wildlife and associated habitat in the area (e.g., wildlife habitat improvements as a part of the
Steamboat Front project).
Suggestions for a high-density trail system between the West Rabbit Ears Summit and Ferndale are not
included in the proposal because it would not be fully consistent with the LRMP, Forest Service trail
standards, and retention of the roadless character of the area.
The development of this proposal is funded in part by the City of Steamboat Springs 2A accommodation
tax.
The Forest Service would like to thank all stakeholders who have contributed to the development of the
Mad Rabbit proposal thus far and encourage them to provide any new information on this preliminary
proposal. Input will inform the development of a proposal to be analyzed for environmental effects.
Feedback is most useful if concisely stated, directly related to the project, and includes supporting
reasons for suggestions. Input would be most helpful in development of the proposal if received by Aug.
15, 2019. Additionally, an official comment period will occur during the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) process.
The preliminary proposal and supporting documents can be reviewed at:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=50917

Please submit public input via email or postal mail:

comments-rm-medicine-bow-routt-hahns-peak-bears-ears@fs.fed.us with "Mad Rabbit Trails Project"
in the subject line, or
Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District
Attn: Mad Rabbit Trails Project
925 Weiss Drive
Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
For this project, compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA) are being conducted concurrently. In order to better involve the public in the
NHPA process, NEPA scoping letters and public legal notices which invite public comment as a part of
the NEPA process also serve to notify and invite public comment on the proposal as stipulated by NHPA.
A Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Mad Rabbit Trails Project is anticipated to be released in
the early spring of 2020. The next iteration of the proposed action will be presented in that document.
For additional information contact project lead or district ranger at (970) 870‐2299.

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