The Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance (VVMTA) and EagleVail Metropolitan District (EVMD) are thrilled to share continued progress on the EagleVail Trail Extension. This 1.64 mile addition will connect the existing EagleVail Trail westward to the Beaver Creek roundabout in Avon, creating a continuous, non motorized trail for hikers, runners, bikers, dog walkers, and more.
The Planning and Advocacy Behind the Trail
Projects like the EagleVail Trail Extension do not happen overnight. They take years of advocacy, planning, and coordination with multiple partners, agencies, and landowners. Every new trail involves extensive environmental review, engineering, design, community outreach, and collaboration to ensure that it balances recreation access, wildlife protection, and neighborhood harmony.
This behind the scenes work, including securing approvals, drafting agreements, building partnerships, and navigating complex land designations, is what allows projects like this to move forward.
Your donations and support are what make this possible. They fund the time, tools, staff, and advocacy needed to bring trail projects to life from the first concept on a map to the moment the community takes its first steps or pedals down a finished trail.
Supporting VVMTA means supporting the continued creation, maintenance, and protection of trails across our valley.
Construction Progress
Following the USFS approval in August of 2024, we began building the eastern section above EagleVail in the fall of 2024. With the help of dedicated volunteers, we made strong progress before winter arrived.
As soon as the snow melted in spring 2025, our volunteers and Trail Conservation Crew jumped back in to continue the work. Together, they have built the first 0.75 miles of new trail, connecting it into the existing EagleVail Trail. This new section is open as an out and back route as long as weather and conditions allow.
To date, over 200 volunteers have contributed 931 hours of time toward this project, an incredible demonstration of community commitment and stewardship. In addition, our Trail Conservation Crew has put in more than 200 hours this year, focusing on the more technical trail building, rock work, and corridor clearing required to bring this trail to life.
We are also grateful to Old Growth Tree Service / Specialized Land Management, who have used the newly built section of trail to access the hillside for wildfire mitigation work. Their efforts have helped protect the EagleVail neighborhood by reducing hazardous fuels and improving forest health, an added community benefit made possible by this project.
A Change in Land Ownership
While great progress was made on the east side, a change in land ownership affected the western section near the Beaver Creek entrance which caused delays for us to continue building the trail. The Aidan Group, developers of the Arcadian on Beaver Creek, were the owners of a parcel identified as permanent open space where the trail was planned to pass through.
From the start, the Aidan Group was incredibly supportive, giving us the green light to allow public trail access through their private property. Over the past winter and into the summer, the Aidan Group and the Town of Avon worked together to transfer this open space tract to the Town, which will designate it as publicly accessible open space in perpetuity.
During this transfer process, we were temporarily unable to perform any trail work on the western segment. While the transfer and legal agreements were being reviewed, the Beaver Creek Resort Company (BCRC) also reviewed the open space transfer under its covenants and declarations. This process required additional coordination and approvals, including formal BCRC approval of the trail and an easement from Vail Resorts for the short segment near the Beaver Creek roundabout.
In August 2025, the Town of Avon Council unanimously approved the open space transfer and unanimously supported the EagleVail Trail Extension. Following that vote, BCRC board members and nearby homeowners visited the site to better understand the trail alignment. Seeing the trail firsthand reassured them that it will not impact views, privacy, or neighborhood character.
Recently, we hired a contractor to survey the Vail Resorts parcel to begin establishing a public access easement for the trail. The next steps include securing a construction easement with Vail Resorts to complete the remaining trail work, followed by the Town of Avon obtaining the permanent easement. This will officially connect the new public open space tract to the larger trail network.
Why This Trail Matters
The EagleVail Trail Extension replaces a network of informal social trails that cross more than two dozen private properties. The new alignment will create a safe, sustainable, and legal connection between EagleVail and Avon while reducing erosion and minimizing habitat impacts. It moves trail users farther from homes, creating natural buffers that preserve privacy and quiet for nearby residents. The trail also provides a scenic and safer alternative to traveling along U.S. 6 for both residents and visitors.
Beyond its immediate benefits, this project strengthens the overall trail network, linking neighborhoods, open spaces, and recreation systems across the valley. Wildlife and environmental studies have confirmed that consolidating multiple social trails into a single sustainable route reduces long term impacts and improves hillside stability and habitat health.
Looking Ahead and How You Can Help
With the continued collaboration of EagleVail Metropolitan District, the USFS, Frontgate, the Aidan Group, Town of Avon, BCRC, and Vail Resorts, we are completing the final steps needed to move forward. We are confident that full and final approvals will be secured this winter, positioning us to finish construction in spring 2026 once the ground thaws and conditions allow. If all goes as planned, the community can look forward to a summer 2026 opening of the EagleVail Trail Extension.
Trail projects like this take time, collaboration, and significant advocacy and coordination to bring to life. Every hour of volunteer time and every dollar of community support makes a difference and helps turn plans into reality.
Donate: Your support funds the advocacy, planning, and tools that make trail projects possible. Donate here.
Volunteer: Join one of our community trail work days or evening sessions to help build and maintain our local trails.
Stay connected: Follow updates and share our story to encourage others to support responsible trail building and maintenance throughout the valley.
We are deeply grateful to all of our partners and community members who continue to move this project forward, and to our volunteers and Trail Conservation Crew who have already contributed more than 1,100 hours of work.
Together, we are building more than a trail. We are building lasting connections between communities, landscapes, and people.
Stay tuned for more updates as we move toward completion and an exciting summer 2026 opening.
