Think back to the first time you stepped onto a trail. Maybe you were uncertain about what you’d find out there. Maybe the signs didn’t quite make sense, or you weren’t sure if you were welcome. For many of us, that feeling faded with time and experience. For a large part of Eagle County’s Latino community, that feeling never had a chance to fade, because the tools to overcome it simply weren’t there. Senderos Para Todos, which translates to Trails for Everyone, is our answer to that.
The Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance (VVMTA), in partnership with Exploremos, set out to change that reality by building something the community asked for and helped design. What started as a question about access has become a bilingual trail guide, a network of Spanish-language signage, and a full season of outdoor belonging programs that reached 350 Latino youth and family members in 2025 alone.
“It’s rare, especially in small communities, to be in spaces where I know I will be accepted.”
Soul Dirt // Mountain Pride Participant
Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance
From Soul Dirt to Senderos Para Todos
The story of Senderos Para Todos begins in 2022 with a program called Soul Dirt. Launched in partnership with Eagle Valley Behavioral Health (EVBH), Soul Dirt started with a donated bike fleet and a simple goal: connect people who had never had the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors to trail recreation. Early programming was open to any underserved community member, and it quickly became clear that Eagle County’s Latino community had both a strong desire to be on the trails and significant barriers keeping them off.
Those barriers were not a matter of interest. Community engagement through focus groups and surveys confirmed that Latino residents wanted to spend time outdoors. What they lacked was access, information in their language, gear, culturally relevant programming, and a sense that the trails were spaces built for them too. One participant put it plainly after joining her first event: “I wasn’t sure what to expect and it exceeded expectations in every area. To be able to participate and borrow a bike for free is AMAZING. Cost has definitely been a barrier to entry in the sport.” So the work evolved. Soul Dirt deepened its partnership with Exploremos, added Spanish-speaking ambassadors, made registration bilingual, ensured programming was multigenerational and family-friendly, and began building toward something more permanent than a program calendar.
Eagle County Public Health and Environment’s Advancing Systems Change grant gave that permanent work a foundation. With that support, VVMTA formalized the initiative under a new name and a new purpose: Senderos Para Todos. The goal was not just to run more programs but to create lasting infrastructure that would keep working long after any single event or season ended. That meant an interactive trail guide, bilingual signage across the county, and continued programming through trusted community partners.
What Senderos Para Todos Actually Does
At its core, senderosparatodos.org is a Spanish-language trail guide built to meet people exactly where they are. Whether someone is looking for a beginner-friendly hike near Gypsum, a family outing close to Edwards, or a more challenging route near Vail, the site makes it easy to find options that fit. Filters for difficulty, distance, family friendliness, and town mean the search takes minutes, not research sessions.
The site also includes:
- A five-question trail quiz that matches users to routes based on their location, difficulty preference, and whether they are heading out with family
- Community video testimonials from real participants sharing their experiences on the trails
- A resources section with links to free gear lending, Leave No Trace principles in Spanish, and connections to Exploremos programming
- Bilingual trailhead signage installed throughout Eagle County at Town of Eagle locations, the Eagle River Preserve, and Forest Service trailheads
None of this was guessed at. Every element of Senderos Para Todos was shaped by the community it was built to serve. Focus groups and surveys drove the design decisions, and the result is a resource that reflects what Latino residents in Eagle County actually asked for.
What the Data and the Community Are Telling Us
In 2025, the Senderos Para Todos programming delivered results that went far beyond the numbers, though the numbers themselves are worth knowing. Here is what a single season of outdoor belonging programming produced:
| What We Did | The Impact |
|---|---|
| 17 outdoor belonging events | Hikes, mountain bike rides, a backpacking trip, and first-ever Spanish-language trail work days |
| 350 Latino youth and family members reached | 54% of total program participants across all Soul Dirt programming |
| Bilingual signage installed county-wide | Town of Eagle, Eagle River Preserve, and multiple Forest Service trailhead locations |
| senderosparatodos.org launched | Interactive trail map, trail quiz, community videos, and Spanish-language outdoor resources |
Research from Headwaters Economics shows that low-income residents who live within a ten-minute walk of a trail are 82 percent more likely to use it. Proximity is not just convenient, it is transformative. That is the principle behind all of this work: bring the trails to the people, remove the barriers between people and the outdoors, and the benefits follow naturally.
Those benefits are well documented among participants. Every person who joined a Soul Dirt event in 2025 reported that their mood improved afterward. Friendships formed. Families discovered something new together. And something less measurable but just as real happened too: people who had never felt like the trails were for them began to feel like they belonged out there.
“Not to be dramatic, but this event changed my life. It taught me to trust myself, that it’s okay to be a beginner, and that reaffirmed that the trails are a judgment-free zone for all to enjoy.”
Soul Dirt Participant
Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance
That sense of confidence is consistent across programs and across participants. One mountain biker described her first Soul Dirt ride as a moment of genuine transformation: “Being out on the trails was a great experience to build connections with my peers. It also allowed me to look at exercise from mountain biking as therapeutic.” Another said simply that she pushed herself physically and mentally and came away with something she had not expected to find out there: confidence.
“I pushed myself physically and mentally and built confidence. Overall I felt challenged and happy.”
Soul Dirt Participant
Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance
What Comes Next
Senderos Para Todos is now launching in full. After a soft rollout while the assets were being finalized, the program is going wide this summer with paid social media, community outreach, and continued programming through Exploremos and My Future Pathways. The goal is simple: make sure every Latino resident in Eagle County knows this resource exists and feels genuinely invited to use it.
Looking further ahead, VVMTA is also leading a new planning initiative called Nuestro Espacio, Nuestra Salud, funded by the Colorado Health Foundation. The project is focused on Gypsum, a community that is nearly 50% Latino and currently lacks trail access within a ten-minute walk for many residents. Through a community-led design process that centers Latino youth as living experts, the goal is to develop a concept for new trails and outdoor spaces that reflect local priorities and support long-term health and connection. Planning began in April 2026 and will continue through early 2027.
The long game here is not more programs. It is a future where specialized equity initiatives are no longer necessary because every Eagle County resident, regardless of language or background, already has a seat at the table when decisions about public land are made. That change requires sustained effort, trusted partnerships, and a willingness to let the community lead. VVMTA is committed to all three.
Be Part of What Comes Next
If the trails have given you something, consider helping us extend that to more of our neighbors. Visit senderosparatodos.org and share it with someone who might not know it exists. Support the programs making this work possible at vvmta.org/donate. And the next time you pass someone newer to the trails than you, remember how it felt to be a beginner, and act accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Senderos Para Todos and who is it for?
Senderos Para Todos, which means Trails for Everyone, is a free Spanish-language trail guide built for Eagle County’s Latino community. The interactive site at senderosparatodos.org allows users to search trails by location, difficulty, distance, and family friendliness, take a short quiz to find the right route, and access resources including free gear lending and outdoor safety information in Spanish. While the platform is designed with Spanish-speaking residents in mind, the trails it features are open to everyone. It is one part of a broader effort by VVMTA to ensure that outdoor recreation in the Vail Valley is genuinely accessible to all Eagle County residents. Learn more about VVMTA’s full range of programs and initiatives.
How does Senderos Para Todos connect to the Soul Dirt program?
Soul Dirt is VVMTA’s outdoor belonging program, launched in 2022 to connect underserved community members to trail recreation through free hikes, bike rides, and backpacking experiences. Senderos Para Todos grew out of that work as a permanent infrastructure layer designed to keep people engaged between and beyond programming. Where Soul Dirt brings people onto the trails through guided, community-centered events, senderosparatodos.org gives them the tools to keep going on their own. The two work together as part of the same commitment to equitable outdoor access in Eagle County.
What barriers does this program address for Latino trail users?
Community engagement through focus groups and surveys identified four primary barriers: lack of awareness about free resources like the Eagle Bike Park, limited access to gear, safety fears related to wildlife and navigation, and language barriers that made existing signage and information inaccessible. Senderos Para Todos addresses all four directly through a Spanish-language digital trail guide, bilingual trailhead signage across Eagle County, free gear access through Exploremos, and Spanish-speaking program ambassadors who lead outdoor belonging events. The design of every element was driven by what the community said it actually needed. For volunteer opportunities that support this work, visit vvmta.org/volunteer.
How can I support Senderos Para Todos and VVMTA’s equity work?
The most direct way to support this work is through a donation at vvmta.org/donate, which helps fund the programming, partnerships, and staffing that make Senderos Para Todos possible. You can also help by sharing senderosparatodos.org with neighbors, coworkers, or community members who might benefit from it. Following VVMTA on social media and staying connected through the email newsletter helps spread awareness each time new programming or resources launch. And if you are out on the trails this summer, welcoming newcomers and extending the same patience that made the trails feel good for you goes further than most people realize.
