After 2,400 Volunteer Hours, Expert Mountain Bike Trail Opens Near Red Rocks

GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - Expert mountain bike riders in Colorado have a new trail where they can test their mettle. The Dakota Ridge South Trail is a highly technical mountain-bike only trail that opened Thursday in Jefferson County.

The trail is .8 miles long and rated "Most Difficult," according to Jefferson County Open Space. It's located in Matthews/Winters Park and extends the Dakota Ridge Trail.

"The trail connects back to the shared-use Dakota Ridge Trail and Bailout Trail, leading to Red Rocks Park Amphitheatre Entrance 2 on the west side of Matthews/Winters Park," Open Space officials said in a prepared statement.

Riders are required to ride in a clockwise direction on the trail and no hikers are allowed on any part of the route.

A total of approximately 2,400 volunteer hours went into the creation of the trail.

The new bike-only trail is part of a pilot program the county recently embarked on in an attempt to avoid issues between hikers and people riding bikes in the same space.