Silverton’s Baker’s Park will double trails for mountain biking

Baker’s Park in Silverton is set to double its trail mileage, with about 10.7 more miles planned to push the mountain park toward a 30-mile network. The next phase of construction was tied to more than $1 million in grant money, and the work was designed to turn a scenic first loop into a deeper riding base for southwest Colorado.

The expansion matters because the trails are already drawing more than just mountain bikers. Silverton’s first 7-mile loop, which opened in fall 2024, has also been used by hikers and runners, and trail counters recorded nearly 3,900 individual users in its first season. The next round is supposed to widen the experience further, with beginner, intermediate and advanced options built into the route mix. That gives Baker’s Park a different role than a single signature ride: it is shaping up as a multi-use trail system that can hold a longer stay.

The project has been in motion for years. IMBA staff, the Silverton SingleTrack Society and the Bureau of Land Management first explored the Baker’s Park terrain in October 2018, and the Silverton Area Trails Plan recommended the area for trails in 2019. The BLM later authorized construction of about 30 miles of trails, open to hiking, biking and Class 1 e-bikes. In that sense, the current buildout is less a new idea than the next step in a plan that has been moving slowly and deliberately toward a full network.

Great Outdoors Colorado anchored the latest phase with a $750,000 grant, while Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Foundation for America’s Public Lands added support for the effort on BLM land. Recent reporting put total Phase 2 funding at $1,107,500. International Mountain Bicycling Association Trail Solutions is leading the construction, which is slated to begin this summer and continue over the next three years.

For Silverton, the payoff could be bigger than a longer ride list. The Silverton SingleTrack Society says Baker’s Park will ultimately total about 30 miles of singletrack and describes it as the first purpose-built trail network in San Juan County. That kind of mileage, paired with a range of skill levels, is what turns a pretty stopover into a place riders plan around, whether they are chasing a loop, a shuttle-style day or a longer stay in the San Juan Mountains.