Help Us
Stop The Bike Park
Protect Our Mountain Community
Sign Our Petition
Send A Letter In Opposition
Donate
Letters Submitted to the planning commission in opposition of the bike park
Watch a Message About Why We Are Doing This
People have signed our petition
What is the Proposed Bike Park?
In early 2023, developers filed an application for a special use permit to construct a dedicated lift-access downhill mountain bike park just West of Conifer on Shadow Mountain Drive.
The park would operate March/April – November/December (the developers list different dates in different places) with special events occurring when they aren’t open. The project consists of a four-passenger chairlift taking bikes and people to the top of Conifer Mountain, 16 miles of trails, a base area with a day lodge, a maintenance facility and a 300-car parking lot.
Learn More About the Proposed Bike Park
Current Status
2nd Referral Comments from Agencies Submitted
On December 8th, the developers submitted their responses to the 1st referral comments. The application has now gone through a second referral process where state and local agencies review the application and the developers’ responses again. You can find the agencies’ comments for the 2nd referral on this page at the bottom in the right-hand column of the table. The developers now have up to 180 days to respond to these comments. The first public hearing in front of the Jeffco Planning Commission could be as soon as the end of February depending on how quickly the developers respond. We will keep you updated on timelines here. This public hearing is when we will have our first chance to present all of our concerns with the bike park.
Be sure you are signed up on our Get Involved page to be notified when the public hearing date has been set. You can learn more about the process here and more about the bike park and their submissions here.
Learn More About the county’s process
Image from Trestle in Winter Park
Send A Letter To Jeffco Opposing The Bike Park
Our Top Concerns
We oppose the Bike Park because they plan on developing a pristine meadow into a commercial enterprise putting our mountain, our community, wildlife, and environment at risk.
Safety
Adding 940 vehicle trips per day like the developers propose on a road that is a winding, narrow two-lane road with no shoulders and blind driveways puts everyone at risk
Emergency Responder Resources
The Bike Park will provide only first aid, leaving Elk Creek Fire volunteers to respond to all serious accidents on the property reducing avalability for the rest of the community.
Wildfire
The proposed development area is in an extreme wildfire risk area with no evacuation plan.
Wildlife
The proposed development area provides habitat and migratory corridor for a diverse wildlife population.
Air & Water
The car pollution, human waste, and water needs of hundreds of mountain bikers a day will have detrimental impacts.
After second submittal, Jeffco and key agencies say bike park developer application still comes up short
It’s been more than three years since the proposition of a lift access downhill commercial bike park first startled many of us in Conifer and surrounding areas. The sizable project would verifiably cause excessive wildfire risk, life-threatening traffic increases, emergency response overload, water supply depletion and contamination, and critical wildlife habitat loss for our community. On December 8, 2023, the developers submitted their revised second application intended to address all the concerns generated by their first application. But the subsequent responses from the County’s Planning and Zoning team and key county and state agencies once again confirm why the bike park is absolutely not a fit for the proposed Shadow Mountain Drive location.
Mountain bike park controversy rides on in Conifer
Plans for a 200 plus acre bike park along Shadow Mountain Drive in Conifer remain up in the air as opponents build up their efforts, while proponents of the facility work to answer concerns.
“If you look around this neighborhood, there is no commercial development here,” said John Lewis, a local resident who is part of an organized opposition group, Stop the Bike Park. Increasing numbers of signs opposing the park have gone up around the area as the group has made efforts to get it dropped. “We have a clear idea of what we need to show them that this proposal can never happen,” said Lewis.
Community Voices: What Colorado Parks & Wildlife has to say about protecting the CSLB Parcel on Shadow Mountain Drive from development
Colorado Parks and Wildlife sent the following response to Jefferson County on March 21 as a first referral comment about the proposed Shadow Mountain Bike Park in Conifer. CPW’s mission in part is to perpetuate the wildlife resources of the state and they are nationally recognized as a leader in conservation, outdoor recreation, and wildlife management. It’s been a bellringer for so many people that we want to share it with the Conifer community-at-large. CPW’s considered opinion of development at the proposed location is exactly as they sent it to the County.