Trails will be open weekends, Presidents Day, and no-fly days.

Boulder County, Colo. - Beginning Monday, Feb. 3, through Friday, Feb. 28, the Lichen Loop and the Grindstone Quarry Trail at Heil Valley Ranch north of Boulder will be closed Monday through Friday for helicopter operations related to a forestry project. A helicopter will be used to remove cut material due to severe topography, highly-erodible soils, and other environmental factors. The trails will be open all weekends, Presidents Day holiday, and any days not suitable for helicopter flight. Unscheduled “open” days will be posted to the Heil Valley Ranch webpage and on social media.

The hazardous fuels reduction treatment project is planned as part of the North Foothills Open Space Management Plan and Parks & Open Space Forest Management Policy. The management plan sets forest management objectives to thin the forest to reduce risk from catastrophic wildfires.

The project is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant program, Colorado State Forest Service Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation grant funding, and matching Boulder County funding.

For more information, please visit the Heil Valley Ranch Forestry Project webpage or contact Stefan Reinold, Forestry and Fire Supervisor, at sreinold@bouldercounty.org or 303-678-6202.