10/07/2026
Last week’s Colorado Outdoor Leadership Summit in Keystone, hosted by Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, combined some education, networking and time in the mountains. It was really awesome to catch up with so many folks from around the state. It was also a chance to share insights into best practices for developing a Santa Fe Trail hut to hut system optimized for bicycle travel across southeastern Colorado.
This concept has been on my mind for almost ten years now. Fortunately, a CU Boulder community engagement workshop in Trinidad fostered a cool relationship between Gravel Adventure Field Guide and the university’s outdoor recreation economy program under the leadership of Natalie Ooi, creating unique opportunities to expand the scope of GAFG tourism work.
My pitch involved partnering with CU Boulder Masters of the Environment (MENV) Graduate Program outdoor recreation economy program students to conduct a feasibility study that essentially maps out the path towards making a Santa Fe Trail hut system possible. Thankfully two sets of students stepped up to complete two phases of the project, and they bring great perspective to the research. Everyone sees the vision and wants to help bring it to life; this shared commitment is key to making the idea a reality.
Ben Wronkoski and Nathaniel Schaefer worked together to initiate the research phase into best practices, and they provided fantastic insight that informs the next phase of the hut system feasibility study, which includes fellow CU Boulder grad students— Evan Dudley, Andrew Day, and Chris Griffith. Both teams bring strong critical thinking and genuine enthusiasm to developing a backcountry hut system on Colorado’s eastern plains. Phase 1 focused on understanding best practices, and provided fantastic insight to inform the next portion of study focus. Ben did an excellent job presenting at COILS. Nathaniel who made important contributions was unable to attend due to family commitments.
We want to extend a big thank you to the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office for the opportunity to present at this year’s COILS event. It was a great venue to expand our thinking about where the backcountry starts and ends in Colorado. The gravel cycling on the Eastern Plains, which constitutes half the state, was mentioned several times throughout the summit. Along with the release earlier this year of the Sterling-Logan County GAFG, this Santa Fe Trail hut system concept is shaping a new dialogue around outdoor recreation on the Eastern Plains. It's been a privilege to be involved with some great partners to bring this all to life.
As we walked out of our presentation, I shared with Ben that in five years, he'll be able to stay in one of these huts and say, "I remember when this was just a dream."
