Hello, Trails Preservation Alliance Supporters!
The snow has finally given way, and Colorado’s trails are beginning to open up—revealing both opportunities and the usual post-winter challenges. As we dive into peak riding season, it’s time to gear up, clear trails, fix drainage issues, and bring to life the projects we’ve been planning all winter!
Remember: ride over, under, or through obstacles—not around them, and always carry a saw. Connect with a local club and lend a hand to fun and important work – together, we’ll keep our trails open, sustainable, and enjoyable for all users!
While the prime riding season is just getting started, 2025 has already been a busy and productive year for the Trails Preservation Alliance. From ongoing initiatives to new efforts taking shape, there’s a lot happening—and a lot to look forward to.
Read on for updates, and as Riggle would say… “ride safely and more often!”
Cheers,
Chad Hixon
Trails Preservation Alliance
Executive Director
Recent Highlights
6th Annual TPA Partner Club Meeting
We’re still riding the momentum from our recent club meeting, held March 30, 2025! With over 60 attendees representing 28 clubs and organizations from Colorado and Southeast Utah, this year’s gathering was our biggest and most dynamic yet. From meaningful conversations on the issues that matter most to a record-breaking Rabbit Valley ride day, the event was a powerful reminder of how important this work is to all of us—and proof that we’re building real momentum to achieve great things together.
Thank You to Our Club Meeting Sponsors
A huge thanks to KLIM, Enduristan, Single Track Innovations, Rocky Mountain ATV/MC, KTM, and Doubletake Mirror for making this event possible. Your support fuels our shared mission to protect access and promote responsible recreation.
We’re grateful for everyone who contributes to this growing network. Here’s to another year of strong partnerships and shared success on the trails!
Get Connected to a Club!
- Club Area Map: We’re thrilled to have the interactive Club Area Map live on the TPA website. This tool shows which regions each partner club stewards and includes direct links and contact information to help connect riders, volunteers, and land managers with the clubs in their area. See Club Area Map…
- TPA Clubs Page: Now easily accessible from the top navigation bar of our homepage, this page lists all partner clubs and contact info in one place. See Clubs page…
- Club Operations: Starting and Running and OHV Club – A new online resource to help start and sustain effective clubs, based on insights collected from a variety of club leaders at the 2024 meeting.
TPA Trail Crew
We’re excited to share that the TPA Statewide Trail Crew has been actively working across Colorado since early May! This new initiative is already making a difference—supporting motorized trail maintenance in partnership with public land managers statewide.
Modeled after the USFS Statewide Trail Crew, our team is fully staffed with experienced professionals—many of them former USFS OHV crew leaders—and outfitted with a truck, toy hauler, motorcycles, chainsaws, and full PPE. Their work includes trail clearing, erosion control, drainage improvements, fire recovery, and new trail layout, design, and construction. Services are offered at little to no cost to agencies.
In a major milestone, the TPA has also secured a USFS Region 2 Work Agreement, allowing all Forest Service districts across Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas to work directly with the TPA Trail Crew and partners. This streamlines coordination and paves the way for broader regional impact.
We’re proud to fully fund the crew’s first season and are excited to share that we’ve been awarded a 2026 CPW OHV Grant—the highest scoring application in the state—to help sustain and grow the program in the coming years.
Our goal is to expand this program with additional crews to build long-term capacity, support clubs, and keep trails in Colorado and beyond safe, sustainable, and open for all.
If you believe in this work, please consider making a donation to help us grow the Trail Crew program and meet the growing need for high-quality trail stewardship across the region.
Want to connect your agency, club, or organization with the crew? Contact us via this form to get involved.
Club Spotlight
Motorcycle Trail Riders Association
Representing Western Colorado’s dirt bike community since 1989, the Motorcycle Trail Riders Association (MTRA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit led by a volunteer board and powered by annual memberships, donations, and grant support. MTRA has built a strong reputation for collaborative partnerships with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Grand Valley Trail Alliance (GVTA), Trails Preservation Alliance (TPA), Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO), and other user groups.
Mission:
MTRA is dedicated to keeping public lands in Western Colorado open to responsible and respectful recreation. By working cooperatively with local, state, and federal agencies—as well as other user groups—MTRA advocates for and maintains access to high-quality singletrack through volunteer labor, rider education, and active local engagement.
WHAT THEY DO:
- ENJOY great rides and community events
- >ADVOCATE for access and responsible use with land managers and partners
- SUPPORT trail development, construction, and ongoing maintenance
- EDUCATE riders and trail users on sustainable practices
- MAINTAIN access to singletrack and public lands
- RIDE the incredible singletrack Western Colorado has to offer!
For more information—or to join and support MTRA’s ongoing work—visit mtragj.org or contact them directly at mtrawestco@gmail.com or on Facebook
Fundraisers
Supporting trails and preserving access is truly a team effort! Recent fundraising events, made possible by the generosity of our donors and partners, highlight the incredible dedication of the off-highway motorcycle community. Thanks to your support, we’re making great strides in protecting and enhancing the trail systems we all love. Here’s a look at the highlights and impacts of our partners recent efforts!
Colorado 500 Partnership
We’re honored to announce a new partnership with the legendary Colorado 500, which has selected the TPA as the beneficiary of a three-year, $225,000 fundraising campaign to support advocacy, stewardship, and responsible motorized recreation across Colorado.
As one of the first organized off-highway motorcycle charity rides, the Colorado 500 has long supported rural communities. Now, it’s expanding its mission by investing directly in trail preservation and access efforts. Thanks to built-in matching support, every dollar raised will be tripled, amplifying the impact of this effort.
In addition to funding, the partnership also includes hands-on trail work—starting this summer with a volunteer day alongside the Gunnison-Crested Butte MC Club and the GOATS.
We’re incredibly grateful for the support of the Colorado 500 community and excited to share more about the impact of this effort in the months ahead.
2025 TPA Sweepstakes
Enter to Win the Ultimate Dual-Sport Bike!
The 5th Annual TPA Motorcycle Sweepstakes—our largest fundraiser of the year—is officially open through August!
This year’s prize? A 2025 KTM 350 EXC-F Champion Edition, expertly outfitted with top-tier accessories and a total value of $20,000. It’s the ultimate dual-sport machine—trail-ready and fully dialed in.
As the TPA’s work and impact continue to grow, so does our need for support. This sweepstakes is your chance to back the mission and enter to win one of the best off-road bikes on the planet.
- 1st Prize KTM 350 EXC-F Champion Edition
- 2nd Prize Two tickets to the Colorado 600
- 3rd Prize $1000 KLIM Gift Card
Support the cause. Win the bike. https://www.coloradotpa.org/sweepstakes/
2025 Colorado 600
The 2025 Colorado 600 Trails Awareness Symposium is just around the corner, happening September 17th – 21st in South Fork Colorado! This unique ride and fundraising event brings together riders, industry leaders, and advocates to support responsible motorized recreation across the West.
Never been? The Colorado 600 combines incredible riding with impactful discussions on land use, advocacy, and stewardship. It’s an experience unlike any other. Spots fill fast, so if you’re thinking about joining us, don’t wait—register soon!
We can’t wait to see you there! www.coloradotpa.org/colorado-600
Corporate & Private Donations
The TPA is blessed with numerous corporate and private donors both large and small. It is energizing to the entire TPA team to have all of your support and we thank each and every one of you for your generous support – we couldn’t do it without you!
Land Use
Moab Labyrinth Rims Gemini Bridges Appeal
On April 21, 2025, Ride with Respect (RwR), Trails Preservation Alliance (TPA), Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO), and Colorado Off Road Enterprise (CORE) filed an appeal with the Interior Board of Land Appeals challenging the BLM’s final Labyrinth/Gemini Bridges Travel Management Plan.
Led by Ride with Respect, the appeal challenges the removal of 317 miles of OHV routes across nearly 304,000 acres—an action the groups argue violates multiple federal laws, including NEPA, the APA, and the Dingell Act. The appeal also cites the BLM’s failure to adequately consider public input, assess socio-economic impacts, or evaluate a full range of alternatives.
These closures not only threaten access to a world-renowned OHV destination, but also risk serious impacts on local economies that rely on motorized recreation. The appeal reflects years of stewardship and investment in this area by off-highway enthusiasts, and a shared commitment to protecting responsible recreation through lawful, transparent public land planning.
For more detail please read the press release and full appeal.
Federal Court Upholds Rico-West Dolores Travel Plan
On May 16, 2025, a federal court upheld the U.S. Forest Service’s 2018 Rico-West Dolores Travel Plan, concluding a nearly seven-year legal effort led by the Trails Preservation Alliance (TPA), San Juan Trail Riders, and Public Access Preservation Alliance. While the plan reduced motorcycle trail mileage from 114 to 84 miles and limited seasonal use to June 1–October 31, the court ruled that the Forest Service followed proper procedures under NEPA and NFMA.
Though disappointed by the loss of access to 30 miles of trail, we’re relieved the court rejected additional restrictions sought by conservation groups. This decision brings closure to a long-running legal battle and reinforces the need for ongoing advocacy to protect responsible motorized access. Read more…
TPA Visits Washington DC
Our Executive Director Chad Hixon, along with our Legal Counsel Kent Holsinger and Erica Tergeson, Principal of Crosswinds Solutions, made a fast-paced trip to Washington, DC this May for a series of productive meetings with five legislators, two committees, and two federal agencies. The trip offered a valuable look into the scope and impact of our advocacy and stewardship work at the federal level.
Our discussions focused on addressing:
- Advocating for a Federal work agreement, which allows the TPA and OHV clubs to partner with agencies and execute good work.
- Advocating for NEPA reform through expanded use of Categorical Exclusions to speed up trail work.
- Addressing the over-concentration of access caused by decades of restrictive Travel Management Plans, and consideration for a return to an “open unless stated closed” as opposed to “closed unless stated open” policy, as was in place before 2005.
The meetings were well organized and generally well received across party lines and with staff from BLM, DOI, and USFS. While the cost of this kind of trip is not insignificant, (both time and money), the return – in terms of influence, strategic insight, and momentum – is invaluable. Read more…
Early Season Riding Reminders
Keep single track single!
Over, Under, or Through – Stay on the Trail and Always Carry a Saw!
It’s a simple rule with a big impact. Whether you’re navigating downed trees or muddy sections, staying on the trail is one of the most important things we can do as responsible riders. This message is at the heart of good trail stewardship—and we’re asking you to help spread it!
Even though much of the early trail clearing is behind us, snow drifts can linger at high elevations into mid-summer, and trees fall year-round—so don’t let your guard down. Always pack a handsaw on every ride. Educate yourself on current trail conditions by reaching out to local land management agencies or motorcycle clubs, and always stay mindful of seasonal wildlife closures.
When you see a mud puddle? Ride through it. Rock or branch in the way? Go over it. Taking shortcuts or going around obstacles widens trails and causes long-term damage. Let’s all do our part to keep singletrack single.
Check out this excellent article by Chad de Alva on Early Season Riding Etiquette from Upshift Online—a must-read for every rider hitting the trail this season.
Partners & Sponsors
We couldn’t do it without these folks. Their donations to the TPA of time, money, and goods keep us all on the trails.
Partners
Sponsors
In May, the Trails Preservation Alliance (TPA) made a strategic trip to Washington, DC to strengthen our voice at the federal level. Executive Director Chad Hixon, Legal Counsel Kent Holsinger, and Erica Tergeson, Principal of Crosswinds Solutions, held a fast-paced series of meetings with five legislators, two congressional committees, and senior staff from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Department of the Interior (DOI), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS).