The Lower Loop

In 1998, 1% for Open Space granted the Crested Butte Land Trust $100,000 for the purchase of 193 acres that encompasses what is now known as the Lower Loop. The purchase of this large piece of property was a priority of the Land Trusts since 1992. The area known as the Lower Loop is located just north of the town of Crested Butte up the Slate River Valley. The Lower Loop is one of the most popular and most accessible single track trails from town. Peanut Lake Road and the Woods Walk are two ways of reaching the Lower Loop. The end of the Lower Loop parcel is adjacent to Oh Be Joyful Creek and an access point to the Raggeds Wilderness.

1% for Open Space was happy to help the Land Trust in purchasing this piece of property as their second project to ever fund. The project aligns with all their values, including preserving open space into perpetuity. The land is valuable for many reasons; it contains 40 plus acres of wetlands, the Slate River runs through part of the property, it lies adjacent to Wilderness area and maintains an open viewshed from town to Paradise Divide. Today, imagine if the land that contains the Lower Loop had been developed and no public access was allowed. We would have lost out on a real gem in the Gunnison Valley that includes the Magic Meadows Nordic trails, Budd Trail, Upper Lower, the KB trail and many more. 1% is proud to have a hand in the preservation of such important land.