William F. Hayden Park Plan

Hi Keith,

Absolutely, you are welcome to email the project team any questions or ideas or share via the tools on this page. You can find plan materials here and here. Keep in mind that the survey that recently closed informs the draft plan which will be posted on this project page this summer for community feedback. You can subscribe to the page to receive updates!

Hi there,

Thank you for your question! The project team has analyzed trail counter data on the mountain and Strava data, but this only represents how the mountain is being used, not where visitors are coming from. That said, the consultant has completed a Recreation Suitability Analysis that identifies local and regional use and compares user needs. This information will inform the capacity analysis and operational strategies that will be included in the William F. Hayden plan to be completed this summer. You will be able to learn more and comment on the draft plan by visiting this project page. 

Traffic on the mountain is 80% on foot and 20% on wheels. This information is carefully utilized as the project team works through Conceptual Trails. This plan is not yet funded, but serves as a guiding document for the next 10-20 years. Separating user groups has been highly favored to date through the public engagement process from both hikers and bikers. 

Hope this helps answer some of your questions!

Hi there,

Thank you for your question. Extensive study has been completed on the mountain including ecological and cultural surveys, along with studies of use patterns. Presentation boards and FAQ from the last Open House are available here with more information. 

As this plan is a guiding document for the next 10-20 years, funding has not yet been designated. The draft plan will be available for public review this summer and include operational strategies, phasing and cost estimates, along with resource needs. In addition, initial concepts, including a 10-space parking lot at the Alkire Trailhead has been removed due to concerns voiced from the nearby neighborhood. There is no available funding at this time to implement the plan and further design and impact studies will be required as phases are funded and moved to implementation. 

Planning process information is also available on this project page under the Documents section. Let us know if you have additional questions. 

Hi Erin,

We are very sorry to hear about your experience on the mountain. Your comments regarding concerns about visitor conflicts have been shared by others throughout this planning effort. The project team agrees that increased signage, education, and enforcement are critical to the future enjoyment of all user groups.  Operational recommendations will be included in the draft plan.  

It is also important to note that the William F. Hayden Plan is a conceptual, long-range plan, intended to guide improvements over 10-20 years when funding is available. A comprehensive planning effort such as this allows the project team to determine phasing, estimated costs of improvements, conservation and environmentally sensitive areas, and staff resource needs. Staff resources to support any new development/manage conservation is paramount. One strategy many entities use to reduce potential conflicts is separation of user groups, as you mention. Plan recommendations are likely to include realigning trails, closing trails in sensitive areas, and adding new trails to provide relief to concerns like those you have expressed. Each meeting and survey that is hosted helps us refine the plan a bit more. 

In working with other county and municipal partners, and the plan stakeholder team, we learned that adding designated use areas for downhill biking and hiker-only bypass opportunities draws users to a specific experience, leaving trails that are multi-use (and were previously used heavily by both hikers and bikers), space to explore the mountain as they choose. The plan also carefully considers sensitive habitat and wildlife corridors in order to allow the closure of social trails so that restoration can occur. Multi-use trails are also improved along with the addition of a base loop trail to support beginners and more accessible access to the mountain. With the inclusion of the popular, family-friendly, 11-mile base loop trail, the increase in trail mileage from what you see today is minimal due to closures and realignments. Managing capacity is another plan priority.  If you have specific trail requests where you see a need for hiker-specific improvements, please let us know! 

The next step will be to consider survey feedback and make adjustments for draft plan development. The plan will be posted on the project page for public comment later this summer.

Great question! These downhill areas identify locations that will require further study on specific trail alignments. Based on community and stakeholder feedback, separating uses in these locations reduces potential conflicts between users on foot and those on a bike. Any future downhill bike trails or hiker-only trails would be focused on new trails rather than existing or realigned trails that support multi-use. You can find more trail mapping information by reviewing the Open House Boards presented on Jan. 29. The Concept Trails Map provided in the survey is based on feedback received at the Open House. 

Thank you for your question.

Hi there,

Great question! This planning effort is conceptual in nature and intended to guide the next 10-20 years of improvements at William F. Hayden Park. Further design study and funding will need to be allocated to support any new project development. The downhill mountain bike areas are not field tested yet; the area you reference on the Concept Trails Plan would be further studied for an appropriate alignment. The opportunity was identified based on community feedback to separate uses in this area so that foot traffic does not have to compete with downhill biking. A new trail would separate these uses to reduce potential conflict. 

Hope this helps!

Hi Kerry,

This issue is unrelated to this specific project, but we are happy to help. Please contact the Planner of the Day to discuss personal property matters. You may contact the Planner of the Day in person at the Building Permit Counter, by sending an email to POD@lakewoodco.gov or by calling 303-987-7571.

Hi there,

Thank you for your comments! Information on this project has been shared on all city channels. The project team has also mailed postcards to all residents within 2,000 feet of the park boundary notifying folks of the planning process and each survey opportunity. It is very important to weigh the needs of the neighborhood with all other feedback, our approach to this included two separate neighborhood surveys so that we can understand the neighborhoods' feedback as compared to overall park visitor feedback. In addition, at the second Open House, we heard concerns about improvements proposed to the Alkire Trailhead and have removed the trailhead expansion from the project. Lastly, we have refined the Trails Concept Plan every step of the way, including recently pulling the proposed base loop trail further up the mountain and away from the neighborhood. The William F. Hayden Plan is conceptual in nature and is intended as a guiding document for the next 10-20 years. 

Please share any other comments via the survey or on this project page!

Hi Steve,

We have had two Open Houses for this project, the survey is the last step before we develop the draft plan. We want your feedback on the draft plan when it is posted on this project page, currently anticipated to occur this summer. Subscribe to the page for updates. Following plan refinements based on survey results and draft plan comments, we will present the William F. Hayden Plan to City Council for adoption. This plan is a 10-20 year guiding document. Funding is not currently available for implementation, the plan will support grant opportunities and partnerships. The plan will also be broken into phases, with further design and implementation when funding is allocated through the Annual Budget Process. The best way to share thoughts is to take the survey or submit comments through this project page. 

Thank you!

There is no funding available at this time to implement plan recommendations. The William F. Hayden plan is a 10-20 year guiding document that will also help the City pursue grants and partnerships. When a phase of the plan or a project is targeted for development, staff will request it be incorporated into the City's Annual Budget process for consideration by Lakewood City Council and complete a more detailed design process.

Thank you