Nine spots on Summit County’s recreational pathways have new informational kiosks thanks to funds provided by the Summit Biking Group at the end of last year.

Commissioner Tamara Pogue said the recpaths have been busier than ever, with over half a million users on the paths last year.

“It is a little bit more challenging to manage than it has been in the past,” Pogue said.

The county and its partners, including the U.S. Forest Service and towns in the county, have focused on improving safety on the recpaths as usage has increased, Pogue said, and increased signage is part of the effort.

“We are particularly grateful today for our continued partnership with Summit Biking,” Pogue said. “Summit Biking donated about $13,000 to this project.”

Pamela Paling, a Summit Biking board member, said the money used for the project came from the group’s Circle the Summit bike ride. Paling said the group has funded other projects, like a Fremont Pass path extension, lighting in the Vail Pass tunnel, other path signage and more.

Katherine King, the director of the Summit County government Open Space and Trails Department, said other recent efforts to increase safety on the recpath have included repainting center stripes, running advertisements about path etiquette and outreach to bike shops to help them educate tourists on proper pathway usage.

Jordan Mead, a resource specialist with the Open Space and Trails Department, explained what is included on the new kiosks. 

“Almost two years ago now, I was out doing the inventory of the existing kiosks,” Mead said. “One of the things that we saw was that there wasn’t a lot of orientation to where people were.”

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The maps on the new kiosks have a “You Are Here” label and are oriented the direction the kiosks face instead of north. A larger map gives a zoomed-in look at the surrounding area, and another smaller map shows the entire recpath system.

“When you’re looking at the map, you can just determine what left and right is,” Mead said. “We don’t have to turn the map.”

An elevation graph shows the elevation gain riders will face when taking different routes. Mead said it should help riders understand “how much of a climb it’s going to be” to get to Vail Pass from Frisco, for example.

The kiosks also have welcome signs that describe the recpath in English and Spanish. Other signs have rules for the paths, like the 25 mph speed limit, in both languages with pictures to represent some of them.

“You can just take a glance here and see some of the best rules,” Mead said about the pictures. “We’re trying to convey those best-use practices. Traveling single file, passing on the left and announcing yourself, pulling off to stop and take pictures.”

A QR code on the map brings visitors to an online interactive map of the recpath system. Another QR code on a small sign that reads “Signage provided courtesy of Summit Biking” takes users to the biking group’s website.

The other kiosks are located at the intersections of the Fremont and Vail Pass recpaths, the Upper Blue and Dillon Reservoir paths and the Snake River and Dillon Reservoir paths, as well as the top of Vail Pass, Sapphire Point, the Dillon Nature Preserve and Dillon Marina Park.

Mead said the final kiosk at the boardwalk on the Frisco waterfront is not yet installed, but it will be on Denver Water property eventually.