Mancos Trails Group Announces Completion of Pavilion at Aqueduct Trailhead

The construction of the pavilion was funded by a grant from the LOR Foundation in 2022

The newly constructed pavilion at the Aqueduct Trailhead near Mancos. A change house, picnic table and bike rack have also been installed. (Don Hoffheins/Courtesy photo)

The Mancos Trails group announced Wednesday the completion of a project to install a pavilion at the beginning of the Aqueduct trail system. The group received a grant from the LOR Foundation in 2022.

“The pavilion provides much-needed shade at the start of the main trail,” said Don Hoffheins, president of the Mancos Trails Group. “Due to the low elevation of the trail system, 6,500 to 7,000 feet, temperatures can get quite hot in the summer. Having shade at the beginning or end of trail activities will provide trail users with a welcome respite from the heat.”

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The pavilion includes a picnic table and a nearby changing room so cyclists can freshen up after their ride, the news release states. A bike workstation was also donated by Jimbo Fairley, so cyclists can make any necessary repairs before getting back on the road. A bike rack was donated by Anthony Mestas, who was one of the builders of the pavilion.

The Mancos Trails group has adopted the trails and trailhead for long-term maintenance, the release states. In 2022, the group received numerous grants and donations from individuals and businesses and was named “Project of the Year” by Mancos Valley Resources.

A changing room has been built next to the new pavilion at the Aqueduct Trailhead near Mancos. (Don Hoffheins/Courtesy photo)

A plaque recognizing the LOR Foundation’s contribution to the new pavilion. (Don Hoffheins/Courtesy photo)

“We supported MTG’s grant application because the Aqueduct Trail System is a very popular project with Cortez residents, as well as Mancos, Dolores and beyond Montezuma County,” said Nicci Crowley of the LOR Foundation. “Many of the MTG volunteers who helped build the Aqueduct Trail System are Cortez residents.”

The LOR Foundation “grants funds for charitable and educational purposes,” the statement said. It works with rural communities in the Mountain West “to improve quality of life and prosperity while preserving the character that makes each community unique.”

The grant to fund the project was $19,950 for materials and construction. The Mancos Trails groups thanked Crowley in the release. “Nicci is very friendly and made the LOR grant process extremely easy, she was a pleasure to work with,” Hoffheins said.