Converse County Park

(Box Elder Canyon)

Trails Plan

The potential of a non-motorized trail system in Converse County Park, which includes Box Elder Canyon, is the subject of a planning study authorized by the Converse County Commission in August 2022.

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About the Trails Plan

The county park, located about 10 miles south of Glenrock, measures about 2,100 acres and is roughly bisected by the deep, rugged canyon carved by Box Elder Creek. The park, directly east of the Duncan Ranch open space area, is accessed via Wyoming State Highway 90 and County Road 17.

A Wyoming-based professional planning and construction firm, TPT Trails, LLC, has begun the process of evaluating the park for a trail system. One goal is not only to determine the suitability of trails, but also to provide a conceptual trail map. Another goal is to determine the potential for economic development opportunities resulting from the creation of a trail system.

Planning Activities

Identify where to build durable natural surface trails for mountain biking, hiking, fishing access, and other uses.
Develop prioritized recommendations which would guide the development of an initial set of trails and potential future expansions thereof.
Evaluate adjacent areas and roads which would provide access to the system.
Develop recommendations for trailheads, sanitation stations and other recreational amenities.
Provide multiple opportunities for public involvement and comment.
Create a plan with cost estimates for initial construction. The plan would also identify potential funding sources.
Identify and evaluate partners for trail construction and maintenance, and their ability to assist with funding and in other ways.
Engaging and collaborating with local trail advocates and providing information on current best practices for trail design, construction and maintenance.

Project Updates

The first round of public meetings has been held and public comments were collected there and via the online public comment form. The summary of these meetings and the comments collected there are detailed in the Update and Summary documents below, which is current as of November 14th, 2022. The “table top” comments collected at the meeting are listed in the documents in the “Public Meeting Comments” section below.

Please check back for further updates as additional meetings are held and additional comments are collected.

11/14/2022 Update on Information Gathering/Trails Proposal for Box Elder Park

Download the update from Kirk Lehner, Chair of the Converse County Parks and Recreation Board.

10/20/2022 Converse County Park Box Elder Canyon Trails Plan Summary

Download the summary of the public meetings and comments.

Public Input

We encourage the public to let us know what they think about this project.
Comments can be submitted during public meetings or at any other time via the contact form.

Public Meetings

Public open house meetings in Glenrock and Douglas are slated for early October to help kick off the planning process.

During the meetings (Oct. 6 in Glenrock and Oct. 7 in Douglas), attendees can provide input during the early planning process (see public comments collected at these meetings in the “Public Meeting Comments” section below.

A second round of public meetings is projected for early December when the planning process will likely be about 75-percent complete. An update on plan development will be available and attendees will again have the opportunity to comment.