Conifer High School racing to raise $40K to fund Phase 2 of on-campus trail system

“When Phase 2 is complete, this 6-mile public access trail system will be the largest trail system in Conifer”

Conifer High School in Conifer is asking the public for help closing a funding gap before a September grant deadline that would add three more miles of trail directly onto its campus.

The high school completed Phase 1 of the on-campus trail system in 2025, drawing more than 900 volunteer hours over four months from the local cycling community. Those volunteers included riders from at least six different high schools stretching from Boulder to sister school Evergreen.

Currently the high school is chasing a Jefferson County Open Space Trails Partnership grant (due September 1) to help fund Phase 2.

The grant would help add three more miles of trail to the front side of the 106-acre campus.

A GoFundMe campaign was started on July 13 by avid cyclist Raymond Winn, who is also an Arapahoe County Open Space employee and coach on the high school’s mountain bike race team.

“We’re just trying to get a trail system where our students can use it,” Winn, who is helping lead the grant-writing effort, said. “It’s open to the public outside of school hours.”

The funding gap problem

Winn said Phase 2 is expected to cost approximately $156,000 to build, similar to Phase 1’s roughly $130,000 price tag.

The Jefferson County Trails Partnership grant requires a 50% cash match, or about $76,000 for this project.

“The high school needs to come up with an additional $40,000, minus whatever’s already raised on the GoFundMe, to get a 50% match for that grant.”

As of July 23, the high school has raised $3,800 toward the 50% match, leaving just over a month to close the remaining gap before the grant window closes.

“We just don’t have the funding,” Winn said. “That’s why we’re going out to the public and trying to raise as much as we can.”

Winn said the high school has been denied a Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) non-motorized trail grant twice, which is a highly competitive grant to win regardless.

“A lot of the grant requests for that are like a million-plus,” he said. “We’re not a huge ask, so we’re kind of fighting for the scraps left over.”

Winn said if the Jefferson County grant doesn’t come through, the team will reapply for CPW funding and continue pursuing other grants, including outreach to bike-industry trail funds at Trek and Shimano, and REI.

Why these trails matter

Winn said Conifer High School’s three completed miles of trail are already heavily used by students during free periods and lunch, and by an outdoor education program that monitors aspen growth and identifies tree species on campus.

Winn pointed out there is mental health value to the access of the trail system, especially in the wake of last year’s shooting tragedy at nearby Evergreen High School.

“The mental health benefits of kids having direct access to trails on campus is huge,” he said. “If a kid’s having a bad day, they can go take a hike.”

Winn also noted if the high school could reach six total trail miles, it would put Conifer in the running to host a Colorado High School Cycling League race — something no venue in the Denver metro area currently offers.

Because the school sits about 25–30 minutes from downtown Denver and about a five-minute drive from an RTD stop, Winn said it could make racing more accessible for students who can’t afford travel and lodging, such as when trying to travel to out-of-town venues like in Frisco.

“Any kid with a single parent working three jobs, whether they want to race or not, is going to have to hitch a ride with someone and come up with money for lodging,” Winn said. “Trails this close to the metro area eliminate a lot of those logistical barriers.”

Winn said the project also dovetails with a Jefferson County Transportation master plan, linking the high school, middle school and elementary school trail networks to nearby Jefferson County Open Space parks Meyer Ranch and Flying J Park; a link Winn said only becomes worthwhile once Conifer’s front-side trails are built.

Because the trails sit on school property, Winn said the mountain bike program is responsible for maintaining them indefinitely and keeping them open to the public.

“Student riders are required to log six hours of trail maintenance to letter in the sport (mountain bike racing),” he said. “This is double the league minimum, and a recent trail work day drew more than 90 volunteers.”

How to donate

If you are interested in donating more than $1,000, Winn said you can contact him directly via message on the GoFundMe campaign page, to be connected with the school for tax purposes.

Smaller donations can be made through the team’s GoFundMe campaign.