Jefferson County Open Space and contractor Concrete Express, Inc. will be constructing a formal trailhead adjacent to Colorado Highway 6 at Mayhem Gulch in the vicinity of highway marker 262.  No parking will be allowed within the construction envelope including areas used as informal pull-outs.  The project is expected to get underway in mid-May with completion anticipated by October 1, 2009.  Highway 6 will remain open; however traffic in Clear Creek Canyon will experience occasional lane closures during the construction.

The trailhead will serve Clear Creek Canyon and Centennial Cone Parks once completed. Construction will significantly impact access to Centennial Cone Park.  Open Space encourages visitors to explore any of the other 22 Open Space Parks during this construction period in order to have the highest quality recreation experience possible.

Open Space visitors are also reminded that as in years past Centennial Cone Park will be closed to the public for permitted hunting access December 1, 2009 through February 1, 2010.  At that time the Mayhem Gulch trailhead will also be closed.

Clear Creek Canyon Park is a recreationally rich, historic travel corridor and currently undeveloped park of 3,126 acres acquired by Open Space from 1994 through 2007.  Centennial Cone Park was acquired from 1999 to 2004 and totals 3,317 acres, provides 16 miles of natural surface trail and utilizes a weekend user management schedule alternating hikers (odd numbered weekend days) with bikers (even numbers weekend days).  Equestrians are welcome any day at Centennial Cone with trailer parking provided at the Park's north entrance.

Jefferson County Open Space was established in 1972, when the citizens of the County voted to tax themselves one-half of one-percent on sales to fund "the planning for, developing necessary access to, acquiring, maintaining, administering and preserving open space real property or interests in open space real property, and developing paths and trails thereon…"

More information about Jefferson County Open Space is available on the Open Space Web site.