Belvoir Ranch Trails Near Completion

Southern Wyoming continues its expansion of quality mountain bike trails. Belvoir Ranch, near Cheyenne, will open in June of 2026

Nearly 13 miles of new singletrack built by Todd Thibodeau of TPT Trails will anchor the first public phase of the Belvoir Ranch trail system near Cheyenne, with an opening date now projected for June 1, 2026. For Northern Colorado riders, the trailhead sits just over an hour from Fort Collins. Trailhead location.

The City of Cheyenne has completed construction on 12.8 miles of trail at the former working ranch property, located west of Interstate 25 and south of Happy Jack Road. Before the system can open, the city must finish an access road and trailhead.

Spanning roughly 20,000 acres at approximately 7,000 feet in elevation, Belvoir Ranch represents years of planning and advocacy. The Belvoir Ranch and adjacent Big Hole properties were acquired by the City of Cheyenne for a combined purchase price of $6.5 million. YGR spoke with City of Cheyenne project manager Dustin Humphreys and Overland Mountain Bike Association Executive Director Kenny Bearden about the project’s scope and challenges.

“OMBA has been involved mostly through the advocacy process going back about eight to ten years,” Bearden said. “Longtime OMBA member Todd Thibodeau has been directly involved since the development of the original master plan for the property in 2008.”

The biggest hurdle for trail expansion on the property is connectivity. Union Pacific railroad tracks bisect the property, with trains running through the area four to six times per day, according to Humphreys.

“At grade crossings are a liability and safety concern for both the city and the railroad,” Humphreys said. “No at grade crossings will be built for the trail system.”

A non motorized bridge remains an option, but cost is a major barrier. In 2023, a pedestrian bridge spanning the full 265 foot railroad right of way was estimated at $4.5 million. By comparison, construction of the entire trail network to date has totaled about $1.1 million. Until a crossing is funded and built, planned connections to Big Hole, Red Mountain, and Soapstone will remain on hold, limiting future links toward Colorado.

Trail design and construction has been led by Todd Thibodeau of TPT Trails. Of the nearly 13 miles built, roughly nine miles are beginner and intermediate, leaning toward flowy, fast riding once the trails fully set up.

“So about four miles of the trail is advanced intermediate to advanced. We tried to provide a little bit of everything,” Thibodeau said.

Those more challenging segments include concentrated features, with one jump trail featuring roughly eight jumps and another incorporating multiple wood features. Class 1 e bikes will be allowed.

The trail system was envisioned as both recreation and land protection. That role expanded in 2019 and 2020, when the city began leasing portions of the ranch for wind energy development. In total, 119 wind generators were leased, generating annual revenue for the city.

“The city council did commit that a third of that revenue would go towards making improvements on the ranch,” Thibodeau said.

That lease revenue now supports trail maintenance, improvements, and future construction. Maintenance is currently handled through a contract with TPT Trails.

At opening, the trailhead will include parking for 25 vehicles plus two ADA spaces, a restroom, informational kiosk, and picnic shelter. No water will be available initially. Camping is not currently allowed, though it is included in the Belvoir Ranch master plan for possible future consideration.

The trail system will be open dawn to dusk from March 1 through November 30.

For now, the focus remains on opening the initial trail system and finding a long term solution to the railroad crossing. “Our goal for the immediate future is to establish a non motorized railroad crossing and connect to the existing Soapstone and Red Mountain trail system,” Humphreys said.