Two unpaved segments of the Great Western Trail are currently open in rural Weld County at the northwestern corner of Colorado's Eastern Plains. Both portions were built on a railbanked Great Western Railway corridor—hence the trail's name—that carried trainloads of local farms' sugar beets to processing plants from 1905 to 1977.
The 3.3-mile western stretch begins at a restored trestle over an irrigation ditch at the northeastern edge of Windsor, where it links with the city's extensive trail system. After traveling northeast through acres of farmland, the trail eventually ends just north of the small town of Severance.
Farther east, a disconnected 1.1-mile segment passes through the town of Eaton. In the future, both segments will be connected and the entire trail will be surfaced with crushed stone, offering a pleasant 12-mile recreational amenity stretching across picturesque farmland.
Parking for the Great Western Trail is available where it crosses County Road 74 (4th Avenue) in Severance and where it terminates at CR 37 (Cheyenne Avenue) in Eaton.
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