By Shannon Lukens.
More than 1,800 people voted and the new name of the new downhill trail on Emerald Mountain looks like it will be Highway to Hell. Steamboat Springs City Council will have the final vote of confirmation in July. Once all is approved, Highway to Hell will be officially added to the Emerald Mountain trail map.
It’s 3.2 miles long with 27 berms, 27 rock drops, and about 20,000 square feet of rock armoring. It starts by the radio towers and takes riders along the ridgeline of the quarry before returning to the stables at Howelsen Hill.
Press Release from City of Steamboat Springs; June 13, 2025
Highway to Hell Set To Blaze Onto Emerald Mountain
Expert Directional Downhill Trail Features Berms, Jumps, Drop and Quarry Rocks
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO-June 13, 2025-Emerald Mountain just got a whole lot hotter. After a sizzling public vote that drew more than 1,800 trail-loving participants, the new name for Steamboat Springs’ soon-to-be expert downhill directional trail has been revealed: Highway to Hell.
The Parks & Recreation Commission considered the new trail name during its meeting on Wednesday, June 11, and will send a recommendation for approval to City Council. City Council has the final say on the new name which is anticipated to appear before the group as a resolution in July.
“We’re thrilled to see so many people get fired up about the trail naming,” said Parks & Recreation Development Manager Matt Barnard. “Highway to Hell captures the rush and thrill of riding down Emerald, and we can’t wait to see riders embrace the new expert trail when it opens.”
The name scorched the competition in a spirited community vote that celebrated Steamboat Springs’ adventurous spirit and love of singletrack. During a three-week online poll, 1,831 total votes were received on the four names up for consideration. When the tallies were finalized: Highway to Hell (42%) barely seared by the competition followed closely by Steamroller (39%), then Fault Line (14%) and Pandemonium (5%).
Potential names were chosen and considered that reflected the trail character, geography, or complemented other Emerald trail name references. Now, as the dust settles, Highway to Hell will soon be officially added to the trail map. New signage is in the works, and local riders are already gearing up and planning their high-octane descent on the valley’s newest trail when it opens later this year.
With its fast flow, tight berms, and grinning-from-ear-to-ear descents, the newly dubbed Highway to Hell is a name only the bold could earn—and now, only the brave can ride. The expert trail will be 3.2 miles long and include 27 berms, 11 step-up jumps, 27 rock drops and about 20,000 square feet of rock armoring. The trail starts by the radio towers taking riders along the ridgeline of the quarry before returning to the stables area at Howelsen Hill.
The downhill directional trail is the brainchild of the Parks & Recreation and Routt County Riders (RCR). It was designed and constructed by FlowRide Concepts, the company that assisted with a portion of the popular NPR (No Pedaling Required) trail. Funding for the project was provided by 2A Trails funding.
The lower portion of Highway to Hell is anticipated to open this summer around August with the upper portion following not far behind that later in the fall.