BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — Several popular hiking trails in Boulder were shut down Tuesday, but for good reason. 

Boulder County is making major progress on construction and improvement to three hiking trails in west Boulder, bringing in the heavy equipment to make it happen.

“I’m excited to see what they are doing and what type of trail it will be and if I can bring my dog off leash on it,” said Ashely Alsup, who hikes the area with her dog at least three times a week.

To move heavy rock and other material, a helicopter worked to haul the necessary items that Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks needed to construct a new 3-mile trail called “Anemone Hill trail” in west Boulder, as well as conduct improvements and trail repairs along the Royal Arch, First and Second Flatiron trails.

“They are moving materials for trail crews to then go and situate in the right way, so there is going to be much more work left to do but this is project management, getting the materials in place so we can make the project go faster,” Phillip Yates with Boulder Open Spaces said. “It helps us complete these projects faster, and more efficiently, by hauling materials to the trail sight.”

The project is about 70% complete. The First and Second Flatiron trails as well as Royal Arch could be finished as early as December. The Anemone Hill Trail is expected to take a bit longer, wrapping up at some point next year. All the work on the trails is weather dependent.

“It’s interesting because we just take the trails for granted and we don’t ever get to see how they are made, or the effort that goes into them, but we are lucky to have so many great ones,” Alsup said.