Estrella is celebrating the opening of the new Lucero Trails from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on April 23. The Lucero Trails will add 12 miles to the existing community trails system, already featuring more than 50 miles of trails and paths.
“Estrella’s system of trails and paths supply residents with the opportunity to get out and enjoy nature, right in their own backyard,” said Kim Doud, chair of the Estrella Trails Committee and a resident of Estrella since 2001. “People move to Estrella to be able to mountain bike in their neighborhood without having to drive across town.”
The trails are a popular place for Estrella’s 21,000 residents to hike, bike, and trail run and the Lucero Trails provides opportunities for enjoyment from easy to expert level. In fact, the Estrella Cyclists Facebook page started out with 50 members a few years ago and has grown to more than 800 people, Doud said.
The April 23 celebration will include a group hike/ride around Coyote Creek, refreshments and a “hide and seek” game of the painted trail-marking rocks along the Lucero Trails, painted by Henry Brumbach, a Trails Committee member.
Estrella’s other trail systems include the Estrella Loop, FINS (Fantasy Island North Singletrack), Up Trails, and the Pirate Trails.
“Estrella has unparalleled access to excellent trails and paths. Our 50 miles of trails are a treasured part of our community’s culture,” said Lane Powell, executive director of Estrella. “Our residents are outdoors people who enjoy a physically active lifestyle.”
Estrella is so well known for its trails that professional cyclist Lance Armstrong and NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson have ridden the trails, Doud said. The trails have appeared in advertisements in Mountain Bike Action, an industry publication, and mentioned in well-known trail guides, Doud said.
One of the most popular resident-led committees, scores of residents have been involved with the Estrella Trails Committee since it was formed in 2005. The committee signs and builds trails, regularly performs “trail crew work” to maintain the trails, and names many of them. The Trails Committee also hosts Thursday night bike rides for Estrella residents.
Committee members regularly meet on Saturday mornings at a local shop, Oasis Bagels, for coffee and a bagel and then put signs on the trails to assist hikers and bikers. An annual Estrella tradition is to bring a Christmas tree to the top of the FINS Northstar trail and the D-Votion trail. Families hike to the tree throughout the holiday season to decorate with solar ornaments.
Located just 17 miles west of Phoenix, the Estrella master-planned community includes multiple Residents’ Clubs, resort-style pools and a waterpark, 72 acres of lakes, the Yacht Club of Estrella, the award-winning Nicklaus Design course at the Golf Club of Estrella, community welcome center Casa Lucero, and more than 40 signature and neighborhood parks.
WHAT: Lucero Trails Grand Opening
DATE: April 23
TIME: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
WHERE: Casa Lucero, park in the lot behind Star Tower
To learn more about Estrella, please visit estrella.com
Owned by Estrella Partners LP and developed by Estrella Development Company LLC, Estrella is a 20,000-acre mixed-use master-planned community located in the City of Goodyear, approximately 17 miles west of Phoenix. Estrella features multiple Residents’ Clubs, resort-style pools and a waterpark, 72 acres of lakes, 50-plus miles of paths and trails, the Yacht Club of Estrella, the award-winning Nicklaus Design course at the Golf Club of Estrella, community welcome center Casa Lucero, and more than 40 signature and neighborhood parks.
