Estrella is delighted to officially open the Lucero Trail system, the newest collection of hiking opportunities in the community that already features an existing 50+ miles of trails and paths. The Estrella Trails Committee hosted a grand opening celebration on April 23 which included a hike or 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 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.” Cultivating these trails and adding to them is a community effort according to Doud. “Between the more than 800 mountain bikers registered in our Estrella Cyclist Facebook Page and the local hikers who make up the Estrella Trailblazers, we have more than 1,000 residents involved in this.”
The Lucero system includes 12 miles of trails ranging from easy to expert and adds to Estrella’s other trail systems, Estrella Loop, FINS (Fantasy Island North Singletrack), Up Trails, and the Pirate Trails. The grand opening of the Lucero Trails is a celebration years in the making. Originally planned for 2020 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, Doud and the rest of the Trails Committee is happy to see it being enjoyed by so many.
More than 100 residents have been involved with the Estrella Trails Committee since it was formed in 2005. In that time the trail system has grown with the community. During Saturday’s festivities trail committee member and rock artist Henry Brumbach said, “When we were building these trails like Coyote Creek, they were just starting to grade this area. We got to see all of this build up, homes popping up all over the place, it was wild.”
The committee 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 the residents to enjoy. 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.
It’s not just residents who enjoy these trails, though. Estrella is so well known for its trails that professional cyclist Lance Armstrong and Nascar driver Jimmie Johnson have ridden the trails, Doud shared. The trails have also been enjoyed by British royalty with one of the princes venturing out during his time training with the Royal Air Force. The trails have appeared in advertisements in Mountain Bike Action, an industry publication, and they are mentioned in trail guides.
Find your new home at Estrella.com and discover why more than 7,000 families already call this diverse, welcoming West Valley master-planned community home. Located in Goodyear, Arizona amongst pristine mountains and a dramatic desert landscape, Estrella offers new homes from seven builders, with 17 model homes to tour, and 39 distinct floor plans. Estrella amenities include 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 andneighborhood parks.
