Nestled beneath the evergreens of Raspberry Mountain, Pinehaven began as a rugged dream, a remote cabin community built on dirt trails, lantern lights, and spring water. There were no paved roads, no public utilities, and certainly no broadband connections. Just a vision, a few determined families, and a patch of forest to call their own.
But as the decades progressed, so did the lines—power lines, water lines, fiber-optic lines—quietly threading through the trees and reshaping life in this secluded enclave. What began with mule paths and hand-dug trenches has evolved into a community wired for the 21st century.
This is the story of Pinehaven’s transformation from a forested mountain with a dirt road to a paved Highway we now call a scenic route.
Trails Turned Into Thoroughfares
When Pinehaven began taking shape in the late 1940s, there were no paved streets, cul-de-sacs, and certainly no snowplows. There were just pine trees, rugged terrain, and a trail homesteader John L. Powell used to forest timber around 1810.(1) The earliest access into the area likely relied on primitive logging paths or wagon trails, widened and graded just enough to allow trucks and equipment to reach the new cabin sites.
As John Vories platted Filing No. 1 in 1949, he began the slow and deliberate process of cutting in dirt and gravel roads.(2) These roads were essential, not just for construction but also for selling lots. Potential buyers needed to reach their land by car, and every new cabin required a path for hauling lumber, concrete, and water tanks.
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| On a walk through Pinehaven's dirt roads. |
In the 1950s and 1960s, most rural subdivisions like Pinehaven were developed without municipal support. That meant no government funding for roads. Instead, the responsibility fell to the developer and, eventually, the cabin owners. Steve Pierotti (and later his son Bob) likely hired local contractors or used available machinery to scrape narrow lanes into the forested slopes, following natural contours to minimize erosion and avoid steep grades. The roads were typically surfaced with local gravel and dirt, compacted enough to be passable but subject to weather-related deterioration.
As the community expanded into Filing No. 2 in the 1970s, additional roads were extended and looped to accommodate new lots, often using the same informal methods. Road names were assigned county numbers and the infrastructure remained relatively basic. Seasonal grading, gravel fills, and makeshift drainage ditches were standard maintenance practices, usually coordinated by neighbors or overseen informally by the Pierottis.
Eventually, as Pinehaven matured and the number of cabins grew, road maintenance became a pressing issue, especially during snowstorms or spring runoff. This ongoing challenge was one of the motivations behind forming a homeowners’ association, which could collect dues, hire maintenance crews, and coordinate gravel deliveries or grading services. However, to this day, Pinehaven roads remain unpaved, keeping with the community’s rustic charm while presenting logistical challenges during the wet season or wildfire emergencies.
Gravel, Grit, and Getaways
The story of Pinehaven’s roads is, in many ways, the story of Pinehaven itself, a gradual, purposeful carving of civilization into the wilderness. First came the highway, a lifeline to the outside world, connecting the Cuchara Valley to distant cities and making this hidden gem accessible to dreamers, homesteaders, and second-home seekers alike. Then came the entrance road, winding off the main route and inviting visitors into the heart of the forest, a subtle threshold between pavement and pine. Finally, the internal roads that were rough, narrow, and personal as they snaked through the timber, tracing paths to each cabin like capillaries reaching out from a central artery.
Together, these roads tell a story of determination and quiet ambition. They weren’t laid with blueprints and bulldozers, but with grit, gravel, and the steady hands of those who believed a cabin in the woods was worth the journey. Though still unpaved and often at the mercy of the seasons, they remain the soul of Pinehaven’s charm, leading not just to homes, but to heritage, memories, and mountain escape. (3)
Footnotes
Parenthetical numbers in the text (e.g., 5) correspond to the sequentially numbered citations listed below.
1. Cabin in the Pines. “Journal 4: A Homesteader’s Dream—John L. Powell and Raspberry Mountain,” Cabin in the Pines: The History of a Mountain Cabin Community, June 2025. https://cabininthepinescuchara.blogspot.com/2025/06/part-4-homesteaders-dream-john-l-powell.html.
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