Ahh the winter that keeps on giving, we are still about a month behind last year in the trails drying out around the valley.  With the snow last night and rain in the forecast the upper elevations that were getting dry are pretty slimy and slick.  There may be some opportunities to get out during dry spells this weekend but I would recommend staying low and avoiding shady north facing trails.  The crew this week cleared Ferrins and Wilson Canyon and they are both dry up to the meadows.  Wilson Canyon has more water damage to the trail as the old cow retaining pond at the top has failed and water is running down the canyon for about a mile until it disappears underground.  The crew also cleared the lower parts of History, Crater, and Black Canyon on the pass.  There is still a lot of snow lingering in the trees there, but Jim Verdone was able to plow Old Pass Road so that is a good dry option.  If you see Jim give him a big thank you for all the work he is doing to keep the Old Pass Road in usable shape.  Have a fun weekend and hopefully we will get a little sunshine.

After some MORE snow this week the trails are still drying out.  The Sidewalk to Wiggle to Putt Putt loop will be the hot spot this weekend.  The crew cleared some trees and chopped up a few snow drifts this week and it is about 99% dry with one or two big drifts lingering in the trees.  Also everything west of the Snow King ski area to Josie’s Ridge is dry and cleared as well.  The general rule for the rest of the trails is head out and be prepared to turn around if you start to hit mud/snow.  The full BTNF crew starts Monday and we’ll be out clearing the trails at Munger so we’ll give a report on that next week.

So the record February snows set trail season back a bit this year.  The only things that are dry on the national forest at the moment are the Nelson Knoll Loop, and the first mile or so of Game Creek.  In some of the shadier areas you can hike and post-hole on snow but please try to avoid using muddy sections of trail as this causes trail damage and drainage problems for the rest of the summer.  Other trail options include the singletrack that parallels the pathway from Game Creek to South Park Loop road and the pump park and singletrack by Blair Dr.  When using the pump park please by considerate of nearby neighbors by staying in the park and keeping the noise level down.  All of the pathways are dry and open and the inner park road is plowed and open to non-motorized use through May 1.  Also remember the winter wildlife closures are still in effect until May 1 but the good news is that means Josie’s Ridge opens up on Wednesday next week!

This week crews finished up 2 bridges on the History Trail, cleared History, Wilson, West Game, Blacks, worked with volunteers to move lumber to bridge sites, and got trained with Wildflower Watch and Nature Mapping JH.  We had 2 awesome volunteer groups from the Teton Science School and from the Teton Trail Runners who helped us move over 3000 pounds of lumber a mile up the trail to our next bridge sites.  We certainly couldn’t do all the projects on the forest each summer without help from amazing volunteers like them!  The crews also became trained for our Citizen Science project with Wildflower Watch, Nature Mapping JH and the BTNF.  This summer they will help record plant, animal, and recreation data in Cache Creek as part of an ongoing study there.  They also cleared a few dozen trees off of the upper reaches of trail on Pass Ridge.  The next spot to hit will be the Skyline Trail on Monday!  We are excited to get up there after it opens up on Sunday and we hope you go up for an adventure as well!

A few cool days slowed the snow melt on Teton Pass but the trails continue to dry out.  I saw a few brave souls who had pushed out through the ~3 feet of snow on Pass Ridge and descended Black Canyon and Lithium.  Ski Lake is quite doable to the lake with snow remaining above.  Arrow to Phillip’s Canyon is cleared and passable with a few lingering drifts.  The Ridge is also passable by linking Arrow to Snotel and sections of the BPA road before descending the Ridge trail to Fish Creek road.  There are still a few trees down there that the Youth Trail Crew will help clear on their first day this Monday.  Look for these high school students working on the trails over the next 9 weeks, particularly on Teton Pass where they will be building bridges and installing new signs.  The crew also finished the first bridge on the History trail this week and we have some volunteers lined up to help us add gravel to the approaches and carry lumber to the next bridge sites.  Hopefully we dodge the rain this weekend and everyone is able to get out for an adventure.  Remember to wait til the roads dry out after a rain before going on the trails, that is usually a good indicator of when they have dried out enough to not be damaged and muddy.