Trail Conditions for 7-31-20

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This week the crew finished up the last new log bridge up Cache Creek.  These are a fun endeavor where the crew gets to use the griphoist to maneuver the several thousand pound logs into place, a good physics lesson in action.  We then installed a new culvert on the Phillip’s Connector trail where the Glory Bowl snow melt runs across each spring.  We cleared some trees off of the Hagen and Wilson Canyon trails and will get one off of Phillip’s Canyon.  We also spent some time on the History trail clearing down trees, cleaning drains, adding fill to bridge approaches, clearing culverts on turnpikes, and cutting back the infamous “Nettle Nam” section.  This trail really is amazing and the upper section is a perfect combo of peak wildflowers, beautiful Aspen groves, and dark shady Douglas Fir stands right now.  If you’re looking for a nice hike this weekend to avoid the heat at high elevation this would be a great one.

Pathway delays and closures next week due to sealcoating

From: Teton County and Town of Jackson, Jackson Hole Community Pathways
Date: July 30, 2020
Re: 2020 Pathways Sealcoating Project

Contact:   Brian Schilling, Town of Jackson/Teton County Pathways Coordinator

                    bschilling@tetoncountywy.gov

                    (307) 732-8573

Teton County and the Town of Jackson will be performing annual pathways sealing during the week of August 3 to 7, 2020. Pathway users should be aware that selected pathways will be closed to public use for periods of up to several hours, but the closures will be limited to the minimum amount of time needed for the sealant dry. For the majority of the project duration, the pathways in the project area will be open for public use. This year’s project areas include the following pathways: the Garaman Path along Flat Creek from the new Post Office to Gregory Lane; the pathway along Blair Dr. from the Community Garden to Whitehouse Dr.; the South Park Loop Pathway west from Middle School Road and then south to High School Road; South Park Loop Pathway from the south end of 3 Creek Ranch (Cody Creek Dr.) to Highway 89; and the Von Gontard Pathway south of Melody Ranch from South Park Loop to Game Creek.

Pathways officials will post signs on paths in the project area informing the public of the estimated date and time for pathway closures. However, the public is advised that the actual date and times are subject to change based on weather, equipment, or other delays that may be beyond the contractor’s control. Current updates and project area maps will be posted as available on the Teton County website at http://www.tetoncountywy.gov/2167/Sealcoating.

People that choose to travel on the pathway during the sealing project should exercise extreme caution and should expect to encounter sections of hot oil sealant that may cause injury or damage bicycles or other equipment and clothing. Users should also expect to encounter construction crews, large equipment, and trucks.

All pathway users are requested to respect and obey instructions from maintenance crews and any signage along the pathway system, and to stay off freshly sealed pathways until the sealant is completely dry.

For more information please visit http://www.tetoncountywy.gov/2167/Sealcoating.

Trail Conditions for 7-24-20

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This week the crew continued working on some new footbridges on Cache Creek between Noker Mine and the Wilderness boundary.  We used the griphoist to swing the logs into place which involved some tree climbing and pulley work.  The crews then peeled the logs, milled them flat on top, and built approaches to easily step on and off of the bridges.  We rebenched several sections of eroded parts of the Cache Creek trail where mud slides had occurred.  They also added gravel to the ridge trail with ambassadors Randy and Cam as well as cleared a few fallen trees off of the trails.  With the bit of rain this week the trails are in great shape so get out and enjoy the weekend!

Trail Conditions for 7-17-20

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This week the crew went up Game and West Game and brushed back willows and rebenched narrow outsloping sections of trail.  They also continued the good fight against Musk Thistle which has crept up the drainages over the years.  It looks like the beavers have also moved up canyon and there are several new pool and dams up West Game.  The crew also took all our rigging in to Cache Creek to raise the Noker Mine bridge which has flooded the last few years.  We were able to hoist it up, add more gravel under, set new higher sill logs, and make new approach ramps for the taller decking height.  The crew worked with the USFS on the new Sheep Gulch take out trail adding a rope hand line along the steep sections of the trail.  They also cleared the Big Kahuna Wave access trail and we surveyed the Rodeo Wall climbing trail for a project with the Access Fund and the Teton Climbers Coalition.  With the dry weather the trails are a bit dusty so watch yourself and don’t slip or skid.  DO however get out and enjoy a banner year for wildflowers, they are as vibrant as I have ever seen them!

 

Check out the MBT dirt report for the Teton Valley trails here:

Trails

Trail Conditions for 7-10-20

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This week the crew cleared drains on Putt Putt and upper Blacks.  They re-stained and fixed up the benches on Nelson Knoll and Putt Puttat the town overlook.  The built a turnpike on the Big Rocks trail and cleared brush along all of those sections of trail.  We also cleared trees off of Big Rocks, Snotel, Arrow, and Skyline that fell within the last week.  As you head into the weekend remember that the Old Pass Road paving project will be happening Monday-Wednesday next week so please plan accordingly and use other trails in the area, especially if you are biking Jimmys as it will be hard to connect to Parallel as they pave past Crater Lake.

 

For reports on the trails in Teton Valley check MBT’s trail updates here:

July 6th Teton Dirt Report

Trail Conditions for 7-3-20

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It looks like we will have some hero dirt for the July 4th weekend.  All of the trails are drying out after the rain this week and are in great shape.  The trail crew cleared the Skyline trail on Wednesday and cut 31 trees so everyone can enjoy a long adventure with great views on the ridge this weekend.  The crew also brushed Munger Mountain for better line of sight and respite going through the Aspen thickets.  They cleared a bunch of drains this week that were filling up with sediments from all the rain.  That is why these are so important to get water off of the trail so it doesn’t erode the tread.  Similarly the crew closed shortcuts on Ferrins and Sink or Swim where people are trying to take a straight line.  The natural swoop and grade reversals on the trails act as natural drainage points for water to flow off.  Please don’t short cut because you are lazy or trying to get a faster Strava time, and call out your friends if you see them doing the same.  Fun fact the newer trails like Ferrins and Arrow only have a few drains because they were designed to shed water.  However older trails like Ski Lake and Phillip’s Canyon have over a hundred drains each because they tend to be too steep and in a straight line down the slope.  Have fun, stay on the trails, and enjoy some good weather this weekend!

Find MBT’s trail report on Teton Valley here:

June 29th Teton Dirt Report

Trail Conditions for 6-26-20

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This week there is just a bit of lingering snow on Teton Pass but everything is getting to be very passable.  If we get another week of warm temps we should make the July 4th date of all the trails being snow free and dry.  Our youth crew has been hard at work over the last two weeks, building lots of turnpikes, clearing drainage, brushing along trails, and building some new features at the Blair Dr. Bike Park.  We also adopted a viewpoint trail on Teton Pass that branches from the top of the History Trail and heads out for a few hundred yards to an overlook above Devils Slide.  The crew lovingly named this the Teton Tourist Traverse from the number of travelers we saw hiking out to take a picture.  We also surveyed the north side of the Big Munger Trail with the USFS and the crews from DIRT and Crosscut Trails who have a grant to reroute and improve the Big Munger Trail.  The new route avoids the fall line climbs up the fence line and ridge and instead will climb through some beautiful Aspen ridges.  This really is one of the most stunning trails on the frontcountry system with views of the whole valley and amazing wildflowers.  If you get a chance go check it out this weekend!

Check out the trail updates for Teton Valley from MBT here:

June 22nd Teton Dirt Report

Trail Conditions for 6-19-20

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Teton Pass got some fresh snow this week so the trails up high will likely be a bit muddy in spots and there are definitely drifts lingering on ridges and in north facing tree cover.  The crew cleaned drainage and added fill to bridge approaches and turnpikes up Black Canyon and saw some bikers coming down who had post holed out to My Elly before descending mostly dry trail.  Similarly people are making the connection from the Phillip’s Pass trailhead down to the Phillip’s Canyon access on Fish Creek with a combination of trails and the BPA road which is mostly dry.  The hiking trails are more accessible and it would be a great weekend for a chilly dip in Ski Lake.  Our youth trail crew started their summer this week and cleaned a bunch of drains in the rain, built a few turnpikes, and added a new balance feature to the Blair Dr. Bike Park.  Look for them out on the trails working hard this summer!

 

Check here for trail updates in Teton Valley from MBT.

June 15th Teton Dirt Report

Trail Conditions for 6-12-20

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Teton Pass is aiming for its traditional dry trail date of July 4th again this year.  Trails are slowly melting and the crews cleared Blacks up to Mt. Elly but found a lot of snow above bridge 4 in the shaded part of the canyon.  The trails north of the Phillips/Jimmys parking lot still have a lot of drifted snow as well although it is about the time that an intrepid biker could link up some trail and the BPA road to access the lower Ridge trail.  Hikers should fair better but prepare hard packed snow in the mornings and slushy snow as the day warms.  Snow King is good shape although trees keep falling in the burned area of West Game and Wilson Canyon.  If you see any new fallen trees please let us know through our trail maintenance request and we will go get them with the help of our youth trail crew which starts on Monday.  Look for them out on the trails and remember trail crews always love cookies!

Check with MBT for their trail reports covering Teton Valley here:

June 8th Teton Dirt Report

Blair Drive Bike Skills Park Update

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Despite enthusiastic support from the community and more than a year of work, Friends of Pathways, Mountain Bike the Tetons and the Town of Jackson will not be moving forward this summer with plans to build another bike skills park on private property owned by the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole. Lack of options for securing a general liability insurance policy thwarted the project. Our sincere gratitude goes out to the staff and board of the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, who were so gracious and supportive of this effort.

This was the right project but the wrong location. We have since learned that bike skills parks that are free and open to the public are best situated on public lands. This effort has not diminished our enthusiasm for constructing additional places where kids can hone their bike skills in a safe and accessible setting; we are sure that amongst the thousands of acres of public lands that surround our community – town, county, state, school district, federal –there is an appropriate place to welcome kids on bikes. We are committed to furthering that goal.

We are fortunate to still have the Blair Drive Bike Skills park available for beginner bike riders. FOP and MBT recently worked to add some additional single track to the park, and we will continue to look at some additional options for adding features to this Town-owned parcel. There are still neighborhood noise impacts associated with the pump track (oval loop) at Blair Drive, which may require design changes or elimination of the loop feature entirely.

If you would like to add your voice to the bike park discussion, please reach out to the Jackson Town Council, who will be considering design changes to the Blair Drive bike skills park this Monday, June 15th at a workshop. You can submit comments before the workshop via email.

Complete information can be found in the attached Jackson Hole Community Pathways Staff Report for Town Council or at this link: JHCP Staff Report re: Bike Park 

Blair Bike Park Diagram