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!

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:

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:

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:

Snow King is completely dry and riding great!  The crews cleared some trees off of West Game and Ferrins yesterday, but expect a few more to fall in the burned section of Wilson Canyon and West Game.  If you see some new trees down after a wind event shoot us a trail maintenance request and we will get them cleared.  Teton Pass is also drying out but slowly.  We cleared upper Crater and History trail this week and there is some snow lingering on the top of History.  Big Rocks and lower Blacks and getting there too and we will be out clearing those trails on Monday.  On the northern side of the highway there is still a lot of drifts on Arrow, Ridge, and Snotel.  The BPA road is drier since it gets more sun and can get you further out but it will still be hard to link to the trails that descend to Fish Creek.  A quick reminder to enthusiastic trail users that building jumps and features is not allowed on the trails.  The frontcountry system is managed for multi-use and the trail crew works hard to maintain trails so everyone can enjoy them.  On this same note please do not remove trail closures and rehab materials.  When trail braids and shortcuts happen because of irresponsible use the crews choose the alignment that drains water the best, reduce speeds, and provide for the best line of sight for other trail users.  Then we will close and rehab the other sections.  Thanks for helping us make sure everyone can enjoy the trails safely and get out this afternoon and enjoy the trails before the rain and snow this weekend!