Friends of Pathways has a formal partnership with the USFS to collaborate on design, construction and stewardship of local trails for all users – hike, bike, horse, and ski. We’re committed to providing easy year round access to trails in order to maintain our high quality of life in Jackson Hole.
Trails are starting to melt out and with a 60 degree Saturday coming up it seemed like a good time to start trail reports for the season. The usual things are dry, the first part of Putt Putt and Sidewalk, the S 89 Singletrack and the Game Creek Connector. Sadly A&W is not open this year as the land managers reversed their decision. Elsewhere you can explore trails that are outside of the winter wildlife closures but be prepared to meet snow and mud. Hopefully with warmer temps and the May 1 opening there will be much more to report next week. As you get out and explore use our trail maintenance request button on our website to report any down trees or other problems. I have been poking around doing dirt work and drainage and will keep clearing and opening trails next week. Also if you need some early season stoke come out to the Bicycle Film Festival on Thursday May 1 at the Center for the Arts at 5:30pm.
Good news! The pathway along North Highway 89 opens Saturday, April 19! This opening is earlier than the usual opening of April 30. Sweet!
In coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Teton County/Jackson Parks and Recreation is sweeping and cleaning the pathway north of Jackson adjacent to Highway 89 today to ensure the pathway is clear of debris before it opens for users on Saturday, April 19.
As wildlife continues to migrate from the National Elk Refuge, please take caution when using the pathway and give wildlife the right-of-way.
The Teton Park Road is plowed and ready for joggers, cyclists and even rollerbladers. People can enjoy 14 miles of snow-free pavement from Taggart Lake Trailhead to Signal Mountain Lodge, all without worrying about traffic until May 1.
@yellowstonenps enthusiasts have their chance to enjoy car-free roads too. Nearly 50 miles of road between the west entrance in West Yellowstone and the north entrance in Gardiner opened to non-motorized travel on April 5.
Enjoy!
✌️ ❤️ 🚲
@bicyclefilmfestival is coming to Jackson Hole on May 1 @thecenterjh with a curated screening of short films. Hosted by @friendsofpathways, enjoy handfire pizza, snake river brewing’s putt putt trail ale, and a bike vendor village before the show! Documentaries, narratives, animations, award-winning directors, and emerging talents – all share equal billing. Take a journey around the globe celebrating the bicycle. It’s Bicycle Film Festival’s 25th Anniversary celebrating bicycles through art, film, and music. BFF has spanned the world to an audience of one million people in over 100 cities worldwide - and now Jackson Hole! Let’s celebrate. Bikes Rock! Link in bio for BFF Jackson Hole tickets.
The rise of e-bikes has brought a surge of positive and negative repercussions to our Teton County pathways. Friends of Pathways received an Opportunities Grant from the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole to explore this topic, and whether changes in e-bike regulation, public education and/or pathway design would benefit the public.
We want to hear from you! Please take our e-bike use survey at the link in our profile. Now is your chance to share your thoughts with a larger group of pathway stakeholders, including Teton County, Town of Jackson, law enforcement and federal government representatives.
Take they survey at the link 🔗 in our bio !
Winter Trails Day is Saturday, March 1, noon - 3 p.m. at the Cache Creek Trailhead!
Free demo skis, fat bikes, and snowshoes!
Free snacks and hot drinks!
Come try a new sport on the 12 miles of winter singletrack groomed by Friends of Pathways!
🎿 🚲 ❄️ ☕️ 🍪
Winter is blowing in, and as the snow stacks up, Friends of Pathways is grooming 12+ miles of winter singletrack in the Cache Creek area - the only free winter singletrack in Jackson Hole.
Currently, all the winter trails are ridable (although thin). Grooming has begun and will go through April, weather depending. If you enjoy using these trails, please give to FOP’s Winter Grooming Campaign!
Thanks to @velo_twentytwo , the source for cycling events and routes in Teton County, who started us off with a generous $1,000 donation!
Donate $30 or more to this campaign and you will be entered to win one of three prizes from our generous partners!
You could win a Salsa Heyday Fat Bike from @openrangecycles , a one-night stay this winter at @turpinranch , or winter running shoes, sports nutrition and supplements from @skinnyskis .
Donate at the link in our bio!
In the fall and the spring, hundreds of students in Jackson Hole bike to school, thanks to Teton County’s well-connected pathway network. @friendsofpathways wants to make sure kids get to school safe, so once a year we do bike safety checks at the middle school - the epicenter of e-bikes! Many thanks to @wheelwranglers @openrangecycles @hobacksports and @thehub_jh for helping do bike safety checks this year.
Sweet bollard bike lanes
That connect community
Will be gone Monday
🍂
That’s a bollard haiku to let you know that on Monday, October 14, 2024 Teton County Parks and Rec will be removing the bollard bike lanes from Willow Street and Snow King Avenue for the season.
While it will be sad to see them go, let’s celebrate the thousands of people who use the pathway network daily.
This year, from May 1 - Sept 30, Snow King Ave alone saw 126,552 total bike trips. That’s 827 average trips a day. 🚲
The peak daily use on Snow King Ave. was July 4th when 2,014 bike trips were taken. 🇺🇸
There have been 1,201,610 total trips on all pathways so far this year! 🙌
Friends of Pathways
Friends of Pathways champions a safe, connected system of pathways, trails, bike lanes and sidewalks that encourage active transportation and healthy recreation in our Jackson Hole community.
PO Box 2062
610 W Broadway Avenue, Suite 204
Jackson, WY 83001
307.733.4534
info@friendsofpathways.org
© Copyright Friends of Pathways 2018-2022 | All Rights Reserved
USFS to host public workshop to address dogs in Cache Creek on October 14
Trail UpdatesBridger-Teton National Forest to host public workshop to address dog responsibility issues
(Jackson, Wyo.) – The Jackson Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest is hosting a public workshop on Wednesday, October 14, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Teton County Library to discuss options to improve dog owner responsibility within the Jackson area of the National Forest.
This workshop is part of the Forest Service continuing effort to address the concerns that were brought up by the public with regard to dog waste and dog control, particularly within heavily used areas near town such as Cache Creek and Teton Pass.
The Forest recognizes the special bond people have with their pets and the value of opportunities for people to recreate in the outdoors with their companion. The Forest also recognizes that there are limited areas where dogs are permitted, especially off-leash, and the National Forest offers many of the available opportunities. At the same time, the increase in the number of people recreating with dogs means that owners have a much higher responsibility to control their dog(s) and pick up waste. Educational efforts alone are no longer sufficient to meet the Forest’s obligation to ensure public health and safety, wildlife protection, and clean water. Thus, the Forest is asking for the public’s help to come together and focus on various options to improve dog owner responsibility into the future.
More information about the options to be discussed will be announced in October. There is no RSVP required, but due to the location of the workshop, space might be limited and the forest service. encourage those interested to arrive promptly.
For more information, contact the Supervisors Office at (307) 739-5565 or visit the websitewww.fs.usda.gov/btnf/.
Skyline Trail Kick Off Dig Day September 19
Skyline Trail, Trail UpdatesAs we step into Fall it has been a busy time on trails. We had 2 volunteer groups working this week on the trails in Cache Creek. The Roads Scholars from TSS helped brush cut and install drainage on neighborhood access trails near Henley Dr. and the Community School helped haul gravel to a turnpike by Bridge 4 on the Hagen Trail. The BTNF crew has installed 32 rock waterbars this week on the Continental Divide Trail, that is maybe one of the most grueling tasks on trails so a big round of applause to them. The FOP Ambassadors are out looking for trees that blew down in the micro burst on Friday, let us know if you see any out on the trails by calling 307-733-4534 or posting a photo with the #jhtrails. You should see them out at different trailheads with the FOP tent, come stop by and say hi. One lady last week was so happy with her new bike bell that she rode home and brought them back coffee! Friends of Pathways has also been busy prepping the new Skyline Trail for the Kick Off Dig Day coming up on September 19th. If you would like to help come out to Snow King at 9am that Saturday for a ride up the Summit Chairlift to help us dig the 1st mile of trail!
Youth Trail Crew working on Ski Lake Trail
Trail Updates, Youth Trail CrewThe Youth Trail Crew has been busy working to improve the popular Ski Lake Trail over the last 3 weeks. They have been installing water bars and rock steps and improving the tread in areas where erosion has affected the trail. They will be finishing up their work this week and moving to other projects so if you’re looking to take a hike high in the mountains to avoid the heat go say hi to them at Ski Lake and check out the work they have done. The Forest Service Trail Crew has also been busy working on several reroute projects with a volunteer group from Wilderness Ventures. They have worked on sections of trail at Ouzel Falls by the headwaters of the Gros Ventre River and rerouted the Crystal Creek Trail around the giant landslide that covered the old trail and created a lake. The Friends of Pathways Trail Ambassadors have been out performing yearly trail maintenance on the Snow King and Teton Pass trails, digging drainage in Black Canyon, rebenching parts of the Woods Canyon, clearing trees on the Ridge Trail, and removing user created trails in the Cache Creek area. They want to remind folks to stay off of rehabbed trails to give them a chance to grow back, and if you have any questions for them they will have the tent set up at the Flat Creek trailhead on Tuesday and at the Trail Creek trailhead on Friday morning. Come say hi and get a map or bike bell or a dog leash.
Nelson Dr. Project Finished
Trail UpdatesThe project to separate use on the Nelson Dr. section of the Putt Putt trail wrapped up this Thursday. Since the start of the project on June 6th, 232 volunteers have donated almost 1,000 hours of time to help the Bridger Teton and Friends of Pathways crews to build 1.2 miles of new trail and close and rehab .58 miles of old eroded trail. During this time work was also done to connect the Shade Monkey trail to the base of Snow King providing another way to access the trails without driving to Cache Creek Trailhead. The FOP Youth Trail Crew has begun working on the Ski Lake trail installing new waterbars and improving drainage and the BTNF Trail Crew has been working on projects in the Gros Ventre Wilderness with groups from Wilderness Ventures. Look for the FOP Trail Ambassadors out at the Phillip’s Trailhead tomorrow. Stop by their tent with any questions or to pick up a trail map and have a great weekend out on the trails!
Youth Trail Crew to Complete Putt-Putt Reroute
Home Featured, Trail Updates, Youth Trail CrewOn Thursday July 2, Friends of Pathways’ Youth Trail Crew will complete work on the bike/hike portion of the Putt-Putt Trail from Nelson Drive. Immediately following completion, rehab will begin on the old section of trail. In the next few weeks, a separate horse/hiking trail will be completed.
Construction on the Putt-Putt separate access began during National Trails Day. Seventy-five volunteers, fueled by Lucky’s Market, built a half mile of trail through the aspen tress from Nelson Drive. This portion of trail was visited by the Secretary of Agriculture, where Vilsack praised the partnership of FoP with the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
After the initial work, the youth crew completed another half mile of trail before moving over to do rehab work on the Shade Monkey Trail at the base of Snow King Mountain. The youth crew worked alongside our Ambassador team who used a machine to buff the trail and rebuild the corners while the crew rehabbed places with excessive erosion.
“Given the heat we’ve been experiencing, these kids deserve extra kudos for working outside in the sun all day,” said Katherine Dowson, FOP Executive Director. “Their contributions to our world-class trails system are indispensable. With continued budget cuts at the Bridger-Teton, Friends of Pathways is committed to community based solutions to support our loved trail system.”
Thursday, July 2nd, volunteers from Teton Science School Operation Purple, a Military Families Retreat, will work with the youth crew to complete the last stretch of trail. They will then begin rehab of the old Putt-Putt Trail. If you want one last hike/run/bike on the old trail, make sure you get out there before Thursday! And, schedule some time this weekend to get out on the new trail!