“The trail crew works through the heat of the day so that folks can enjoy the trails uninterrupted in the evenings and weekends,” remarked Jared Koenig, Sheridan Community Land Trust Director of Recreation.
And Jared would know. In 2018, he spent a season as a trail technician for SCLT. Back then, SCLT’s trails consisted of the Soldier Ridge Trail, the Tongue River Water Trail access sites and the lower loops at Red Grade Trails, with the original portions of Let ‘em Roll and Drifter opening the summer before.
In the eight years since, SCLT’s community trail network has evolved tremendously. And so has SCLT’s trail crew. This season, the SCLT trail crew has worked hard to keep approximately 36 miles of trail, 13 water trail access sites and three natural areas in incredible shape.
How have they been able to do it?
More hands, more possibilities
With support from community donors, SCLT has invested in more hands to make the work a little lighter, while leveraging that support with training and internship grants from the State of Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. As a result, Wyatt Balius, Tristan Bower, Emily Blevins, Jay Goldhammer and Wyatt Pitsch have joined stalwart trail tech Glenn Fairbank to comprise SCLT’s largest and most ambitious trail team yet.
What does that mean for trail visitors?
Often, Koenig said, that means the crew can split up across the trails for basic maintenance, while other members stay dedicated to a specific project. Sometimes that means installing improved drainage tile to resolve an immediate issue, like the crew has done at Red Grade Trails and Hidden Hoot Trail earlier this summer. Other times, it might mean replacing bridges or clearing out large sections of downed trees, especially early in the season.
More importantly, a bolstered trail crew means Jared and the team have the people power to pursue larger projects.
“Usually, we spend all summer chasing weed-eating and mowing tasks,” Koenig said, “but with a big enough crew we can focus on other projects.”
That larger crew is not a replacement for the volunteers who have made a tremendous difference across SCLT’s trails through the years. Instead, volunteers continue to augment the crew’s work and help accomplish even more.
That has been especially true at Red Grade Trails, while volunteers also helped reopen Hidden Hoot Trail following calving season this spring. Just this Tuesday, volunteers joined the trail crew to help put finishing touches on the Soldier Ridge Trail reroute.
SCLT trail team members begin work on rerouting Soldier Ridge Trail earlier this month. Left photo: SCLT trail team member Emily Blevins sprays water onto freshly built trail tread as Glenn Fairbanks drives. Right photo: SCLT trail team member Jay Goldhammer rides his mountain bike along a freshly built section of the Soldier Ridge Trail reroute. The SCLT team has incorporated rollers and small jumps to make the new route more fun for mountain bikers without increasing its difficulty for walkers, runners, and equestrians.
Taking on bigger projects
Earlier this summer, having a larger crew meant helping contractors improve berms, turns and drainage at Let ‘em Roll and Highlander at Red Grade Trails. This month, the trail crew has turned its attention to a much-needed project: a complete reroute of the beginning of Soldier Ridge Trail.
The trail crew has been using SCLT’s mini excavator and hand tools to replace approximately 1,963 feet of the existing trail with roughly 2,620 feet of new trail.
Instead of heading straight up and down the first hill, the new alignment incorporates turns and grade reversals to create a more gradual climb. For hikers, bikers and runners, that means a trail that is simply more fun to use.
The crew has also been building the new trail with a mountain bike alongside, riding sections as they take shape and looking for opportunities to incorporate small features such as rollers and jumps. Those additions will bring a little more fun to the ride while maintaining the trail as a shared-use experience.
“We want the Soldier Ridge Trail to be a place where people can get outside and enjoy themselves, whether they have an hour after work or an afternoon to explore,” Koenig said. “This reroute will make the beginning of that experience better.”
The new route will also follow the ridge’s edges in places, opening views not available from the current trail. Trail users will gain new perspectives of the SCLT Ridgetop Natural Area and scenic views toward the SCLT Gillispie Draw Natural Area to the south.
Those opportunities are possible in part because of Don Roberts’ generous donation of both natural areas to SCLT last year. Bringing the land under SCLT ownership provides greater flexibility to create thoughtful new recreation opportunities while continuing to steward the land for agricultural production and its natural resources.
“There are some great views from this ridge that people do not get to experience on the current trail,” Koenig said. “The new route gives people another way to appreciate this landscape while they are out enjoying the trail.”
That connection to the landscape is an important part of the reroute, Koenig said. Much of the existing Soldier Ridge Trail follows an old two-track road.
“In many ways, a road is a bridge across a landscape, with the intention of getting you across that landscape quickly and efficiently,” Koenig said. “A trail is part of the landscape. It connects you to the land.”
While improvements to drainage and trail sustainability are easy to see and point to, Koenig said that connection can be harder to describe.
“Improvements that connect people to the land are more subtle,” he said. “It is something that you feel in your soul.”
The reroute is also designed to better handle water. By working with the natural slopes of the hillside, water can shed off the trail rather than running directly down it, helping create a more sustainable trail for the community to enjoy for years to come.
From left, Tristan Bower operates the mini excavator while Jay Goldhammer and Wyatt Pitsch fill dirt over newly installed drainage tile. The reroute improves the trail’s sustainability while giving visitors a more enjoyable experience and new views.
Making the work possible
Koenig said that without a bolstered trail crew, projects like the Soldier Ridge Trail reroute “would be a very slow grind.”
“With a larger crew, we can make meaningful progress while keeping the trail open for all users,” he added.
Just as importantly, the new alignment creates a better connection to the Ridgetop Natural Area. As SCLT explores future recreation opportunities there, those possibilities could include additional trails and winter activities such as sledding, skiing or snowboarding.
“You may not see them, but they are always somewhere on one of the many miles of trail or at one of the many trailheads or access sites,” Koenig offered. “Much of their work helps folks enjoy the outdoors more easily, and the grand outdoors can easily overshadow the hard work they put in to make spaces more enjoyable. You might not recognize all the work that they get done, but if you are enjoying the trails, it means they are doing something right.”
Which is really what it’s all about: creating new opportunities for people to connect with nature and the outdoors close to home. So, here’s to SCLT’s incredible, hard-working trail crew, the volunteers working alongside them, and the support of community members who have made their work possible.
Get trail maps and pocket nature guides at https://sheridanclt.org/explore/guides/.
