Wrapped up in 2020

2020 may go down in history as a generally abysmal year nationally, but locally the Lincoln Ranger District completed a series of enhancements to local outdoor recreational opportunities on the National Forest around Lincoln this year.

"Some long-term projects got wrapped up this year," Josh Lattin, District Resource Specialist, told the BVD.

Roger's Pass

Although the COVID-19 pandemic impacted traffic on Continental Divide Trail this year, next year hikers will find an improved trailhead at Rogers Pass. After several years of planning, study and coordination, the Lincoln Ranger District completed a series of notable upgrades to the site this year.

The original trailhead on the south side of Highway 200, just west of the top of the pass, could be difficult to access from the highway, and it provided only a rudimentary parking area but plenty of gopher holes.

The new trailhead, in the same location, features an improved access road, a large gravel parking area that can accommodate trailers and RVs, a new concrete toilet and a three-panel informational kiosk.

'"That area does get a lot of use now with all the Continental Divide hikers who come through on an annual basis, so it should be a very good improvement up there," said Pat Shanley, the district wildlife biologist, during the Forest Service update at the Oct. 1 Government Day meeting. He noted the outhouse should help "ameliorate the sanitary issues" that were becoming a concern.

The trailhead kiosk will also serve as the new home for an updated "Record Cold Spot" interpretive sign detailing the story of how and where the coldest temperature in the continental United States was recorded on Jan. 24, 1954.

"Corby Dickerson with the (National) Weather Service is pretty excited about it," Lattin said. "He went through a good amount of effort to make a new interpretive sign up there."

The new sign is slated to arrive sometime this month.

Following the January 2017 approval of the Blackfoot Non-winter Travel Plan, Lincoln Ranger district crews have been working on the new trails and improvements it included. This year, several of those efforts came to fruition, or are nearing completion.

Beaver Creek Trails Project

After two years of work, the Beaver Creek Trails Project was largely completed this year.

Work on the project, which includes both mountain bike and OHV trials, has been ongoing since the late summer of 2018, following the award of an $82,000 Recreational Trails Program Grant that May. $10,000 in matching funds for the grant had already been set aside in 2017 by Envision Lincoln, and additional volunteers provided the necessary in-kind match. The project was considered a high priority among community groups as a first step in developing new recreational and economic opportunities for Lincoln.

Construction of Lincolns first dedicated mountain bike trail, which covers about eight miles in the hills primarily west of Beaver Creek Road, wrapped up about three weeks ago. Crews finished the lower, more "family-friendly "portion of the trail last year, but the more challenging and technical upper trail had to wait until this year

"The treads been built on that upper trail, the mountain bike guys are really stoked about it," Lattin said, "They're excited about how it turned out, so it must be a good piece of trail."

He said volunteer work to put the last of the finishing touches on the trail should happen next spring.

Work on the connector trails that provide a looped OHV route from Beaver Creek to Lone Point by way of Lincoln Gulch, dubbed the Lincoln View Trail, was also completed this summer.

Lattin said crews completed work on the trail from Lincoln Gulch around to Lone Point late in August, and he said it's seen pretty heavy use. The Lincoln View Trail closed for the season today, Oct. 15, but will re-open next June.

Bartlett Creek area trails

In addition to the Lincoln View Trail, crews were also busy east of town, building ATV connector trails that create a loop from Cadotte Creek to First Gulch and down to Bartlett Creek. A new trailhead completed this year at the top of First Gulch will be complemented next year by another trail head in Cadotte Creek to provide OHV access to the trail system there from June 30 through Sept. 8.

With remediation of the Upper Blackfoot Mining complex complete, work also go underway on the OHV trails in in the Mike horse area two weeks ago.

Lattin said they have been busy cutting out old roads and getting the routes established. He said finishing the new trails there will take quite a bit of funding, but he hopes to have a dozer in there next year to punch the connector trails through.

Rentals

Forest Service accommodations on the Lincoln Ranger District have also expanded this year.

Lattin said the Nevada Creek Cabin, east of the Nevada Creek Reservoir, went onto the Forest Service rental system this year.

"It's a new rental cabin that's getting a little popular," he said. This winter will also see the Indian Meadows cabin in the system for winter rentals. "Starting December 1st people can start renting that guard station up there."

Great American Outdoors Act

Looking ahead, Lattin said the Great American Outdoors Act will provide more improvements on National Forest land around Lincoln. Once Congress completes the appropriations process, they can get to work on maintenance projects that have languished due to the lack of adequate funding.

"We're ... looking to doing some deferred maintenance tasks on existing area trails," he said. "We'd have potentially have a six-person crew...working on brushing and tread and signage; making sure everything is up to standard, as good as we can get it."

Lattin said they're also looking at improvements to the water systems at the Indian Meadows Trailhead and the Aspen Grove campground, as well as some survey and design work for a possible expansion of Aspen Grove.

Those are the main projects we put in for the first year. I think it's five years of funding. We have some bigger ideas out there depending on how things come out," he said.

They've got all their proposals into the Northern Region, which sent them on to Washington DC.

"They're getting ranked. We'll have to see what is successful and what isn't," Lattin said.