April 17 Weekend Trail Report

As we wrap up with our most winter-like weather of 2026, our staff is out taking inventory on the impacts that this series of heavy rainstorms have had on our trail system. To this point, we have already seen plenty of instances of significant rutting occurring, especially in areas with sandy soils, where trails were previously in very good shape. Ultimately, this means that you will see our trail staff and equipment actively working throughout the Lower Foothills once again in the coming weeks to repair and fill in these significantly rutted sections of trail. In the near term, the weather appears to be clearing up and warming significantly through the weekend which will continue to help saturated and soggy trails, especially those in heavy clay soil areas, along in the drying process. For today, please continue to gravitate towards sandy and all-weather trails and dirt roads until you see the moisture level on those trails dry considerably before heading towards classically muddy areas such as Table Rock, Polecat, and Hidden Springs area trails, to name just a few. This is also a reminder that below freezing temperatures this morning and cold temperatures predicted again tonight will slow this process down a bit and could make some trails quite muddy due to that freeze/thaw process.

As a heads up to folks that typically ride Trail 4 in the area of Sidewinder and Lower Hulls Gulch, we want to let folks know that a piece of equipment is currently stuck at the bottom corner of Trail 4 as you are descending from Sidewinder. A state trail crew was doing some maintenance on the motorized trails for the BLM and slid off the trail here as a result of the wet conditions leftover from the rain. Just be on the lookout as you are descending in this area, as part of the blade for this equipment is resting on the trail and this is a hard corner to see around if you are descending with some speed. The equipment will be removed as soon as conditions allow. In the meantime, caution cones are set on this corner to give folks heads up before encountering the equipment.

Also, one final note, we have had some trouble updating the Ridge to Rivers Interactive Trail Map this morning, so conditions may not be accurately reflecting the conditions on the ground. For the most part, trail conditions are frozen throughout the trail system right now and will slowly begin to thaw as the sun hits them. We will get the map updated once the bugs get worked out!

Thanks for the patience with the weather and the need to renew maintenance efforts once again this week! Have a great day out there on the trails!