February 10 Trail Report

After a short, but measurable amount of rain to end the weekend it appears that we have returned, if only for today, to another morning of below freezing temperatures. And, while very warm temperatures this past weekend did help to dry conditions out considerably, we are learning not to underestimate the effect that the freeze/thaw process has on recreating muddy trail conditions, especially after more precipitation is introduced to the soil. The bottom line is that it is really anyone’s guess as to just how far back our trail conditions will be set based on the weather of the last couple of days.

We do know that there are still areas of muddy trail out there that should be avoided, specifically trails on the west side of the trail system such as Polecat, Peggy’s, Sweet Connie, etc. However, those trails marked in YELLOW on the Ridge to Rivers Interactive Trail Map really could be going either way by this afternoon. These trails could be a bit muddier today and creep back into the DO NOT USE category or they could be relatively unchanged after the most recent rainfall. We will be out in the field today to get a better sense of which way trail conditions are headed and will update the map accordingly.

Overall, the best way to navigate these times when conditions do seem to change from day to day is simply to be willing to turn around and find a new place to recreate if you are running into long sections of mud sticking to your shoes or tires. To be more specific, we would consider a long section of muddy trail would be an area where you are finding yourself moving off trail to avoid getting your shoes or bike full of sticky mud or to avoid slipping around in the mud if you stay on the trail tread. A short section would be much more compact and something that you can quickly move through without having to step or ride off trail to avoid these muddy areas. To be sure, the most significant impact of muddy trail season within our trail system comes when users begin widening trails by traveling off trail and trampling adjacent vegetation and compacting wet soils so that this vegetation doesn’t have a chance to regrow in the future without significant time and/or intervention. In any case, if you are finishing a run, ride, or hike with plenty of mud sticking to shoes or tires than you should consider that trail would have been too muddy to recreate on for that day.

Thanks to everyone for tuning in to the trail lesson for the day and for helping to preserve our trail system through these muddy few months! Please reference the below links for more winter trail resources and information.

Wet Weather and Winter Trail Use: https://www.ridgetorivers.org/trail-guide/trail-etiquette/wet-weather-and-winter-trail-use/

Ridge to Rivers Interactive Trail Map: https://www.ridgetorivers.org/trails/interactive-map/