January 15 Trail Report

If you are asking the question, “Well, we haven’t had any precipitation for a while now, are the trails drying out?”, our answer to that right now would be a resounding “NO.” Due to the mild winter we have experienced to this point, it has become even more evident that the freeze/thaw cycle that we are currently stuck in contributes even more to these muddy trail periods than even a significant rain event. We are currently finding that plenty of trails throughout the system now are rock hard early in the morning after freezing overnight and then transition to quite sloppy in the afternoon with abundant sunshine and 40-degree temperatures. The big take a way here is that if you are heading out in the late morning or early afternoon and expecting to recreate on your regular route, you are likely to find that parts of that route will be quite muddy at that point. If it is, please continue to migrate to good muddy trail alternatives to be found on the Wet Weather and Winter Trail Use webpage at https://www.ridgetorivers.org/trail-guide/trail-etiquette/wet-weather-and-winter-trail-use/.

After conditions, we would also like to take a second to remind trail users that recreate with dogs of the posted etiquette that applies to trails throughout the Ridge to Rivers trail system. If you do spend time on trails with dogs, please make sure that you are aware of which trails are posted as DOG ON LEASH and require dogs to be leashed at all times. For any trail not specifically posted as such, please be aware that dogs should ALWAYS be kept within 30 feet of their owner and under sight and voice control, that owners are required to carry a leash at all times, and that dogs should not be allowed to harass other people, their pets, or any wildlife. We ask that trail users with dogs continue to respect this etiquette to ensure that all trail users have the ability to stay safe and enjoy their experience on trails and in parks within the trail system. For more information on these policies and for a list of DOG ON LEASH trails, please visit the Dog On and Off Leash webpage at https://www.ridgetorivers.org/trail-guide/dog-on-and-off-leash-trails/.

Thank you and have a great day out on the trails!