Friends of Pathways has a formal partnership with the USFS to collaborate on design, construction and stewardship of local trails for all users – hike, bike, horse, and ski. We’re committed to providing easy year round access to trails that is essential to maintaining our high quality of life in Jackson Hole.

Trail Conditions for 6-4-21

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Teton Pass is drying out and crews have been clearing trees this week.  We got Phillip’s Canyon up to the Phillip’Pass junction and the Ridge Trail up to rock world.  The ridgelines and shaded trees are still holding drifts so if you are intrepid you can posthole your way through.  We also worked on prepping the Adams to Wilson connector trail for National Trails Day tomorrow.  This user created trail that will provide safe access from the neighborhoods on the west side of the highway to the national forest on the east side of the highway via the old Adams Canyon Cattle Tunnel.  We will meet at Adams Canyon Dr. and have bagels and coffee before and brats and beverages after.  Come out tomorrow morning from 9 to 12 to help out!

Trail Conditions for 5-28-21

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Finally some sunshine!  Snow King and Munger are in great shape after the rains and the trails on Teton Pass are drying out quickly.  Crews cleared up Black Canyon to the snow line, and hit Big Rocks, Crater, and lower History.  The lower reaches of Phillip’s Canyon and the Ridge trail are also dry along with Parallel.  Get out this weekend and enjoy some sunshine and plan on coming out on National Trails Day on June 5th to help us complete the Adams to Wilson connector trail.  More info can be found HERE

Trail Conditions for 5-21-21

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The trails in the Snow King and Munger Systems are 99% dry with only a few lingering snow drift on windy ridges.  Crews have cleared both systems for downed trees and have started to clear on Teton Pass.  The Teton Pass trails are melting out and are usable from the lower trailheads.  Crews cleared up Phillip’s Canyon and the Crater to History trail loop.  TFR also reported dry conditions on the Parallel trail.  There is still a good amount of snow at the Phillips/Jimmys and Teton Pass trailheads so the upper access to the trails may still be a few weeks away.  With rain in the forecast for the next few days try to make sure you wait until the paved roads are dry to go use the trails.  That is usually a good indicator of when the trails have drained and absorbed the moisture and you won’t be getting muddy and damaging the trails.  MBT also has some trail reports for the CTNF trails at the link below.  Have a good weekend out on the trails!

https://www.mountainbiketetons.org/news-updates/20210517-trails-and-conditions-report

Trail Conditions for 5-7-21

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Crews are clearing trees as the trails continue to dry out.  The Cache Creek trails are mostly dry with a few lingering snow patches.  Everything below Sink or Swim is also good to go with just the snow on the ski slopes remaining.  Game Creek is dry up to the West Game junction and you can explore up both drainages above that until you start hitting snow in the north facing trees.  Munger is also drying out quickly with snow remaining on the north side of Wally World.  Crews will be heading out there next week to clear trees and work on drainage.  As you explore, be sure to let us know if you see downed trees on the trails via the Trail Maintenance Request button at the bottom of the page.  This really helps the crew find trees and clear them before user trails form around them.

Trail Conditions for 5-1-21

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Spring is here and there are dry trails!  The Winter Wildlife Closures open today offering lots of options to explore Wilson Canyon, Josie’s Ridge, and Crystal Butte.  The usual Putt Putt and Sidewalk loop to the Wiggle is 99% dry with intermittent snow patches further up Cache and on the shaded Hagen side.  Game Creek is dry on the Beaver Ponds side with a few snow patches lingering on the singletrack.  The trails from the Wildlife Lane trailhead are mostly dry too offering some short loops.  Get out and enjoy and if you find some snowy or muddy patches remember to go through them, not around them!  It is easier to fix some concentrated trail damage rather than to rehab wide sections of trail.  With so many excited trail users, all those footprints and tire tracks will smooth out the muddy bits as they dry.  Also if you see a tree down or a section of trail that needs work, use our trail maintenance request button at the bottom of this page to let our crews know where the issue is.

Trail Conditions for 8-7-20

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This week the crew started on the new Game Creek connector trail.  This trail will connect the Game Creek trailhead to the S. 89 pathway and will provide safe access from the neighborhoods along S. Hwy. 89 to their public lands without having to take a trip in a vehicle.  We hope this will help alleviate some of the parking issues at the Game Creek trailhead.  If you are out in the Game Creek area and would like to help we have a cache of tools and instructions at the western end of the trail and you are more than welcome to stop and dig for a little while.  I highly suggest mornings and evenings as our crew was baking in the sun last week on the south facing slopes.  Our youth crew has one more week of work and we will see if we can finish the stretch on the BTNF.  The crew also worked on the Phillip’s Pass and Arrow trails this week cleaning drains and fixing tread.  On Thursday they helped the town relocate the Rodeo/Pine Dr. Access trail.  The trail was created by users over the last two decades but was actually on private property slightly to the west of the access easement.  They brushed back the the larger trees and willows and re-dug it about 8 feet to the east.  The Phillip’s Ridge and Snotel trails are opening back up now that the thinning crews have finished chainsawing in that area.  I suggest heading up there this weekend as I imagine a byproduct of the thinning is better views of the mountains and valley!

Trail Conditions for 7-31-20

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This week the crew finished up the last new log bridge up Cache Creek.  These are a fun endeavor where the crew gets to use the griphoist to maneuver the several thousand pound logs into place, a good physics lesson in action.  We then installed a new culvert on the Phillip’s Connector trail where the Glory Bowl snow melt runs across each spring.  We cleared some trees off of the Hagen and Wilson Canyon trails and will get one off of Phillip’s Canyon.  We also spent some time on the History trail clearing down trees, cleaning drains, adding fill to bridge approaches, clearing culverts on turnpikes, and cutting back the infamous “Nettle Nam” section.  This trail really is amazing and the upper section is a perfect combo of peak wildflowers, beautiful Aspen groves, and dark shady Douglas Fir stands right now.  If you’re looking for a nice hike this weekend to avoid the heat at high elevation this would be a great one.

Trail Conditions for 7-24-20

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This week the crew continued working on some new footbridges on Cache Creek between Noker Mine and the Wilderness boundary.  We used the griphoist to swing the logs into place which involved some tree climbing and pulley work.  The crews then peeled the logs, milled them flat on top, and built approaches to easily step on and off of the bridges.  We rebenched several sections of eroded parts of the Cache Creek trail where mud slides had occurred.  They also added gravel to the ridge trail with ambassadors Randy and Cam as well as cleared a few fallen trees off of the trails.  With the bit of rain this week the trails are in great shape so get out and enjoy the weekend!

Trail Conditions for 7-17-20

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This week the crew went up Game and West Game and brushed back willows and rebenched narrow outsloping sections of trail.  They also continued the good fight against Musk Thistle which has crept up the drainages over the years.  It looks like the beavers have also moved up canyon and there are several new pool and dams up West Game.  The crew also took all our rigging in to Cache Creek to raise the Noker Mine bridge which has flooded the last few years.  We were able to hoist it up, add more gravel under, set new higher sill logs, and make new approach ramps for the taller decking height.  The crew worked with the USFS on the new Sheep Gulch take out trail adding a rope hand line along the steep sections of the trail.  They also cleared the Big Kahuna Wave access trail and we surveyed the Rodeo Wall climbing trail for a project with the Access Fund and the Teton Climbers Coalition.  With the dry weather the trails are a bit dusty so watch yourself and don’t slip or skid.  DO however get out and enjoy a banner year for wildflowers, they are as vibrant as I have ever seen them!

 

Check out the MBT dirt report for the Teton Valley trails here:

Trails

Trail Conditions for 7-10-20

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This week the crew cleared drains on Putt Putt and upper Blacks.  They re-stained and fixed up the benches on Nelson Knoll and Putt Puttat the town overlook.  The built a turnpike on the Big Rocks trail and cleared brush along all of those sections of trail.  We also cleared trees off of Big Rocks, Snotel, Arrow, and Skyline that fell within the last week.  As you head into the weekend remember that the Old Pass Road paving project will be happening Monday-Wednesday next week so please plan accordingly and use other trails in the area, especially if you are biking Jimmys as it will be hard to connect to Parallel as they pave past Crater Lake.

 

For reports on the trails in Teton Valley check MBT’s trail updates here:

July 6th Teton Dirt Report