Mountain Trails Foundation

We build, maintain and protect Park City, Utah's trails

Rick Fournier, Field Manager

Fall Trail Report

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The Only Constant in Life Is Change.” -Heraclitus

Fall is a time of transition for the MTF crew.  As the temps drop, the leaves turn and we get our first taste of winter, there is some urgency in the air.  

This past week the team scrambled to pull our machines off the mountain ahead of the first snowfall.  While the Charlie’s 9K to Mid Mountain and Mother Urban trails were not finished this year, we are super happy with the work we have completed thus far, and have put ourselves in a great position to finish both, as soon as the snow recedes next summer.

As the snow began to fly above 9,000 feet late yesterday (Monday), the team was high on a peak above Bonanza, laying out a new trail that will connect Bonanza Flat to the WOW trail, scheduled for next season.  At the same time, Chase was installing the last few PVC markers in Bonanza, in preparation for the upcoming XC ski season, just around the corner.     

Historically, October has been the month that we say “so long” to our seasonal staff, as they take much-needed break before moving on to their winter gigs.  Our seasonal trail crew members have long been the heart and soul of our organization.  They are the “boots on the ground” during the summer months, and they represent everything that is great about our mission.   

Last week we said so long to two of our best- Tim McChesney and Jon Huyck.  They have been with MTF for the past 3 seasons and have played a huge role in completing major projects including the Lake Lackawaxen trail, Charlie’s 9K, the Big Easy, Milky Way at SkyRidge, and the yet to be finished Mother Urban and Charlie’s 9K to Mid Mountain trails, to name just a few.      

We’re going to remain optimistic that they both return for a 4th season, but if not, it has been a great run and we wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors.  Tim and Jon, thanks for the huge effort.  You guys rock!

Have a great fall y’all!

Rick, Field Manager

September Trail Report from Rick

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As Lora touched upon in her “anatomy of a trail build“, we eccentric tree huggers and dirt dogs who have had the good fortune designing and building trail for a living, definitely consider it more of an creative artform than a construction process.  And those same individuals will tell you that mother earth is the most amazing and challenging canvas to work.  

The MTF crew is currently waist deep into two, huge, artistic renderings…

Chase, seemingly overnight, has turned into a pretty talented trail artist in his own right, and it shows in his latest efforts on the yet to be named, Charlie’s 9K to Mid Mountain trail.  This directional downhill and bike only trail will be heavy on the flow and even heavier on character, descending for over two miles through the black gold of Black Forest. 

A thousand feet below the 9K, your’s truly, along with machine operators in training, Tim & Alec, have been chipping away, literally, at the super steep and rocky hillside high above Daly Canyon.  “Mother Urban”, a shared-use, climb-only for bikes trail, will ascend for close to 4 miles from the bottom of Treasure Hill all the way up to Mid Mountain- a much needed alternative to Armstrong and Jenni’s.

Weather permitting, we’re hoping for a late fall opening on both of these projects.  Also look for another section of Mother Urban to potentially open next weekend.  

Stay tuned and have a great one out there!  

Rick    

Monsoons, Mothers & Black Gold

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After an unrelenting, hot, dry and smoky early July, this past week has brought monsoonal storms, giving our high desert dirt some desperately needed moisture and our lungs a little reprieve from the smoke.

With long-awaited approvals from stakeholders and necessary digging permits from the resort, the MTF crew was able to start work on two major new projects- both directional in nature.

The Mother Urban trail, named after a colorful character in Park City lore, will be a directional, “uphill only for bikes” trail (multi-directional for hiking) and will create a much needed alternative route up to the Mid Mountain trail from the heart of Old Town.  It will utilize a good bit of the Treasure Hill parcel along with the adjacent Moosehouse/Gravedigger zone and should go a long way towards taking pressure off of both Jenni’s and Armstrong.    

We’ve also broken ground- beautiful, rich, organic, black gold, in the north facing conifers of the Black Forest zone up at Park City Mountain.  This new “down country” directional downhill and bike only trail, will create an early connection from Charlie’s 9K down to the Mid Mountain Trail.  While it will be intermediate in nature, it won’t be lacking in fun flow and will descend for over two miles before meeting up with Mid Mountain just below the Pioneer lift.  

We’re super stoked about both of these projects and are confident that they will greatly enhance the trail system as whole, by dispersing use, providing meaningful connections and creating multiple new route options.  Oh, and there’s a pretty good likelihood that they will both put a smile on your face.  

Rick  

July Trail Report from Rick

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It’s hard to believe that June is already in the rearview mirror – a month that brought record heat early on and more recently, some welcome, hero-dirt-producing thunderstorms.  

We said so long to 4-year crew member and all-around great guy, Nick Herrman (see Trail Crew Profile).  He will be missed, and we wish him all the best! We also welcomed aboard our awesome new intern, Otis Milliken.  

The summer trail season is in full swing and here are just a few of the projects the team completed in June:   

  • Milky Way to SkyRidge Peak completed. Stats:  1.1 miles, 800 feet of elevation gain.  Currently and “out and back” only for bikes, multi-directional for hikers.    
  • Finished Phase 1 of the new “Lynx” trail, from the Park City Heights development up to Fox Tail/Skid Row.  Stats:  1 mile, directional, uphill only for bikes, multi-use.   
  • Collaborated with Park City Mountain on some base area fixes including a complete overhaul of the blown out, lower half-mile section of CMG.  Work is also underway on a new, directional flow trail that will bypass the base area operations for a super fun, bike-only, descent back to the First Time Lot.        
  • A sustainable, hand-built, reroute of the badly eroded access trail from Lake Lackawaxen up to the Clayton Peak Saddle.
  • After a summer of social distancing, we’re super stoked to be working side by side with volunteers once again this year.  To date, we’ve held 4 volunteer days, including hosting over 60 enthusiastic volunteers for National Trails Day.   

It’s summertime and the livin’s easy… 

Rick, Field Manager 

Rick’s Spring Trail Report

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Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.  –John Muir

Spring is nature’s way of saying ‘Let’s party!’  –Robin Williams

Spring has always been synonymous with rebirth and new beginnings.  And that couldn’t be more true than during this post-pandemic spring of 2021.  Earlier this spring, we welcomed a new addition to the MTF family; Race Belieu Smith, son of our own Chase Smith and his better half, wife Colie. 

We also welcomed a new crew member, Alec Johnson, to the MTF team.  Alec brings with him 5 years of trail experience working for Mountain Bike the Tetons, in Driggs Idaho, and we’re stoked to have him on on-board.

We have an ambitious dirt agenda this season, one that includes 5 new trail projects in addition to our general maintenance program.  Each of these projects is unique and they are all “purpose-built”, meaning that they all serve a purpose. 

Chris “Vandy” Vanderlinde and crew are currently chipping away on the unique (and rocky) lunar landscape of SkyRidge Peak, on the northeast side of the Jordanelle Reservoir.  This continuation of the multi-use, Milky Way trail, will enable mountain bikers to ascend over 800 feet to the summit of the peak.  We will follow that up with a “bike-only” descent back down to the trailhead this fall or next spring.     

Just west of SkyRidge, Chase Smith and team are working on a new directional connection from Park City Heights up to the Fox Tail/Skid Row area.  This is phase 1 of a multi-year trails plan that will include a connection from the Woodchip Trail down to Skid Row as well as a downhill directional flow trail that will descend over 500 feet, back down to PC Heights.

Other projects on the dirt docket will include:

– A directional “uphill only for bikes” continuation of the Treasure Hill trail that will provide a new, moderate route up to the Mid Mountain trail from Old Town.

– A directional, downhill, flow trail that will connect the new 9K to Mid Mountain in the Black Forest area.

– The completion of the Bonanza loop; a 5+ mile long, directional, multi-use loop, that will be the first mountain bike-friendly trail in Bonanza Flat.     

We’re super-excited about each of these projects and confident that they will provide meaningful connections and create unique, smile-inducing experiences for trail users of all types. 

After a year of social distancing, we’re eager to once again engage the local community.  With that in mind, we’re looking at organizing a locals volunteer day the 3rd Thursday of each month.  This will likely be a post-work, ride/hike/run to the work site, dig and socialize for a few hours with our friends and neighbors, old and new.  Stay tuned for details…           

Have a great one out there!

Rick, Field Manager 

Mountain Trails