Spring Cleaning on the Trails

During a busy weekend, the nonprofit GOAL (Get Outside And Live) sponsored a Trail cleanup day at the Kelly Park trails that brought out a number of people to help get the trails in shape for spring.  It was Celebrate Trails Day, as it so happens, and there are plenty of reasons to do so in Caribou County, which has a trail network that many places would be jealous of to go along with its wildland, wetland, and water system ecology.

The Kelly Park trails had been marked for cutting and removal last week in order to coincide with the planned “Cardinal Cleanup” day.  The planned day was extremely cold and windy and the event was rescheduled to May 7 from 2:00 to 4:00.  The public is invited to join local students as they clean up the local parks and city on that day.

GOAL board members Chris Gonzalez, Sally Jensen, and Misti Newby met at Kelly Park to direct cleanup activities, along with Dr. Greg Jensen, Crystal Alonzo, and a number of young helpers.

Since its inception in Caribou County, GOAL has worked to promote exactly what its name suggests—getting Outside and Living life to the fullest.  The areas around Caribou County are replete with places to go and things to do for the recreation oriented, and GOAL has tried to encourage people to seek them out.

Over the summer, GOAL sponsored an event which encouraged people to look for plaques that had been located in accessible but wild areas of Grace, Bancroft and Soda Springs and post their pictures on the GOAL Facebook page.  

In the immediate future, GOAL will be hosting a “Soda Springs Bicycle Tour.”  The tour will start at Octagon Springs at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 9.  This will be in addition to the monthly bike challenges you can find explained on the group’s social media sites.  The tour will involve a “fun and easy ride” to explore several water features in the area, such as Hooper Springs.  

Later in the season, GOAL is hosting a 5K Run/Walk, which will start at 10:00 a.m. at the Bailey Creek water tower parking lot.  This is the first of its kind 5K through whispering pines and quakies.

The City of Soda Springs is working in the Bailey Creek area to open new walking trails in the broader Ledge Creek area.  Silica sand has been laid along much of the distance, and the trails have already begun to see foot traffic.  An official opening is in the works.

During Saturday’s cleanup event, there was not a large amount of trash to clean up, which is a good sign.  The trails are largely in need of cutting back some bushes and quick-growing trees, as well as maintaining the trail edges.

Cowboy Ted teaching some roping skills to young learners.

 While the trail clearing was underway, Cowboy Ted held a Human-Powered Rodeo session to give the younger kids a chance to run off some energy and gain an appreciation for spending that energy and time outdoors.

“This was our day to celebrate trails, and it was awesome to connect with GOAL and do this,” Cowboy Ted (Hallisey) said.  “The biggest part was the kids coming out for trail cleanup day, and that carries on for the whole year.  There’s a National Trail Day coming up in June, too.”  

Like GOAL, Cowboy Ted is dedicated to spreading an appreciation for outdoor activities, as well as mindful behavior and starting positive habits early.  He belongs to a number of regional groups working to bring events focused on those things to local communities.  Last week, we brought you a report on an event for younger kids in Bancroft, and this week he will be in Lava Hot Springs.  As the summer picks up, we will let you know about other local Cowboy Ted events.

After the event, GOAL board members Chris Gonzalez and Misti Newby took a tour of the Bike Park which sits on the southern end of Kelly Park near the ice rink location.  Gonzelez has been an advocate for the Bike Park since it was first started as a project in 2019.  Early on in the bike park’s life COVID hit, and the original designer left the project.  Nevertheless, donations of time and resources have kept it going, and Gonzalez has plans for what comes next.

Greg Jensen, for one thing, recently finished the concrete bases for official metal signwork that will be placed at the park.  “It’s going to look really cool,” Gonzalez said, as he pointed to the stamped base where the signposts will be placed.

The hill gets a lot of use throughout the summer, and once the weather finally settles, work on getting the paths ready for the season can start, as well as adding to the existing layout.

Chris Gonzalez points out features of the Bike Park trails at Kelly Park.

 “There are three lines from the start hill right now.  You can tell which one is the least popular by how much grass is on it,” Gonzalez laughed.  “Anybody can hit these at any age.”

The park is a labor of love for local riders, who have provided a lot of literal labor on the project.  “We did all this with a skid loader and a plate compactor.  And shovels, of course.”

The paths cater to riders of different skill levels and interests, with a “pump path” nearly dialed in to allow for a complete circuit without peddling.  Other features require a different kind of effort. “This one is kind of like a mountain bike trail, it’s rough and basic,” Gonzalez said, indicating a path made largely of rock.  

In either case, the paths lead to the western side of the bike park, where “most people will just ride up the silica trail back to the beginning.”

Anyone wishing to become involved or support the park is encouraged to visit the “Soda Springs Bike Park” Facebook page, which recently added an aerial drone image of the course.

As spring possibly (finally) gets up and going, the call of the wild and the draw of the outdoors are getting stronger!