Get Outside and Hit Your Local Trails While Staying Safe

As winter turns to spring and spring turns to summer the itch to get outside during COVID-19 grows. Local trails and pathways around the country are the first places outdoor enthusiasts flock to for hiking, trail running, and biking when the weather gets nice.

Here in Jackson Hole we are lucky to have a huge network of trails to explore and lately our trailheads are the most popular places in town. During the era of social distancing our local trail and pathway organization, Friends of Pathways (FOP), is taking proactive steps to keep people safe while they hit the trails. Earlier this week we called Amy Golightly, Communications Director of FOP, to hear about what they are doing to keep people safe and what’s next for the local trails around Jackson Hole.

Q: Pathway usage has been up tremendously – what are some cool stats on this usage? And how is Pathways asking people to stay safe while using our paved pathways?

Pathway usage has been incredible this spring! Check out the table below for some cool stats. In a community that thrives on outdoor activity and fresh air we’re fortunate to have a world-class pathway system, especially this spring when trails were still under a few feet of snow. Even with the imperatives of social distancing, the pathways make it possible to get outside for some close to home exercise and sunshine. At the onset of the local health directives for distancing, FOP installed large sandwich board signs at all of the major pathway intersections with information about safe recreation on pathways. We’ve also installed temporary signs along the pathways encouraging good pathway etiquette during times of such increased usage – things like putting dogs on leash, cyclists ringing bells, turning down the headphones, respecting other vulnerable users and things like that. We’ve also been sharing pathway and trail condition updates on social media and via email as often as possible to help people spread out as new areas open up.

Q: Trails are starting to dry out, and many trailheads have been busy. How are people staying safe while hitting the dirt?

Trails are a little tricky since things are always slow to melt and people are, understandably, very anxious to get out and hit the dirt. That can mean a lot of users in a small space so patience and good etiquette are crucial. We are encouraging people to follow standard trail etiquette – don’t use muddy trails, bikes yield to all other users and uphill travelers have the right of way. We are also asking people to step a little further off the trail to allow other users to pass at a safe distance. If you are recreating with non-family/household members maintain a safe distance and definitely no congregating at the trailhead before or after your adventure. If we can all remember to be respectful of each other, slow down a bit and ‘BE NICE AND SAY HI!’, it will be a great summer on our local trails.

Q: What trails are you most excited about hitting this spring/ summer?

I love so many of our local trails it’s hard to pick! The Cache trails are my go-to after work staple. I’m looking forward to checking out our new reroute on the Big Munger trail and I’m always excited to hit the Skyline trail after it opens July 1st – the views up there are pretty incredible. Friends of Pathways also has plans in the works to build a new single-track climbing route on Shadow Mountain as the USFS looks at adopting some of the user created trails there. It will connect to the popular downhill trail and make a fun loop that will be an awesome addition to that trail system. And Philips Ridge to Philips Canyon is another one of my favorites after it dries out. Our friends at Mountain Bike the Tetons are also putting in some fantastic trails in Teton Valley these days, so I’ve got lots of stuff on my list!

Q: What’s on the horizon for Friends of Pathways in the near future to help support our community?

The future of pathways in our community is very exciting! This summer Friends of Pathways is rolling out a new initiative for every neighborhood to be connected by a trail or pathway. Pandemic closures made it very clear that pathways and easy access to outdoor recreation are crucial to the health and well-being of our community. It’s our goal to ensure everyone in our community has the ability to step out of their front door and have quick and easy access to safe places to recreate as well as easy access to non-motorized travel routes. People can follow Friends of Pathways on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about the project and ways to get involved in the coming months.

If you’re getting on your local trails for exercise, keep in mind your impact. Stay vigilant to your local social distancing guidelines, do your part to keep the trails in good shape, and enjoy being outside during a time when we all need some fresh air. For a full list of trails in and around Jackson Hole, visit the Friends of Pathways website.