Spring is here and it's finally time for trail building to begin! Our first work day of the year will be all about renewing old acquaintances and making new friends. Join us on Saturday April 9 at 10am for burgers, socializing, and some trailwork too. We'll meet east of the Joe Moore Reservoir boat ramp which provides easy access to the Blue Jay Trail (directions below). In addition to some fun social time, we will review basic trail work skills, sharpen and repair tools to get them ready for the season, and pluck some rocks from the new Blue Jay Trail (if you've been on it at all this spring, you've probably noticed there are a LOT of loose rocks). 

Note that if you're interested in adopting a segment of the Mancos Spur Trail, this is a great opportunity to brush up on your trail maintenance skills.

• When: Saturday April 9 at 10 am
• Where: Park east of the boat ramp on the south side of the road at Joe Moore State Wildlife Area near the “Dead End” sign.  Directions below.
• What: Trail work - plucking rocks mostly. Also sharpen and repair tools, trail maintenance skill review. Wear long pants, sturdy boots or closed-toe shoes, gloves, and eye protection. Bring a day pack with water, snacks, sun protection, and necessary personal items. MTG will provide tools. Feel free to bring your own trail tool if you have a personal favorite. 

Directions: From the Chicken Creek parking lot, go a few hundred feet west on Road P to Road 40.2, following the sign for Joe Moore Reservoir. Turn north on 40.2 and continue past the boat ramp. Park east of the boat ramp on the south side of the road at Joe Moore State Wildlife Area near the “Dead End” sign. This provides the closest access to the work zone and has shaded parking. Directions & google map:  https://goo.gl/maps/tuKQA6FJhD2w5MqP9

It's been snowing lately and hopefully you're getting outside and enjoying it. While our trails are resting under a blanket of white, it seems like a good time to reflect on the spectacular success MTG saw in 2021, and to look toward 2022's trail season.

In 2021, MTG accomplished a LOT. A whole lot. And you, our volunteers, get  the credit!  Here are some of our greatest accomplishments for 2021:

• With the support of the Forest Service and the Southwest Conservation Corps, we constructed 10 miles of new singletrack trail at the Chicken Creek area. Only 1.5 miles to go!
• We built 4 miles of new singletrack trail at the Aqueduct area. We have about 8 more miles to go on this project.
• The 3-mile Mancos Town Trail System connecting the three town parks was mostly completed. Fourth graders painted blue moose, yellow mountain lion and red fox tracks on the sidewalks to guide you along the path. The shop class has constructed two of the four kiosks. Still to come: two more kiosks and some vertical signs in places where we can't paint the sidewalks.
• Most of the 23.5 miles of the Mancos Spur Trail were adopted last summer and saw a great deal of maintenance.
• 10 volunteer workdays were held throughout the summer at both the Chicken Creek and Aqueduct areas.
• A fun time was had by all at the Mancos Brewery special beer release party in December.
• We hosted a number of group hikes and bike rides during the summer and fall.
• Over 6700 volunteer hours went into all this (including some fantastic donations of crews by the Southwest Conservation Corps and the Forest Service). 

​It's been great to take advantage of the first four miles of trail that we've put in at the Aqueduct, and a lot of folks have been getting out there. Awesome! As a reminder, the seasonal wildlife closure begins on Wednesday, December 1 and runs through May 1. We'll see you all out there again in May! 
 
Plus, we still have about 8 miles of trail to build out there, so hopefully you'll be able to join us next season for some fun trail building. It's that much more fun to use the trails when you had a hand in constructing them!

The weather is cooperating so we will be hosting one last trail work day at the Aqueduct area west of town. This should be our last work day of the season. The forecast for this weekend looks great, what better way to enjoy a beautiful fall day than building new trails with a bunch of great people? Note that this will be a half-day of trail work followed by pizza and then a hike or bike ride, so come prepared to enjoy the trails after our morning's work is done!

• When: Saturday November 13, 9 am - noon. If you arrive late, park by the MTG banner, sign the volunteer sign-in sheet and follow the trail with white pinflags to our worksite.
• Where: Drive approximately 2 miles west of town on Hwy. 160. Turn north on CR 39. Our group will be staging 1/2 mile up the road on the right. Look for the big MTG banner. 
• What: Trail construction, mainly finish work & buffing the trail. Wear long pants, sturdy boots or closed-toe shoes, gloves, and eye protection. Bring a day pack with plenty of water, lunch and snacks, sun protection, and necessary personal items. MTG will provide tools, but if you have a garden rake please bring it. 
• MTG will provide pizza afterwards! Due to our nonprofit sponsorship we can't provide alcohol, so BYOB.
• Bring your bike or hiking gear and let's break in those trails afterwards! Plan for a short bike ride or hike to enjoy the fruits of our labor!

Bring friends and family! Many hands make for light work and a good time! And if you can’t donate time, please consider making a donation at MancosTrails.org.

This Saturday, 11/6, we are hosting another trail work day to build on the progress we've made on the new trail system at the Aqueduct area west of town. This may end up being our last work day of the season (we will be keeping our eye on the weather & hoping for one more!) The weather forecast for this weekend looks great, what better way to enjoy a beautiful fall day than building new trails with a bunch of great people?

- When: Saturday November 6 at 9 am. If you arrive late, park by the MTG banner and follow the pinflags to our worksite.
- Where: Drive approximately 2 miles west of town on Hwy. 160. Turn north on CR 39. Our group will be staging somewhere along the road within the first couple of miles. Look for the big MTG banner.
- What: Trail construction. Wear long pants, sturdy boots or closed-toe shoes, gloves, and eye protection. Bring a day pack with plenty of water, lunch and snacks, sun protection, and necessary personal items. Please bring a mask in case we need to carpool. MTG will provide tools, but feel free to bring your own trail tool if you have a personal favorite.

Plan for a cookout afterwards. Due to our nonprofit sponsorship, we are unable to provide alcoholic beverages so BYOB.

Brings friends and family! Many hands make for light work and a good time! And if you can’t donate time, please consider making a donation using the link on our homepage, MancosTrails.org. 

For more information on the new trails at the Aqueduct, check out this post or this great article in the Cortez Journal.

If you're heading out to Chicken Creek to check out the new trails, here's a map you can download (and print if you like!) to help you find your way. It's a bit different from the one at the trailhead because it shows the final trail locations. It also points out gate and creek crossings, and the detour along Roads 559 & 559K to connect the two (not-yet-connected) sections of the Lost Chicken Trail (marked in red).  There's more details and trail descriptions on our Trails page - go check it out. Finally, we hope to have the tracks available on our Trailforks maps soon!