SUMMER 2020 UPDATE & New Adopt-a-Trail opportunity in the works

Hello MTGers!

Experiencing this pandemic has truly made us all appreciate even more than before our amazing local trails. It’s become clear that trails have never been more important as a literal path to maintain our physical and psychological well being. We hope you’ve been getting out and enjoying our Mancos Valley trails safely!

Because of the pandemic, it seems unlikely that we’ll be able to hold the kind of group trail work days we’ve been doing the past few summers. Instead, we’re looking at moving toward an “Adopt-a-Trail” model. Specifically, we’re asking MTG volunteers to adopt segments of the 24-mile long Mancos Spur Trail which runs from Kennebec Pass to Jackson Lake. We’ll be looking for volunteers to take on short 1-2 mile segments (we’ll adjust the number and length of segments depending on interest). This way you’ll be able to conduct necessary trail work - primarily brushing and maintenance of the trail surface - with just your immediate family or small social circle. MTG, in conjunction with the Forest Service, will be loaning out tools to our adopters to use for the whole season, so we won’t need to worry about sharing tools. And we are hoping to hold a celebration of your work toward the end of the season depending on the realities of the pandemic at that time. 

Currently the Forest Service has all volunteer activities on hold but we’re hoping that will change soon and we’ll be getting this program up and running. In the meantime, if you’re interested in adopting a segment of trail this summer, please reply & let us know so we can start working out how many adopters we’ll have. 

While we all will miss the camaraderie of our monthly trail work days, at least this will get us all out there and doing some great service to the community while we are enjoying our trails. Plus, every hour of volunteer trail work you contribute is multiplied several times over as the Forest Service uses those numbers when it applies for grants. Such funding allows them to hire crews to accomplish additional work on the Spur that is beyond the capabilities of MTG.

If you're interested in adopting a segment of the Mancos Spur Trail, let us know by sending an email to mancostrailsgroup@gmail.com.