Trail Alert - Logging Resumes At Chicken Creek. also - more new trails for mancos!

Use the new Blue Jay Trail corridor to avoid logging operations​​​
We just received word that timber sale operations began yesterday near the Chicken Creek trailhead. Luckily we have some new trails going in this summer at the Chicken Creek area and two of them, the Blue Jay Trail and the Chicken Little Trail, are a great way to avoid the logging. See below for info on the new trails and a map. But first, here is the info from the Forest Service:


Timber sale activities are scheduled to resume in the Chicken Creek area of the Dolores Ranger District on Monday, May 24th. Harvest operations will be in the Lost Turkey sale northeast of the Chicken Creek parking lot in the vicinity of the Little Bauer Loop.

The Lost Turkey timber sale project aims to increase forest resilience, reduce the risk of high-severity wildfires, and provide wood products for commercial uses. No closures of roads are trails are anticipated unless there is a risk to public safety. Full news release here.

Suggested Alternative Route: Introducing the new Blue Jay Trail and Chicken Little Trail at Chicken Creek! ​

In addition to the new trails at the Aqueduct, another new trail system was approved for the Mancos area this winter: the new Chicken Creek Trails Expansion.

The Blue Jay Trail (named after our own Mancos Blue Jays!) will be one of the trails in the new system expansion. At the moment, it is only roughly flagged in, following a cow path. Eventually the Blue Jay Trail will be a sustainably-designed trail that will provide a great singletrack opportunity for hikers, bikers and horseback riders, but even in its "unconstructed" state it's a great alternative to the dusty Little Bauer Road where the logging activity will be taking place. 

Just follow the orange and pink flags across the dam to the west of the Chicken Creek parking lot. The flagging will follow the (mostly obvious) cow path for about a mile till it joins with the Bauer Loop above the logging area.
Note that the new Chicken Little Trail will be another alternative. To access this trail to avoid the logging area, you can park on the Forest Road 385D immediately west of County Road 41 (the Chicken Creek Road). The Chicken Little Trail is already constructed but will be adjusted slightly in the new trail system.

 

​New! Chicken Creek Trail System Expansion

We introduced you to the new Aqueduct Trail System in our last email update. Today, we'd like to share the rest of the exciting news from this winter - the approval by the Forest Service of a new Chicken Creek Trails Expansion!

This summer we'll be putting in about 10 miles of new multi-use, non-motorized trails that begin at the Chicken Creek Trailhead parking lot on County Road 40. Along with the existing trails, this will make for a system with about 18 miles of trail. As a part of this new project, we will also see new trailhead kiosks with maps and new signage at trail intersections. Anyone who's used the Chicken Creek trails knows that the current signage there isn't great, so this will help a lot! Maybe you'll learn the name of a favorite trail, or discover one that's been there all along that you've never taken. 

Mancos Trails Group will be holding group trail building days in the Chicken Creek area this summer. Check out our webpage for updated information about group work days.

The Chicken Creek Trails Expansion project is a partnership between Mancos Trails Group, the San Juan Mountains Association, and the San Juan National Forest Dolores Ranger District.