Mancos Trails Group Trail AdoptION Program
Welcome to the 2025 Season of Trail Adoption
Exciting News!! Mancos Trails Group is opening up an additional trail system to adoption! In addition to the Mancos Spur Trail System, the Chicken Creek System, and the widely popular Aqueduct system, Mule Shoe segments will soon be open for adoption!
What is Trail Adoption?
You ‘adopt’ a trail segment when you agree to maintain that section of trail over the course of a year. You visit the trail a few times per year to monitor the condition and do easier tasks, such as clean out drainages and cut back brush.
What kind of trail maintenance will I be performing?
Brushing, clearing small trees, maintaining the trail surface (“tread”), repairing water drainage features, and trash removal - fortunately there isn’t much of this!
How many times per year should I go?
This is entirely up to you, but we ask you to visit 2-3 times per year to check trail conditions. This will depend on weather conditions, trail usage, and your time.
What Trail and Segment Should I Pick?
This is also up to you – pick a trail and segment you enjoy riding or hiking. Decide how long you want to spend getting there, and doing the work. Some segments, such as with the Mancos Spur Trail system, are a good long hike, while others are close to trailheads. Check the mileage and pick one segment, or more, if you feel comfortable with more than one. You might also want to pick trails from more than one system, say one at low elevation and one at high elevation so you have season-long access.
What if I am not sure about what to do, and how to do it?
We will hold a training/orientation day in late May or perhaps early June. In addition, there are several other options – Join a regularly scheduled club trail maintenance day, ask for an experienced club member to join you on your adopted segment, or we even have some helpful on-line resources. Each trail system has slightly different needs – definitely read the info on specific trail systems.
What if My segments need more work then I can provide?
Talk to your trail system manager – they can possibly schedule a club maintenance day to work on your segment.
Can I do this with a friend/friends?
Absolutely! In fact we are hoping that groups from local businesses will offer to adopt segments as well. Someone has to be in charge (don’t they always?), but groups are more than welcome!
Where do you get those neat tools?
The club has a large selection of tools that you can borrow for days at a time to help you.
That’s it? Just go to the trail and start working?
No, sorry. As with just about anything else involving the Bureau of Land Management or the US Forest Service, there are some forms and paperwork. Go to the respective trail system page and review the checklist there for the needed forms.
OK – I am interested, what’s next?
Look at each trail system page, and pick segments that you are interested in maintaining. Also, pick one or more trails as back-up in case the segment you are interested in is already adopted out. Get in touch with the trail system manager and they’ll help you get started!
What is Trail Adoption?
You ‘adopt’ a trail segment when you agree to maintain that section of trail over the course of a year. You visit the trail a few times per year to monitor the condition and do easier tasks, such as clean out drainages and cut back brush.
What kind of trail maintenance will I be performing?
Brushing, clearing small trees, maintaining the trail surface (“tread”), repairing water drainage features, and trash removal - fortunately there isn’t much of this!
How many times per year should I go?
This is entirely up to you, but we ask you to visit 2-3 times per year to check trail conditions. This will depend on weather conditions, trail usage, and your time.
What Trail and Segment Should I Pick?
This is also up to you – pick a trail and segment you enjoy riding or hiking. Decide how long you want to spend getting there, and doing the work. Some segments, such as with the Mancos Spur Trail system, are a good long hike, while others are close to trailheads. Check the mileage and pick one segment, or more, if you feel comfortable with more than one. You might also want to pick trails from more than one system, say one at low elevation and one at high elevation so you have season-long access.
What if I am not sure about what to do, and how to do it?
We will hold a training/orientation day in late May or perhaps early June. In addition, there are several other options – Join a regularly scheduled club trail maintenance day, ask for an experienced club member to join you on your adopted segment, or we even have some helpful on-line resources. Each trail system has slightly different needs – definitely read the info on specific trail systems.
What if My segments need more work then I can provide?
Talk to your trail system manager – they can possibly schedule a club maintenance day to work on your segment.
Can I do this with a friend/friends?
Absolutely! In fact we are hoping that groups from local businesses will offer to adopt segments as well. Someone has to be in charge (don’t they always?), but groups are more than welcome!
Where do you get those neat tools?
The club has a large selection of tools that you can borrow for days at a time to help you.
That’s it? Just go to the trail and start working?
No, sorry. As with just about anything else involving the Bureau of Land Management or the US Forest Service, there are some forms and paperwork. Go to the respective trail system page and review the checklist there for the needed forms.
OK – I am interested, what’s next?
Look at each trail system page, and pick segments that you are interested in maintaining. Also, pick one or more trails as back-up in case the segment you are interested in is already adopted out. Get in touch with the trail system manager and they’ll help you get started!
- Mancos Spur System
- Chicken Creek
- Aqueduct
- Mule Shoe (coming soon)