7/15-7/22, 2026
SUMMARY
After arriving in Sargents, Colorado, the crew set up camp at Tomichi Creek Trading Post then serviced motorcycle air filters before meeting Bob Nicolls trail crew on the Canyon Creek Trail. Trail work included building new drains, cleaning existing drainage, rehabilitating braided trail sections, and moving rocks to armor tread while protecting the surrounding alpine environment.
Work continued in the high alpine around Canyon Creek with switchback reconstruction, drainage improvements, loose rock removal, and minor restoration of disturbed vegetation. A volunteer from the local CCMR motorcycle club joined the crew for the day to assist with trail maintenance efforts.
Partnering with Bob Nicolls crew and a CCMR volunteer, the crew completed two detailed rock armoring projects on South Quartz Trail. Approximately 25 feet of severely cupped trail through technical rock pinch points was reconstructed using embedded rock to create a more sustainable tread while preserving the trail's technical character. Additional work included removing loose rocks, reshaping large rocks with hammers and chisels, and navigating frequent afternoon storms while working at 12,000 feet. The motorcycle odometers showed a 46-mile work day- lots of trail maintenance was covered over a broad area.
The crew also partnered with local volunteers, including Mike, organizer of the Vapor Trail bike race, to complete trail maintenance on the South Quartz Trail. Work included clearing debris, constructing and cleaning drains, brushing out overgrown corridor, improving visibility through technical sections, repairing exposed side slopes, and armoring muddy stream crossings to improve drainage and trail tread durability.
Rejoining Bob Nicolls crew, the team completed maintenance on the Quakey Trail, Waunita Trail, and South Quartz Trail, including drainage improvements, corridor clearing, debris removal, tread reconstruction, and chainsaw work to remove fallen trees. The day concluded by rebuilding a severely eroded section of Canyon Creek Trail with large embedded boulders, widening the tread to approximately 30 inches and creating a more sustainable trail on a loose decomposed granite hillside.
The Salida CPW OHV crew joined the project for another collaborative workday. Crews split into multiple teams to maximize productivity, removing hazardous and newly fallen trees, widening user-created trail cuts, repairing tread on Right Hand Trail, cleaning drains, clearing debris, and brushing out corridor. Despite temperatures reaching 90°F, the combined crews completed maintenance across many miles of trail.
The crew then traveled approximately 20 miles of singletrack to the remote switchbacks on Summit Trail #486 near Lujan Pass. Work focused on felling hazard trees, widening narrow trail sections, restoring drainage, clearing corridor, and removing accumulated debris. Additional maintenance was completed on Middle Barrett Creek Trail #494 before returning to camp.
The hitch concluded with routine motorcycle and equipment maintenance, including an oil change, servicing air filters, washing equipment, lubricating chains, placing equipment orders, and completing administrative tasks. The camper was serviced and resupplied in preparation for the next hitch in Rico, Colorado.
WHY THIS WORK MATTERS
The Gunnison Ranger District has many miles of technical single track which are hard for standard OHV trail crews to access. Unless you can ride motorcycles at an expert level, loaded with trail tools, it’s really hard to get into this area’s more remote single track trail work sites. Furthermore, high elevation trails right at treeline present issues with weather, making work windows short when thunderstorms come in. Add all these factors up and it is easy to see why many of these high technical single track trails don’t get much attention. All Colorado federal land managers have a difficult time accessing remote sections of single track trail, so remote single track trail work is TPA’s specialty.
GOALS FOR NEXT HITCH
Next hitch: 7/29-8/5 Dolores Ranger District
Goals: Evaluate the Spring Creek reroute layout and fine tune design for NEPA. Estimate equipment time and cost to build trail reroute. Work with San Juan Trail Riders and Dolores Ranger District staff to come up with a plan for reconnecting access. Perform standard trail maintenance on the Calico trail and adjacent single track trails. Provide solutions to any trail issues encountered on the Rico area single track system.
STATS
- Hitch Number: 10
- Reporting Period: 7/15-7/22 (includes mobilization and demobilization days)
- RD/BLM: Gunnison Ranger District
- Hours Drive time total: 13
- Trails worked:
- Canyon Creek trail #481, South quartz trail #483, Depler Park Road #769, Buffalo Fork Road #769.2B, Dawson Ridge Road #819, Quakey Mountain #537, Waunita Trail #497, Hicks Gulch #492, Dutchman #490, Left Hand Trail #495, Right Hand Trail #493, Owen's Creek Road #750
- Baldy Lake Trail #491, Summit trail #486, Trail #487.5A, Razor Creek #487, Middle Razor Trail #501, North Gulch Trail #502, Middle Barrett Creek #494, Trail #643, Road #750, Road #750.2D, Road 490.1A, Tomichi Creek Road #888
- Trail miles ridden: 355.5
- Trail miles maintained: 41.4
- Trees felled: 17
- Trees cut: 305
- Drainage cleared: 71
- New Drains built: 53
- Restoration feet: 365
- Reroute feet: 0
- Reconstruction feet: 195
- Debris removed feet: 15,315
- Corridor cleared feet: 1220
- Signage: 0
- Contacts made: 62
- Educational interactions: 36
- Volunteer hours: 46
- Total truck miles per hitch: 72