Trails Stewardship Projects
Completed in 2023
Climbing Access Projects
East Gate Buttress
This project focused on designing and establishing a sustainable approach to the East Gate climbing routes. The original trail was eroding, dangerously featured with loose rock, and unsustainably steep. With the technical assistance and guidance of the Access Fund’s Conservation Team, CCF rerouted the trail and installed switchbacks, rock retaining walls, and rock staircase features.
Metrics
Restored Staging Areas
New Switchbacks
(Including new corridor and retaining wall)
Staircases
Retaining Walls
Steps
Tons of Granite Moved and Set by Hand
(Approximately)
Feet of Old Trail Closed and Junked with Debris
Feet of New Tread
Photographs
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Challenge Buttress
This project focused on reinforcing the existing climbing approach with sustainable, native rock features and creating soil retention structures under the climbing routes to serve as stable staging areas for climbers and belayers. We installed rock staircases, check steps and retaining walls at the climbing areas and on the approach.
Metrics
(Very large)
Tree Removed
Drains
Retained Belay
Pads
Staircases
Retaining Walls
Feet of Closed
Social Trail
Feet of New,
Rerouted Trail
Steps
Feet of Improved
Existing Trail
Photographs
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Jacob’s Ladder
The CCF Trail Crew installed drainage and retention features with native rock structures to protect the trail’s upper switchbacks from erosion.
Metrics
Miles of Trail
Improved
Check Steps
Installed
Trees
Logged Out
Drains Installed
Retaining Walls
Built
Switchbacks
Reinforced
Feet Revegetated
Feet of Corridor
Cleared
Cubic Feet of Rock
Set into Structures
Feet of Tread
Rebuilt
Photographs
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Little Cottonwood Canyon
Alta Ski Area System Trails
The CCF trail crew performed annual maintenance and scouting on nearly 75% of all available trails in the 12-mile Alta trail system while also participating in several stewardship events with the Alta Environmental Center (AEC). Maintained trails included Cecret Lake Trail, Devil’s Castle Loop, Snake Pit Trail, Albion Meadows Trail, and Catherine’s Pass Trail.
Metrics
Hazard Trees
Removed
Miles Maintained
and Scouted
Drains Built
Feet of Switchback Cuts
and Social Trails Closed
Drains Cleaned
Feet of Trail
Brushed
Photographs
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Red Pine Lakes Trail
The primary work on this trail included cleaning drains, removing hazard trees, and closing and naturalizing old trail and switchback cuts.
Metrics
Mile of Social Trail and Switchback
Cuts Closed and Junked
Miles Scouted
Hazard Trees Removed
Drains Cleared
Little Cottonwood Creek Trail
The CCF Trail Crew focused on cleaning, maintaining, and building drains on this heavily used, easily accessible trail.
Metrics
Drains Installed
Miles Maintained
Trees Removed
Drains Cleaned
Big Cottonwood Canyon
Lake Blanche
Issues with drainage on this heavily used trail were addressed by the installation and repair of many of the trail’s upper section drainage features.
Metrics
Tons of Rock Set into
Structures (Approximately)
Miles of Trail Work
Scouted
Trees Logged Out
Drains Maintained
Drains Rebuilt
Feet of Closed and
Naturalized Social Trails
Photographs
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Bonneville Shoreline Trail (Ferguson to Dogwood)
The CCF Trail Crew and SLRD Trails connected Ferguson Canyon Trailhead to Dogwood Picnic Area in Big Cottonwood with a new section of trail. Features included several switchbacks, drains, and retaining walls. Old scratch trail was widened and rehabilitated to reduce narrowing and vegetation growth. A stream crossing on the Ferguson side of the trail was retained with rock wall and a crush pad to raise the tread level and prevent trail wash outs in high flow.
Metrics
Stream Crossing
Miles of Trail Improved
and Heavily Maintained
Retaining Walls
Trees Cleared
Drains Installed
Tons of Rock Set into
Structures
Feet of Closed and Naturalized
Old/Social Trails
Feet of New Tread
Feet of Widened Tread
Photographs
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Mill B North
The CCF trail crew repaired and reinforced a drainage crossing that had been destroyed in an avalanche two winters before. The features constructed included a retained pad of porous crushed rock with stepping stones, a multi-tiered staircase, and a stretch of retained tread.
Metrics
Retaining Walls
Steps
Stepping Stones
Feet of New Tread
Square Feeet
Crush Pad
Lbs. of rock used
(13.5 tons)
Photographs
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Millcreek Canyon
Great Western Trail
An 850ft reroute to remove the old trail from the stream bottom and create a sustainable alternative for multi-use. Features installed included drains, wood retaining walls, and a rock-reinforced stream crossing. Several hazard trees were removed and the old trail was revegetated with grass from the new corridor.
Metrics
Stream Crossing:
24 ft2 of crush pad
20 ft3 retaining rock and log wall
Retaining Features
Installed
Hazard Trees
Removed
New Drains
Installed
Feet of Closed and
Naturalized Old Trail
Feet of New Tread
(0.16 mi)
Photographs
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Alexandre Basin – Bowman Connector
Extremely narrowed or eroded tread was repaired on the 1.5-mile stretch connecting trail between Alexander Basin and Bowman Fork trails to widen and reestablish the trail bench uphill and to mitigate sloughing.
Metrics
Miles Maintained
Trees Cut and Cleared
Feet of New Tread
Photographs
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Desolation Trail from Thayne Canyon
In several places the tread on this trail has become thin or heavily eroded downhill. The CCF crew targeted the most severely damaged sections of the trail and reestablished a wider trail uphill, often rerouting small sections of the trail onto a higher bench.
Metrics
Retaining Walls
Miles Scouted
Hazard Trees Cleared
from the Trail
Feet of Closed
and Naturalized Tread
Cubic Feet
of rock used
Feet of Newly
Repaired Tread
Photographs
Click/Tap on the photo(s) to enlarge (full-size)
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