Via the Medicinebow Nordic Association
MBNA has been working with BikeNet, High Plains Harriers, local businesses, and others to develop expanded winter-use of the “ungroomed”/”multi-use”/” single-track”/”winter-use” trails in the Happy Jack area. The groups have come up with a plan to try to spread out the use of the trails in the winter and thereby reduce skier/biker/runner/walker/ snowshoer conflicts. The attached map illustrates the winter-use trail system that has been proposed to the Forest Service. The red trails are those that are currently maintained by MBNA for skate and classic track skiing. The blue trails would be designated “multi-use”. MBNA has been marking, signing, and mapping some of the multi-use trails (Crow Creek and the Snowshoe Trail), and cooperating with volunteers in the skiing/ running/snowshoeing/biking community to keep them open and packed. The goal is to extend this to all the existing and proposed “blue” lines, to get these trails packed by foot (generally snowshoe) following snow events to provide a firm, well-established trail surface, and to encourage non-skiers to use those trails rather than the carefully-groomed ski trails.
If you are a winter user of Happy Jack, we’re interested in your feedback on the availability of trails to different types of users. Please e-mail MBNA at medbownordic@gmail.com with your comments. Please put “multi-use trails” in the subject line. It would also be helpful if you let is know what winter activities you engage in at Happy Jack and approximately how often you use the area (i.e. once a week; 2-3 times/week; etc.).
Thank you!