It’s that time of the year when we look back on the accomplishments of the trail program in 2022. We are thankful to our donors, volunteers, partners, and supporters for helping make our trails great and our community an awesome place to live.
MEDL Project Signed!
Because of the hectic fire season this spring, the signing of the Decision Memo for the Mount Elden Dry Lake Hills Recreation Project (MEDL) was a bit anticlimactic, but this was a huge deal! After nearly 20 years of engagement and involvement from Flagstaff Biking and the rest of the trails community, we are finally able to move forward with much needed additions and improvements to the Trail System in the Mount Elden and Dry Lakes area!
Volunteer events and Trail Days
There were six volunteer events held as part of the FBO Trail Program to help our partner, the U.S. Forest Service, get off to a great start on the awesome MEDL Project. There was no easing into the season, and it was pedal to the metal with the dedicated Flagstaff Ranger District trail crew leading the way.
The District trail crew held volunteer events every Thursday that combined with conservation corps crews allowed 12+ miles of trail construction.
Our season kicked off with 19 folks helping in May to build the new 0.6 mile Chimney Trail connection from Schultz Creek TH to Chimney Trail.
On National Trails Day in June we had 65 folks volunteer to help build the new Big Bang and Afterglow trails. Flagstaff Trails Initiative and R2R Hiking Club served up a tasty lunch of burgers, brats and all the fixins courtesy of Coconino County.
After a closure due to the tragic Pipeline Fire, we got back after it with trail days on the new Brookbank trail in July and Oldham trail in August.
In September, we were a partner with the Coconino Trail Riders, Northern Arizona Trail Runners, the Coconino Horsemen’s Alliance and the Coconino National Forest in the annual Pedals v Pistons v Horseshoes v Hiking Boots Trail Day, an event that encourages cooperation and community between all single-track trail users. This event focused on tread repair on West Secret, Newham, and Upper Moto trails. Mountainbikers won the trophy this year!
All in all, in 2022, Flagstaff Biking Organization Trail Days tallied 720 volunteer hours and 14,526 feet of trail maintained or built!
Flagstaff Trail Faeries
The Flagstaff Trail Faeries had a productive year rebuilding the now adopted Jedi trail as part of the MEDL project. In addition, several days were spent maintaining drains and tread repair on Chimney, Damper, and Flue trails in the Fort Valley Trail System. They also built a switchback corner on the new Brookbank Trail and overall tallied nearly 500 volunteer hours!
Arizona National Scenic Trail Walnut Canyon Realignment
2022 also saw the completion of realignments on Walnut Canyon Passage 31 of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. FBO and the Trail Faeries were involved in helping this project along with alignment and layout input and a bit of instigation.
More to come —
In 2023, we are working on a partnership with the Flagstaff Ranger District on a new directional flow-type trail with bike-optimized features as part of MEDL and will be fundraising for the hiring of trail crews while continuing our history of organized volunteer events.
We need your help!
We are so grateful for all the folks who participated this year; either by signing up for a volunteer event, donating to the Trail Fund, or by just staying in the loop by being on the email list. With implementation of the MEDL project now well underway, funding is tight and Flagstaff Biking Organization is seeking to generate substantial donations to achieve the best possible outcome for this project. We need your help to get these and other projects across the finish line! Your generosity will help FBO, in partnership with the Forest Service, make these things happen!
You make our trails great and our community a wonderful place to live.