The Palisade Plunge Trail crew got a slight breather from heavy bedrock work this week. How long this break will last is unknown, but it has been well received by the crew members allowing them to cut another 900 feet of new trail, leaving them at approximately milepost 27.72.
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| The Palisade Plunge Trail crew is working their way toward the top of the ridge. |
Last Thursday, a couple crew members went up to higher elevations to scout out the condition of their campsite from last year. Once SingleTrack Trails reestablishes a campground, a second crew will begin working down toward the team working up from Palisade. Once these crews connect the four miles between them, Phase 1 of the trail will be nearly complete.
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| End of the line at approximately milepost 27.72. |
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| A view from the Palisade Plunge Trail. |
At week 33 of the Palisade Plunge Trail, about 13 miles of finished trail has been completed, and 0.30 miles of rough-cut trail is left to be hand-finished. This leaves about four miles to go before completion of Phase 1 of the trail.
Phase 2 will begin this year as soon as weather permits. A preconstruction meeting was held on Tuesday, May 5, for Phase 2 planning.
Mesa County was awarded a $527,000 grant for Phase 1 from the State of Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Beautification Trails Grant. The total cost of the project is estimated at $685,249. Phase 2 has been awarded a separate grant.
