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| Pictured here is a wall constructed below the keyhole feature on Phase 1 of the Palisade Plunge Trail. |
Phase 1 - Week 49:
Progress continues with another 290 feet of finished trail, 193 feet of crib wall, and 270 feet of bedrock at the keyhole area near milepost (MP) 27.3. The crew has about 200 feet of trail and 100 feet of wall remaining to finish connecting to the lower section by the end of this week.
The crew will then head to the Blowout area to complete the remainder of the trail between MP 23.3 and MP 24.4. The completion of Phase 1 is expected by the end of September.
Trail delineation and private property signs along the bottom of the trail off of Highway US 6 in Palisade have been placed. Installation of informational kiosks will get underway this week.
Sixteen miles of finished trail have been completed, which leaves about 1.16 miles more before completing Phase 1.
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| Rock delineation is placed to help guide riders to the trail entrance and exit. |
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| Signs near the Palisade Plunge Trail remind trail-users to stay on the trail. |
Phase 2 - Week 7:
The Phase 2 crew, in combination with the Western Colorado Conservation Corps (WCCC), have roughed-in another 5,401 feet of new trail and finished 5,218 of that total.
Phase 2 is now near MP 4.5. The smoke from the Pine Gulch fire caused the crew to finish early one day, but they’ve kept their average daily footage rates.
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| Some of the portions of Otto's Wall still remain intact after all these years. |
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| Otto's Wall. |
On Thursday, Aug. 20, the US Forest Service, Mesa County, and Singletrack Trails met to discuss the construction of Otto’s Wall and discussed the placement of informational kiosks. With the completion of the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) survey, the US Forest Service’s archeologist discussed expectations and acceptable construction methods for Otto’s Wall. While creating a ridable trail through multiple switchbacks. Singletrack will focus on preserving the original look of the wall while minimizing impacts on the surrounding area.
Construction of the Shirttail parking lot is wrapping up. On Friday, Aug. 21, the US Forest Service met with Mesa County and K&D Construction to mark locations for sign placement. The remaining item to be completed is the restroom facility, which should be delivered early September.
About 6.78 miles of total finished trail is now complete — leaving about 7.96 miles to go before the completion of Phase 2.