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| Phase 1 of the Palisade Plunge Trail at the Blowout area. |
Phase 1 — Week 53:
Six Palisade Plunge Trail crew members spent the week finishing a large ramp, working on backslopes and downslopes and completed 2,260 feet of rough-cut trail. A small amount of finish work remains before the completion of Phase 1 this week.
Two crew members will finish trail raking at the Blowout area and rehabilitation on a two-track they were making use of during construction. The other crew members will be joining the Phase 2 crew on the Grand Mesa.
Informational kiosks and guidance signs will soon be installed at various locations along the trail. After installation of all the signs, Phase 1 will be fully completed.
About 16.58 miles of total finished trail is done, which leaves about a quarter-mile of hand finishing work before completing Phase 1 (total 16.83 miles).
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| Before and after maintenance work. |
Phase 2 — Week 11:
The Phase 2 crew completed 4,325 feet of new trail, leaving the trail at milepost (MP) 1.8. The trail now crosses Forest Service Road 109 as crews continue toward Mesa Top parking lot off U.S. Highway 65. After reaching the parking lot, the crew will backtrack to install three cattle guards and complete the other road crossings. After that, the remaining portion of the trail to complete is from Otto's Wall down to Lands End Road.
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| Phase 2 of the Palisade Plunge Trail. |
This week, the Western Colorado Conservation Corps (WCCC) will work with the Phase 2 crew for one final week. With all of the additional reinforcements, the crew hopes to reach the trailhead at the parking lot within two weeks.
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| Last week, a restroom was delivered to the Shirttail parking lot. |
Construction of the Shirttail parking lot is complete, and the restroom was delivered and installed.
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| Shirttail parking lot restroom is now open. |
About 9.73 miles of total finished trail is completed, which leaves about 5 miles to go before completing Phase 2 (total 14.73 miles).
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| Leaves are starting to change color on Phase 2 of the Palisade Plunge Trail. |