JACKSON, Wyo. — Two planned recreation projects in Teton County recently received funding through the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation’s inaugural cycle of grant distribution.
The Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Trust Fund (ORTTF) was launched in February, and earlier this month, over $1.9 million was dispersed to recreation initiatives around the state. The Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) Jackson Ranger District was awarded $50,000 to be spent on engineering plans related to the Cache Creek Trailhead redesign project. Friends of Pathways (FOP) received $33,832 that will fund the construction of eight bridges on trails within the county.
Alongside partner organizations and other stakeholders, local BTNF staff began brainstorming conceptual ideas for a new Cache Creek Trailhead area back in 2022. BTNF Public Affairs Specialist C.J. Adams told Buckrail that the Jackson Ranger District worked with FOP to gather information and input before developing a conceptual plan with Hershberger Design Landscape Architects. The local design firm has completed high-visibility projects at Jenny Lake, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve, the Home Ranch Welcome Center, and the Greenspace on the Block.
According to Adams, the grant funding will be used to develop engineering documents and final illustrative renderings to be used in the bid process. The agency hopes that once construction plans are ready to go, then partner groups will assist with fundraising for implementation, even if it must be completed in phases.
“Cache Creek is the Jackson Ranger District’s most popular trailhead for locals and visitors year-round,” Adams said in an email. “These improvements aim to increase the trailhead’s resiliency to accommodate its current level of use, develop a better sense of arrival, and improve drainage issues.”
Although FOP worked with BTNF on the trailhead plans, the pathways nonprofit received its own grant award that will be spent on bridge-building materials and a portion of the installation labor. FOP Communications and Advocacy Director Sam Petri told Buckrail that replacing unsafe or aging log crossings with 4-foot-wide lumber bridges has been a priority for the organization. The new bridges will allow for increased access by both nordic ski trail groomers and three or four-wheeled adaptive mobility equipment.
“Beyond improving safety and accessibility, the bridges will also help protect streams by reducing the number of hikers, cyclists and horseback riders traveling directly through creek beds,” Petri wrote in an email.
FOP Trails Program Manager Chris Owen told Buckrail that over 40 bridges have already been replaced, and the next eight on the list will be in places like Phillips Canyon, Munger Mountain and Cache Creek (which will tie into the redesigned trailhead project). The trickiest bridge to replace, in Owen’s opinion, will likely be in Phillips Canyon because it requires the longest hike to access. FOP expects to get these projects underway this summer. Bridge construction makes for good volunteer projects, Owen said, because there is plenty of hands-on work to do, and a bridge can be built in a day, which allows volunteers to see the project to completion.
“[The Forest Service] wants to make use of the trail corridors we have — for more people, for more of the year,” Owen said. “So there’s better access for people with adaptive needs, but it also helps for people that want to pass. It just removes physical barriers, it’s easier for horses to get across them — kind of good for all the different user types.”
This year’s ORTTF cycle funded 21 projects across 15 counties. Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Manager Mark Tesoro told Buckrail that 86 applications were received, seeking a total of $10.5 million. He said the organization narrowed it down and conducted site visits of 35 projects. “It was just amazing to see all of the great applicants and their hard work and passions in their local and regional projects throughout the state,” Tesoro said.
