Help me save the Overland Trail

[azbackpackr]

The Overland Trail is the longest new trail to have been built in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in many decades. It was (sort of) completed maybe around 8 or 9 years ago, and goes from Water Canyon in Eagar all the way to Crescent Lake (by Big Lake), a distance of over 20 miles. It first follows a pretty creek, then goes up into high forest, then across the big meadows and over some forested knolls in the high country above 9,000.

It was built with grant money, and simultaneously an ATV trail on the other side of Water Canyon Road was also built to allow ATVers to get from Water Canyon to the high country. I myself have hiked and mountain biked the whole thing more than once, but I am probably one of a handful of people to have done so. The trail is not very well-known. I plan to change that.

Since the Overland trail is overly wide, ATVers have long been bootlegging it. Every year my husband and I complain to the Forest Service, Springerville Ranger District. They go out and do a patch here, put up a sign there. We have told them the trail needs a revamping, which could be done in sections. First, a lot of boulders and signs to help keep ATVs out of there, and also a professional crew to go in there and convert the trail to single track, even just small sections of it could be converted to single-track to keep the yahoos out.

Since $500,000 of taxpayers money was spent to build this trail, why are they totally ignoring it? There is deadfall on this trail that was there 2 summers ago, so they haven't even sent a chainsaw crew in there at all!

Please hike this trail, even just a short part of it, when you are in the area. And please call the Springerville Ranger District at 928-333-6200 to make comments, and advocate for taking better care of this trail.

Here is my most recent photoset with pictures of destruction by ATVers:
http://hikearizona.com/photoset.php?ID=11734

[chumley]

Where do Haz'ers stand on a little unofficial help in instances like this. I've never actually done this, but there are places that I've encountered OHV use where it isn't supposed to be happening. At some point, if the Forest Service isn't doing anything (or nearly enough) to restrict the use, I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to bringing a chainsaw out and a) clearing some deadfall, b) strategically felling a couple of trees to block OHV access.

While I'm generally not a proponent of cutting down trees, I do have a permit and there are dead trees that can be found that aren't obvious habitat for too many living things. Of course dropping a tree needs to be done in very specific spots or its completely pointless (and even counter-productive) as irresponsible OHVers will just blaze a new trail around the obstacle. But there are usually a few places that once blocked make it nearly impossible to get past.

I'm sure the FS wouldn't condone such activity for a variety of reasons, but would they (or you) be upset if it "just happened"? :whistle:

[chumley]

For the record, that's a hypothetical question. Elizabeth - I'm not volunteering to "help" the Overland Trail! I'm so rarely in the White Mtns that I wouldn't want my trip to be spent doing anything involving trail maintenance beyond what my shuffling feet provide.

[joebartels]

Now if you could move boulders

It's not like you're killing palms blocking a business so I can understand.

[azbackpackr]

Some ATVers carry chainsaws as a matter of regular gear. The Forest Service would like you to report vandalism and illegal riding, even if all you see are tracks. They tell me we are their eyes and ears, since they can't be everywhere at once. If every hiker who sees ATV tracks in a non-motorized area would call the local ranger district every time tracks are seen, the FS would be more proactive, because their phones would be ringing off the hook. We all have to be the squeaky wheels. Call the Forest Service, the District Ranger office where you were hiking, EVERY TIME you see ATV tracks, or any other evidence of ATVers on hiking trails!!

Ok, Joe, I did call the FS and left another message, this time with a gal I know. But it isn't her dept. so she wrote down the info. Then I talked to the ATV guy, Hank Rogers, who is part of the County Economic Development Office, and who also started the Roughriders ATV club that puts on the big Jamboree here every Sept. He is also a Scout leader AND HE IS A BACKPACKER...

Have to say I got further with ol' Hank than I did with the FS, at least so far. He said grant money is coming in that is specifically for signage along the Overland Trail. He said the vandalism is really the FS's dept to police it better, which of course, they beg off of. They think it is more important to find pot patches than to police ATVers. Or something like that. Anyway, the rangers are not on the trails, they do not have horse patrols or foot patrols or even ATV patrols on the Overland Trail.

Hank Rogers also asked me about Bear Wallow Wilderness. Apparently his office came up with grant money to do the trailwork down there very recently. He wanted to know how the trail is, if I had hiked it recently. I hiked it two weeks ago. I had to tell him, they pretty much gave up on the trail somewhere past the Schell Canyon junction and at least a mile or more before the Gobbler's Point Trail junction. It was deadfall and bushwhacking all the time down in there. Pain in the butt. I think he meant for that grant money to clear the entire trail all the way to the Rez boundary, but it wasn't done all the way, only part way. I don't know why there was no oversight on that project. I don't know who did the project, but they didn't finish it. Maybe they thought no one would notice. HAH!

In the Show Low area there is a new ATV group, WMOTA, that is spoken of very highly by the hiking club over there (TRACKS). This ATV club hauled quite a few huge dumpster loads and big truckloads of trash out of the woods on a recent trail cleanup. They educate the public about where the motorized areas are, and where the non-motorized areas are. They meet with the TRACKS group, and have a friendly, working relationship with them.

This is how it should be. Hank Rogers agreed with me. He said they are going to have a program thru FS's Kids in the Woods in August, to teach local and middle school kids about safe riding and about the rules and why the rules are the way they are. He also said maybe he will call me to be a volunteer for that program, to be an advocate for hikers.

None of this solves the current vandalism problem on the Overland Trail, or the yearly maintenance budget for it. I still need to talk to the DR and the recreation person for the District.

I have emailed a bunch of people in the White Mountain Conservation League, but in the past they have not been receptive to helping with the Overland Trail. Even though they live here, and the trail is easy to find, has at least 4 main trailheads, and is 20 miles long I still have to explain to some of them where it is. Sigh...How is it that so many treehuggers are not hikers?

[PLC92084]

How is it that so many treehuggers are not hikers?

Dirty, filthy backpacking gear would mess up their hybrids...

Besides, Birkenstock doesn't make hiking boots!

[big_load]

When I drove through there a couple months ago, I thought it would be an interesting place to hike. I didn't realize until now how close I was to the Overland Trail when that thought popped into my head. On the other hand, I'm constantly tempted to get out and walk. Nothing satisfies my curiosity as well. Good luck with the ATV crowd. It's a problem here too.

[joebartels]

@PLC92084

@azbackpackr it's nice to see someone take action instead of just crying foul

[imike]

...got the same problems over here with ATV's scooted around with hardly any enforcement... on trails and old logging roads, neither of which allow ATV's... oddly, when the deadfalls are cleared, they cut out wide, instead of narrow... 24" would be great but they invariably cut 5' wide... fortunately, all the activity is weekend mania... trails remain empty during the week. Locals say the forest service looks the other way... not to diminish the economic impact of the weekend crowds.

[azbackpackr]

I just talked to Vicente Ordonez of the Forest Service, who also sits on town council with Debbie Rogers, the wife of Hank (see above.) Yes it is a very small town...

Vicente understands the problems and will pass the info about the vandalism along to the recreation person, along with my idea to narrow down the trail only in those areas most affected.

I also heard from White Mtn. Conservation League. They are planning to start a Healthy Lands Project, where they would monitor such things. I plan to speak with them further about this.

There are lots of things that can be improved in the forests and on the trails, that individual people can help improve. Just pick one and hammer away at it. If you get too scattered, you will get less accomplished, I think.

What is that saying? "Think globally, act locally."