Help Prevent Damage to Trails After Storms
With recent rains and snows, trails will be wet for a little while even when the nice weather returns. The City of Prescott and Prescott National Forest request that visitors consider the damage they may cause to trail surfaces and corridors. One example is a horse or mule riders who leave large post holes in the trail tread making it uncomfortable to ride or hike when soils dry, and dislodging soil that eventually makes it way downhill, adding to erosion. Further, mountain bikes leave ruts which also make trail use uncomfortable for hikers and other bikers. More importantly, those ruts funnel water allowing it to speed up and take more soil downhill, sometimes even rutting through constructed drainage structures.
The Granite Basin Area and Williamson Valley are especially susceptible to wet conditions and should be avoided, as well as most sections of the Prescott Circle Trail.
"Trail volunteers have put a tremendous amount of work in to make these trails nice, so we ask the public to please help keep them nice by making alternative plans," said Chris Hosking, Trails and Natural Parks Land Coordinator for The City of Prescott. "Consider using a rocky forest road for riding or walk a neighborhood that you have never been too when there is a chance trails could be wet. Please use common sense and courtesy when you venture out to potentially wet trails, turn around if you think you will cause damage."
In addition, forest road users should also be considerate of the damage they can cause on wet and muddy roads.