Trail Use Monitoring
We make all of our trail monitoring data public as soon as we can. Check out the link above to see the most recent data that we have uploaded!
The Trail Use Monitoring Program was created in 2021 to better understand trail user patterns and obtain up-to-date data on our valley’s hiking, biking, and riding trails. The program uses specialized trail counting equipment and software, and observations collected by volunteers, to continuously assess use levels and traffic patterns on trails in the Wood River Valley. This data can be utilized by recreation managers to make informed decisions with maximized impact on improvements such as bridge replacements, restroom facilities, or accessible parking. The WRTC does not advocate for any specific actions to be taken on the part of an agency using this data, we simply provide data that land managers may employ as part of the decision-making process.
Click the sections below to learn more about each aspect and year of the Trail Use Monitoring Program.
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WRTC dove into the emerging field of applied trail management in the summer of 2021 and completed a comprehensive trail use survey project. With support from Rixon & Cronin Luxury Real Estate and our partners at the National Forest Foundation, we were able to hire staff to implement this project and purchase 6 infrared trail counting devices. The counters were strategically placed and rotated throughout the Ketchum Ranger District trail system. They recorded the number of passes from all types of users: hikers, bikers, equestrian users - you name it!
The WRTC team, in partnership with the Ketchum Ranger District Trails Program and the Environmental Resource Center, also created a trail use survey that was administered at different trailheads from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This survey, the first conducted since 2021 gave us a clearer understanding of our trail community’s demographics, patterns of their use, and their preferences and values for certain trail characteristics. The results will be used to help develop future projects and identify opportunities for better education and management of the Wood River Valley’s trail system.
A livestream presentation was held in the fall of 2021 (click here to view) and included a summary of trail use patterns, the major preferences revealed in the survey, an estimate of how many people used specific trail systems, and what the implications are for having this kind of information. The presentation also highlighted future potential for collaboration on trail management among recreationalists, land managers, and community members, as this survey has identified that public engagement and cross-sector collaboration are critical for understanding and managing our trails to the best possible extent. To view the presentation click here, to view just the presentation slides click here.
If you want even more detailed information on the survey and trail monitoring in 2021, check out the 2021 Trail Survey Executive Summary.
The 2021 Trail Use Survey was made possible through collaboration with the National Forest Foundation, Ketchum Ranger District Trails Program and the Environmental Resource Center in Ketchum. A big THANK YOU to Rixon & Cronin Luxury Real Estate for funding this project.
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In 2022, with support from the Spur Community Foundation and the Valley's trail community, WRTC was able to purchase four additional TRAFx infrared trail counters and two new TRAFx “bike” counters (mountain bikes, e-bikes, and dirt bikes), allowing use to increase the scope of our Trail Monitoring Program. Using these counters simultaneously, we captured estimates for user group breakdowns at locations like Adams Gulch and Greenhorn.
Looking forward we will continue to collect annual data, build our volunteer ground-truthing program, and explore new ways to grow public trail accessibility through the use of monitoring data. If you want to dive deeper into the data, click HERE to watch a presentation on the 2022 data, or click HERE to read the 2022 End of Season Trail Monitoring Report.
The 2022 Trail Monitoring Program was made possible through collaboration with the Ketchum Ranger District (KRD) Trails Program and the Environmental Resource Center. A big THANK YOU to the Spur Community Foundation for helping fund this program.
