Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Horse Camping at Washington Beaches and Throughout Grays Harbor

Graysharbortalk.com - Full Article

By Kristina Lotz

hen the weather is nice, there is nothing like heading out camping with horses at a Washington Beach or the Humptulips wilderness in Grays Harbor. With a changing topography that includes everything from rain forest to beach, there are plenty of trails to explore in Western Washington. People from all over the state head to Grays Harbor County for trail riding and it’s no surprise. If you are looking for a fun outing, check out this list of where to camp with horses in Grays Harbor.

Screamin’ Eagle Campground
17 2nd Ave, Ocean City
855-627-4673

On the North Beach of Grays Harbor, the Screamin’ Eagle Campground has both tent and RV camping. Sites are grassy and some even have trees for shade. This is the closest campground to the ocean and it allows you to camp with your horses in Ocean City.

The main plus about this campsite is you do not have to cross the highway to get to the beach. “Screamin’ Eagle Campground is just a couple of blocks from the beach – a very easy ride right from the campground...”

Read more here:
http://www.graysharbortalk.com/2019/07/26/horse-camping-at-washington-beaches-and-throughout-grays-harbor/

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Idaho: BLM expands Boise foothills trail system to meet growing demands

July 18 2019

BLM expands Boise foothills trail system to meet growing demands

Project connects 12.1 miles of new trail and provides for the construction of 5.5 miles of trail for hiking, biking and horseback riding

BOISE, Idaho - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a decision to improve and expand an existing series of trails and a trailhead within the Boise foothills to help address congestion, accessibility and erosion issues. The project includes the construction of 4.3 miles of trail in three segments for hiking, biking and horseback riding.. A 1.2-mile trail will also be constructed in Hull’s Gulch for mountain bikers looking for a downhill-oriented descent.

The sections located on BLM-managed lands will provide an integral component connecting to new segments located on City of Boise and Ada County property, with 12.1 total miles of new trail, 5.5 miles on BLM-managed lands and 6.6 miles on city and county land. The parking area at Cartwright Trailhead, which provides access to both Polecat and Peggy’s Trail areas, will expand from accommodating about 20 vehicles to 30. Two designated horse trailer parking spots, two accessible parking spaces and a vault toilet will also be constructed under this decision.

“We worked with our city, county and state partners in response to the increased demands on the Ridge to Rivers trail network,” said BLM Four Rivers Field Manager Brent Ralston. “With new trails for hiking and biking, we hope to reduce congestion and conflicts on existing trails. These actions are consistent with the 2016 Ridge to Rivers 10-year Plan developed by the partners, including the BLM.”

Ralston added that outdoor recreation opportunities provide physical and mental health benefits and allow people to more fully experience our beautiful public lands and waterways. “This decision enacts Secretary’s Orders 3347 and 3366, which articulate the Department’s goal of increasing recreational opportunities for all Americans—especially recreation available on public lands,” he said.

The 8th Street Motorcycle Trail #4 and motorized Femrite Patrol Trail #6 will be rerouted because of erosion concerns. Portions of these trails will be closed while construction takes place in late summer and fall. Once completed, there will be a combined net increase of 0.7 miles on these two trails.

The environmental assessment for the trail work, including maps, can be found at: https://go.usa.gov/xUF7k (case sensitive).

For more information, contact Four Rivers Outdoor Recreation Planner Dave Draheim at (208) 384-3300.

Monday, July 15, 2019

Webinar: Equestrian Trail Design for Urban Multi-Use Trails

AmericanTrails.org

This webinar will address methods used in constructing equestrian trails for multi-use while also including ADA interface in an urban environment.

Presented by:
Matthew Woodson, President and Founder, Okanogan Trail Construction (OTC)

Event Details
August 22, 2019
10:00 am (Pacific Time)

Cost:

$19 for members (Trail Professional level or higher)
$39 for nonmembers

Webinar Outline
The presenter will address methods used in constructing equestrian trails for multi-use while also including ADA interface in an urban environment. It will highlight key materials and tread surfacing that are horse friendly from both a safety and best practices-sustainability perspective. The webinar will also explore wilderness design criteria used to build trails to provide maximum sustainability.

Learning Objectives:
Learn about new materials for trail surfacing and crossings
Discover ideas about the integration of equestrian riding into more urbanized area to interface well with ADA and other users
Learn best practices for sustainability for wilderness trails

Presenter
Matthew Woodson, President and Founder, Okanogan Trail Construction (OTC)

Matthew Woodson is with Okanogan Trail Construction (OTC), an award-winning trail design, trail building, and trail maintenance company that is available worldwide. OTC has been serving public and private clients for over thirty years, with expertise in performing heavy-duty construction in a wide range of wild, rural, and urban regions. OTC tailors each trail design to frame its surroundings while providing the most sustainable and fulfilling experience for visitors. OTC's trails synchronize with the environment as much as possible, creating beautiful trails that require minimal maintenance, and ultimately, spare our customers time and money on reconstruction and repair.

To register, go to:
https://www.americantrails.org/training/equestrian-trail-design-for-urban-multi-use-trails

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Nebraska: Harlan County trails offer 'wonderful' place to walk, hike or ride while enjoying nature

KearneyHub.com - full article

By ASHLEY BEBENSEE
Hub Staff Writer Jul 8, 2019

ALMA — A sign along Highway 183 on the northern outskirts of Alma beckons visitors to the Peckerneck Horse Trail.

The story of the trail’s name is partially legend and partially true, said Dave Wolf, founder and volunteer at the trail.

“It’s just a fable about how we were sitting around a campfire and talking about this trail,” said Wolf.

The 13-mile trail lies on the south side of the Harlan County Reservoir. One of the features along the horse trail is a replica of a mine.

The legend is a group of hillbillies from Tennessee came to the mining district in South Dakota in the 1880s. The noise the miners made with the hammers and rock bits used to drill holes reverberated through the tunnels and resembled the sound of a woodpecker. The men were also said to have the strength equal to that of a woodpecker, therefore, they were dubbed “peckerneck...”

Read more at:
https://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/harlan-county-trails-offer-wonderful-place-to-walk-hike-or/article_c32a92ca-a196-11e9-a05e-7b60d3d750c8.html

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Washington: Rock Creek Horse Camp opens two new trails for riders

TheReflector.com - Full Article

Camp offers campsites and trails for those with horses
Cameron Kast/cameron@thereflector.com Jul 1, 2019

For those looking to explore on horseback, the Rock Creek Horse Campground has opened up two new trails to ride on. Both stemming from the original 26-mile Tarbell Trail, the Silver Shadow Trail and Six Sense Trail offer riders new ground to “hoof-it.”

Tani Bates, a rider and volunteer at the Rock Creek Horse Campground said that with these two new trails, people will have more of an opportunity to explore the area without the time commitment required to ride the 26-mile Tarbell Trail. Bates also stated that she hopes the camp gets the funding to build more loops off of the Tarbell Trail for riders to explore more of the beautiful area.

“It’s quiet up there; there’s running water,” Bates said about why she loves the area so much. “There’s access to different trails. There’s a lot of things you can do there. There’s lots of trees; it’s beautiful...”

Read more here:
http://www.thereflector.com/horse_corral/article_e3388cd4-9c37-11e9-aa8d-576bdd6def74.html

Monday, July 1, 2019

Wyoming: Volunteers on horseback clear hundreds of miles of trails

Trib.com - Full Article

Mark Davis Powell Tribune Via Wyoming News Exchange
Jun 29, 2019

POWELL — With storms threatening, a half-dozen horsemen loaded their saddle bags and panniers with serious looking saws, lunches of canned sardines and jerky, and rain slickers. They climbed aboard their steeds and headed west into the North Absaroka Wilderness.

Through rushing Sunlight Creek, canyons lined by yellow stone buttes and meadows blooming with Indian paintbrush and deadly but beautiful larkspur, the horsemen rode for hours, searching for obstructions on the trail. They had been here before — the mostly clear path leads between a myriad of cut tree trunks and brush, cleared by hand by crews in years past.

It’s hard to imagine the commitment it takes to keep a trail open, but that’s the resolve of a small group of area community servants: the Shoshone Back Country Horsemen. One of the busiest chapters in the U.S., the well-seasoned volunteers have cleared thousands of miles of trails in the Shoshone National Forest one obstruction at a time. But Little Sunlight Trail is designated as wilderness, so the group had to go old school...

Read more here:
https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/volunteers-on-horseback-clear-hundreds-of-miles-of-trails/article_8cb0b32c-6558-5d3b-bc79-f83c37febd30.html