- The Wood River Trails Coalition & Blaine County Rec. Department assisted in the completion of the 3.5-mile Silver Lining trail.
- The Bureau of Land Management also completed two trails, Belle & Vue.
- Erin and Andy Solomon, owners of The Trailhead Bicycles shop encourage more people to participate in the maintenance of public lands.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Trail access is something Wood River residents love. The Wood River Trails Coalition in partnership with the BCRD were able to match funding from the BLM, Titus Trails, and The International Mountain Biking Association to open a new trail in October. The trail will provide immediate access to nearly 8,000 individuals living on Woodside Boulevard. I didn’t catch Harry and Merianne on their way up but they shared their thoughts on the descent:
Local resident Harry Oettinger explained, “Well, every morning we try to do a few miles hiking and walking and, we tried this one today and then we were impressed it's enough elevation to get cardiovascular, some beautiful views and you always meet some nice people.”
The Development Director from the Wood River Trail Coalition met us to explain how they strategize where to construct new trails. While the Wood River Valley is known for Sun Valley, the entire area offers tremendous recreational opportunities.
Elizabeth Pedersen explained, “They have to think of wildlife habitat. We can't just put trails everywhere even though we love that. We have to think about habitat. We have to think about the needs of local residents as well as the tourism.”
Elizabeth emphasized that there will be tons of events to get the public involved whether through comment periods or volunteer work to “create, maintain, and sustain trails for all users”.
Local bike shop Co-owners of The Trailhead Bicycles, Erin and Andy emphasized exactly what it means to have trails right out their back door. "It means everything to be able to ride around here from the door of our house to getting, you know, further north and west and east of here."
While access is important, it isn’t the only aspect that matters. Andy encouraged people to participate in the community that not only is established but continues to grow. He stated, "A community of, of outdoor recreationists that help support these trails and that, you know, also is something we support and love."
For more information visit: the Wood River Trails Coalition
