October 9, 2024
Funded by grants from the Wyoming State Trails Program, construction of the Pole Mountain Connector Trail is complete and open for public use.
The seven-mile-long non-motorized, multi-use trail expands recreational opportunities for residents and visitors by connecting the city of Laramie to the adjacent Pole Mountain unit on Medicine Bow National Forest through the existing Pilot Hill and Happy Jack trails systems.
Wyoming Pathways, a non-profit organization that obtained grant funding and served as the project manager for the Pole Mountain Connector Trail construction, has been instrumental in making this project a success alongside additional project partners including Common Outdoor Ground, Laramie Bikenet, Medicine Bow National Forest, Pointe Strategies, Trail FAIRIES, Wyoming Conservation Corps, and the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
This multi-phase project received three Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grants for a total of $150,000 in awarded funding. RTP grants are made available through the Federal Highway Administration and are derived from federal gas taxes paid on fuel used in off-highway vehicles. The allocation of these grant funds are overseen by the Wyoming Trails Program’s Trails Advisory Council, a ten member council representing specific trail use activities such as snowmobiling, all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles, equestrian, hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing or multiple uses.
“The Trails Advisory Council is happy to have supported the completion of the Pole Mountain Connector Trail,” states Taylor Jones, chairman of the Trails Advisory Council (TAC). “The council completes a detailed vetting process in order to insure projects will be completed to benefit the public and in order to assure monies are awarded and expensed in a proper and effective manner. For these reasons, the TAC overwhelmingly supported awarding three different RTP grants to the project, without which it may not have come to fruition.”
The Pole Mountain Connector Trail connects to Pilot Hill Recreation Area Trail 12 at the Forest boundary, providing public access across land management lines. The newly constructed section of trail is approximately 3.1 miles long and winds from the junction of Forest Roads 703 and 714, south and east to Wyoming Highway 210, where it goes under the highway and then ends at the existing Happy Jack Parking Lot.
On October 5, Wyoming Pathways hosted an official ribbon cutting event to celebrate the trail’s opening, bringing together nearly 60 attendees. During the event, partners, local elected officials, and agency representatives highlighted the value of the partnerships that made this project possible and its positive contributions to mental and physical health, community vitality, economic impact, and destination management.
"It's exciting to see a community of recreators define such a lofty goal, and then come together to accomplish it,” states Patrick Harrington, manager of the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation. “This project creates new public land access for multiple user groups, connects Wyoming communities to outdoor recreation opportunities in their own backyard, and will drive economic development in the area. This trail project was a huge achievement for all involved."
Learn more about the many grant opportunities offered by Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, including the Recreational Trails Program, at wyospcr.wyo.gov/index.php/grants.
Michael Kusiek, ED of Wyoming Pathways welcoming attendees.
Mountain bikers on a new trail.
