Valley Floor trail closures scheduled to begin June 9 for helicopter timber transportation operations

Kathrine Warren

- Jun 4, 2025

Categories: Environment, Press Releases, Public Service Announcement

UPDATE AS OF JUNE 12: Helicopter work to remove dead trees from the north side of Mountain Village has concluded. All trails on the Valley Floor and river access are open to the public. Thank you for your patience while the Town performed this important fire mitigation forestry work. Additional helicopter work may occur later this summer, and details will be communicated to the public when the schedule is confirmed.

UPDATE AS OF JUNE 11: Helicopter work to remove dead trees for wildfire mitigation will continue on the north side of Mountain Village on Wednesday, June 11. NFS #431 (River Trail) and the Valley Floor Trail from Boomerang Bridge to Highway 145 will be closed for public safety. Access to the San Miguel River from Boomerang to Highway 145 will also be closed for public safety today. Staff will be at the trailheads and the Shandoka River put-in to inform recreationists.

UPDATE AS OF JUNE 10: At the helicopter pilot's request, the Valley Floor Trail (marked in the graphic above and map linked below) will also be closed during timber removal for public safety. The work is currently planned to go through Wednesday, June 11 at this time (and more work will be announced at a later date). Please recreate with caution on the Valley Floor when the helicopter is in the air and speak with staff on site at the trail junctures before proceeding on the River Trail or Valley Floor Trail.

Beginning Monday, June 9, the Town of Mountain Village (TMV) forestry department is scheduled to remove standing dead and down trees from a swath of land on the north side of Mountain Village as part of its community-scale shaded fuel break initiative.

This work will involve a helicopter removing dead trees from areas that are otherwise inaccessible due to parcel boundary geography and the steepness of the slopes. Timber will be transported from the fuel treatment areas to the Valley Floor for habitat restoration activities along the San Miguel River.

This summer’s planned helicopter work will occur near and over National Forest System Trail #431, the San Miguel River and parts of the Valley Floor. NSF Trail #431 (River Trail) is south of the San Miguel River west of Boomerang Bridge to Highway 145. This trail closure is in partnership with the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests’ Norwood Ranger District to ensure public safety. At the pilot's request, the Valley Floor Trail will also be closed for public safety.

The trail closures will only be in effect when the helicopter is operating. An updated map of the affected trails is available at bit.ly/TMV25trailclosure.

Helicopter operations are expected to begin Monday, June 9 (weather permitting) and will be carried out over a span of seven days between June 9 and July 31. Those dates are dependent upon weather and pilot availability.

Helicopter work and trail closure updates will be posted on social media by TMV, the GMUG and other local agencies. Notices will also be sent via text message to those signed up for Public Safety notices through TMV’s ReadyOp system.

To sign up for those notices, please visit: bit.ly/MVNotifications.

Signs, barricades and staff will be placed along the affected trail to prevent access to the area when the helicopter is in the air.

The transported timber will be staged on the Valley Floor to be utilized for a habitat restoration project in preparation for the upcoming habitat restoration work by the U.S. Forest Service and Trout Unlimited. The restoration work is scheduled to begin later this summer.