Partial trail closures extended through October 25 during timber transportation operations

Kathrine Warren

- Oct 16, 2024

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UPDATE: Helicopter work to remove dead timber will continue Saturday, October 26, but over Town of Mountain Village trails ONLY. Stegosaurus and Jurassic trails will be temporarily closed when weather conditions permit the helicopter to fly to remove timber and place it near the Town shop in the Meadows. Signs and staff will be at trailheads when work is being performed. This work will continue through early November as weather permits. The helicopter is not flying today, and all other previously announced trail closures on the Valley Floor and Boomerang are no longer in place and those trailers are open. View new trail closure map at: bit.ly/TMV24TrailClosure.

Due to variable weather and unforeseen circumstances that delayed the planned start of helicopter operations to remove standing dead and down trees from the north side of Mountain Village, the previously announced partial trail closures will be extended through Friday, October 25.

This work involves a helicopter removing dead trees from areas that are otherwise inaccessible due to parcel boundary geography and the steepness of the slopes. This work will occur near and over Boomerang Trail, Jurassic Trail, Stegosaurus Trail and the National Forest System Trail #431 on the Valley Floor.

The previously announced trail closures in coordination with the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests’ Norwood Ranger District will remain in effect through October 25 to ensure public safety during helicopter operations.

These operations involve transporting timber sourced from the fuel treatment areas to the Valley Floor as part of habitat restoration activities along the San Miguel River. Other trees will be moved to the Town’s shop area in the Meadows.

The trail closures will only be in effect when the helicopter is operating between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. October 21-25 (weather dependent) A map of the trail closures is available at bit.ly/TMV24TrailClosure.

The closure area includes:

Boomerang Road beginning at the intersection with the River Trail on the south side of the Boomerang Bridge and continuing southwest until the National Forest Boundary
River Trail beginning at the intersection with Boomerang Road and continuing west until the National Forest Boundary
The portion of National Forest System lands south of the San Miguel River and west of the Boomerang Bridge
Stegosaurus and Jurassic trails located within the Town Mountain Village

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 affected trails to prevent access to the area when the helicopter is in the air.

The transported timber will be staged on the Valley Floor over the winter in preparation for the upcoming habitat restoration work by the U.S. Forest Service and Trout Unlimited. The restoration work is scheduled to begin in 2025.

Please note that additional helicopter work may continue after October 25 on Town of Mountain Village land only, and only Jurassic and Stegosaurus trails will experience closures after October 25. The above-listed trails located on USFS land will not be affected. An additional announcement will be shared through Town channels once more information is available.