County

Trail maintenance restores access for hikers, riders

Crews from Rocky Mountain Youth Corps and Colorado Mountain Club did some much-needed maintenance on two trails in the Blanco Ranger District.

Special to the Herald Times

MEEKER | Two seldom-used trails in the Blanco Ranger District recently received some much-needed maintenance and are now available for people looking for some solitude.

The Cliff Lakes Trail #1831 and the Yellow Horse Trail #2288 were recently maintained in partnership with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps and Colorado Mountain Club.

“These crews increased our capacity to maintain trails across the district this season, which provided much needed resources for these lightly traveled and often unmaintained trails,” said Curtis Keetch, Blanco District Ranger.

Both trails are open to foot and horseback travel. 

The Cliff Lakes Trail is 18 miles north of New Castle, Colorado. It starts a few miles off the Buford New Castle Road (FSR 245) along Forest Service Road 601, which leads to the Meadow Lake area. This trail travels 2.6 miles and approximately 1,500 feet downhill to the Spring Cave Trail #1834. It provides an option for a one-way, downhill hike to Spring Cave for those able to coordinate a shuttle pick up at the South Fork Campground.

The Yellow Horse Trail is about 20 miles east of Meeker, Colo. It starts approximately 1.5 miles up the Ute Creek Trail and travels approximately 4 miles through a rolling landscape of meadows and mature forest. The trail connects with the West Marvine Trail #1888, which leads 2 miles to the Marvine Campground area. By connecting the portions of these three trails, visitors can travel from the Ute Creek area to the Marvine area in approximately 7.5 miles one way. 

“These two trails are in the best condition they have been in years, and this a great time to find solitude in the forest in these areas,” Keetch said.

Contact the Blanco Ranger District at 970-878-4039 for more information. For more information about these and other trails on the White River National Forest, log on to https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/whiteriver/recreation/hiking

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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