Big Piney Ranger District plans expanded parking area for winter recreationists
Horse Creek parking lot and winter trailhead in the Wyoming Range
by Bridger-Teton National Forest
May 21, 2016
The Big Piney Ranger District, of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, was awarded a Wyoming Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Grant, from the Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails (SPHST) Office, for the expansion and improvement of the Horse Creek parking lot and winter trailhead, located west of Daniel, Wyoming.
This project will expand the existing parking lot by approximately 1-acre and will reduce resource impacts by providing a hardened parking area that will reduce sediment run of and resource damage during the early winter and late spring. Additionally, new restroom and information facilities will be installed at the site.
Horse Creek winter trailhead is a premiere snowmobile destination and has been recognized in top-ranked winter sports publications. In addition to a tremendous amount of local use, the area sees visitors from across the United States in search of quality snow and technical terrain each winter. Use has rapidly outgrown the existing facility and as a result of the insufficient parking area, users have been forced to park on the highway shoulder off Forest Service land in the highway right of way, which results in access and safety issues.
The Big Piney Ranger District would like to thank "Without the partnership and support of the Wyoming State Trails Program, this project would not have been possible," said Big Piney District Ranger Don Kranendonk. "And truly, without the local community and snowmobile clubs lending their support and commitment to this project throughout the years, we would have never been successful in obtaining this grant," he said.
The Big Piney Ranger District is anticipating the project to be completed prior to December 2016. RTP Grants are administered through the Federal Highway Administration and are derived from federal gas taxes paid on fuel used in off-highway vehicles. Awards are based on an 80% federal share with a 20% local match required.
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