The massive flooding of August and subsequent rain has kept Blue Mound closed for much of the last few weeks, along with the other trails in the area. Fortunately, the trails at Blue Mound were mostly undamaged. Three of the four major stream bed crossings in Over Lode were spared. The first crossing of Ryan Creek was partially washed away, but has been repaired by the highly advanced engineering process of filling rocks into the washed-out hole . The upcoming stretch of dry weather will allow us to reopen the trails soon.
The project to reroute the beginning of Holy Schist (the Omega reroute) was partially completed in early August. The reroute is open to all users, but work will continue to improve the tread. This work is a major improvement to Holy Schist. It is the final big chunk of work we started over five years ago to make Holy Schist into a sustainable trail that can be enjoyed by most riders. Not everyone agrees with this goal, but we are dedicated to making Blue Mound a trail system for (almost) everyone.
The bridge over Ryan Creek was pulled up out of the creek early in the year, thanks to a big effort by the Blue Mounds Park staff, thanks guys! The entrance/exit ramps will be rebuilt this fall, assuming no new crises. We rerouted around the trail above the bridge because it was about to fall into the creek. The switchbacks on the new trail are very tight, and will be adjusted to make them easier to ride. Apologies for not getting it right the first time. Please use caution in riding the new trail!
There is a tiny new reroute on Gniess and Smooth, just after the largest rock feature below the trail head. Water had unfortunately started running down the switchback below the rock. The best option was to shortcut the switchback and eliminate that small loop of trail.
The end of Holy Schist is getting a reroute. This is, unfortunately, an area that has a lot of surface water coming through after most rains. The reroute done about five years ago has not held up. The new work will flatten the trail grade, and introduce frequent grade reversals, which will prevent water from using the trail as a drainage.
Our requests for information about the Master Plan rewrite, and how it will affect the bike trails have not been answered by the DNR so far. As reported in the Natural Resource Board meeting notes, the process was initiated at the request of the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs.
The trail head is now equipped with a Fixation, due to the efforts of Gary Schweisthal. Thanks to CORP and the Friends of Blue Mound State Park for funding. Good job Gary!
Looking forward to riding this fall!
