Bullish on mountain bikes

Enthusiasm abounds at Cottonwood Canyon bike trail meeting Thursday

There was optimism in the air and plenty of input from interested parties as mountain biking enthusiasts gathered at the Lovell Community Center April 17 for an update on ongoing plans to develop a mountain bike system on the western flank of the Big Horn Mountains east of Lovell in the Cottonwood Canyon area.

Some 40 people attended the meeting conducted by Town of Lovell administrator Jed Nebel, Annie McFarland of consultant Pointe Strategies out of Colorado and Michael Kusiek, executive director of Wyoming Pathways, an advocacy organization that works to facilitate projects including biking, walking, hiking and cross-country skiing paths.

A highlight was a recently developed trails plan showing the system of routes in and directly below Cottonwood Canyon, the visible feature east of Lovell at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains known as the “heart of the mountain.”

Nebel started the meeting and provided a history of the project, which was born out of an effort to research the suitability of developing a mountain bike trail system in the Lovell area. The town brought in several mountain bike specialists – riders, designers and builders – to review the area two or three years ago. Various areas were examined, and eventually Cottonwood Canyon was deemed the most suitable area for building and riding, Nebel said, in part because the area has already been designated a recreation area by the Bureau of Land Management and due to the presence of shovel-ready “rake to ride” soil that is perfect for a bike trail system.

“Cottonwood Canyon has it all,” Nebel said as he presented the initial slides of a PowerPoint presentation.

An initial public meeting was held in March of 2024 to discuss mountain biking and other recreational opportunities, and 32 people attended including the Forest Service, BLM, Wyoming Pathways, the Wyoming Business Council, Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, town council members, Town Administrator Nebel, business owners, ranchers and “recreators of all kinds,” Nebel said.

The phased trail system will include more than 26 miles of trails coming out of Cottonwood Canyon and branching out in multiple directions from there, he said.

The trails plan was completed last fall by Pointe Strategies, funded by the Town of Lovell and Big Horn County, and the town has obtained a $10,000 micro grant from the Wyoming Business Council to help with construction documents.

Nebel listed the pros and cons of the project from the 2024 meeting, noting the pros as the variety of options in the system, an existing BLM campground below Cottonwood Canyon, existing restrooms, easy access, terrain for all abilities, the rake and ride soil, an extended riding season and spectacular views.

The only “con” listed was “lots of competition,” which Nebel said referred to other uses of the area.

McFarland then took over the PowerPoint to explain some of the technical aspects of the proposed trail system and design criteria. She said the system will be designed to be a sustainable and multi-use trail system that is bike optimized with a suggested direction of travel to minimize conflict, and the system will focus on the beginner and intermediate levels of difficulty, though there will also be some advanced trails, as well.

She said the system will be a stacked loop network that connects to the existing campground and the future trailhead location, adding that the system will allow users to create different combinations of difficulty and length. The system will also cross existing roads perpendicularly where needed and allow for easy future expansion.

As presented in the plan and at the meeting, the trail system as envisioned includes 10 trails varying from 0.2 to 4.1 miles in length. McFarland said the planned system of nearly 27 miles of trail are “pre-NEPA” and that the system could change somewhat following the National Environmental Policy Act environmental assessment, cultural survey and comment period.

The system

McFarland described the north side of the system – north of the road to Cottonwood Canyon – as deceptively flat but with many rocky ravines and mostly open prairie with some juniper. She also said the north side has really excellent views to the west.

The south side of the system, McFarland said, features varied terrain from gently sloping open grassland to dramatic rock outcrops. The beginner trails are in the valley bottom with some rolling foothills, and there are also intermediate and advanced trails that utilize elevation changes and rock outcrops with a steeper side slope.

“It’s really very spectacular,” Kusiek of Wyoming Pathways said.

The plan calls for the system to be constructed in three phases: A central corridor just south of the road as phase I, a southern system as phase II and the north system as phase III. Each phase features around nine miles of trail, McFarland said.

Concerns regarding the trail include the potential for gates to be left open, which McFarland said could be controlled with a self-closing gate with a spring and a rollover ramp. Other concerns listed include historical sites, including a cabin, and signage.

As public comments began, Daniel Miller of Cody suggested that the trail system include shorter routes for summer days when temperatures run hot or for families passing through the area who want to just have a short ride, noting that it’s fun to “jump right out of the car and ride.”

Jeff Pearson asked about the possibility of allowing electric “E bikes” on the trail system, even though it’s a non-motorized trail system, saying E bikes are better for “an old guy” like him. He was told it was something to consider and might depend on feedback.

Miller expressed excitement about the possibilities the system would provide, saying the system would put the area on the map when it comes to mountain biking and noting that people from Montana would come south when areas in Montana get snowed over.

Kusiek agreed and said in talking to mountain bikers across Wyoming and even in the Rapid City area the Cottonwood Canyon system would be as good as anything in Fruita, Colorado, considered to be the epicenter of mountain biking, but would be much closer to home. Pearson noted that Fruita wasn’t much to look at until mountain biking put it on the map.

Nebel noted that the Town of Lovell has been consistently asked about mountain biking opportunities in the area but that nothing was developed other than existing “two-track” roads. He said the town council was looking for quality of life projects for Lovell.

“It’s so cool,” McFarland said. “The views are super spectacular. This is super exciting. Mountain bikers are a unique group and will travel for (a system like Cottonwood Canyon).”

Asked if the current BLM campground at Cottonwood Canyon will be enough, McFarland added that it will be “sufficient for a while” but that planning will need to be done for expansion as the interest in the area grows.

Next steps include a NEPA study and comment period, followed by construction documents, including cost estimates and funding.

Funding and timeline

Kusiek addressed funding for the project. He said the State of Wyoming has a Recreational Trail Program with funds available on a grant basis. While the RTP grant program is funded by ATV and snowmobile stickers, a certain percentage of the money is set aside for non-motorized trail use. Up to $50,000 can be applied for per trail, he said.

Lovell will also likely be able to tap into the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund that matures in 2026 with interest funds available for use at that time. The trust fund is the product of lodging tax dollars and grows at $6 million per biennium. Kusiek said grants under $200,000 can be approved by the Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund board, but anything above 200K must be approved by the legislature.

He said the good thing about Wyoming Pathways is the relationships built with funding agencies and the ability to work through red tape and distribute funding quickly while facilitating projects.

“The other funding streams we have are federal dollars given to the BLM and Forest Service for recreation,” Kusiek said. “The challenge with those is that they’re short staffed already, and now they’re getting really cut. So our organization is a unique position to deploy those dollars quickly and efficiently in that we can put it out to bid and hire someone immediately, where a federal procurement or bid process can take forever.

 “We also oversee the project like a project manager with the Forest Service. We’re not so sure those funding sources will remain. So we’re really looking at the state funding streams (to help pave trails).”

Kusiek said it may take $1 million to fully develop the trail system, but the good thing is that, once finished, it will last for decades. Realistically, the project could be finished in three to five years, he added, noting that even the NEPA process might be able to be phased.

Kusiek said he remains truly excited about the project and the trail system to be developed.

“I’ve been mountain biking since the ‘80s, have been working on trails since the ‘90s, and this is where I would go before I would go anywhere in Utah or Colorado from now on for full-year riding, no doubt,” he said.

He said many people enjoy the Johnny Behind the Rocks trail system near Lander, which is gradually growing as trails are added, and the parking lot is “jam-packed” every weekend during peak season by people from Natrona County, Sublette County, Teton County, Fremont County and beyond.

“The whole state is coming there, early season, throughout the summer, late season, because it’s really epic riding, and it’s a lot of miles in one spot,” Kusiek said. “It’s 12 miles from Lander, maybe 16.

“A lot of those folks come to Lander, and they spend their money or they spend the weekend there. When you’re six or seven miles from town here, and you’re on the river, it’s so much better than JBR, in my opinion, out there.”

One of the things Wyoming Pathways can do, Kusiek said, is influence decisionmakers, adding, “If you can demonstrate with a project like this how it helps grow an economy and improve quality of life for citizens in a notable way, that’s a showpiece for the whole state. When Jed and I first started talking, and I know this from having lived here most of my life in Wyoming, everyone’s going to Yellowstone, the Big Horns, the Tetons and the Black Hills. People will start to stop in Lovell, in this area, to ride this and camp there. That’s 100 percent going to happen when this gets built up.”

Wyoming Pathways will help make it happen, he added.

“That’s how we’ll approach the funding piece,” he said. “We’ll make sure NEPA is done. We’ll look for private funding where possible. We’ll look for RTP grants, trust fund grants and other grants that come up for trails. Then we put together bid documents based on any construction documents. We hire professional building companies who have experience.

“We oversee the build, we pay all the bills, and then we celebrate, and we repeat. So that’s what we do, and it’s our mission. We’re a not for profit. We don’t make money off the RTP grants. We don’t make money off the trust fund grants that go into the project.

“We’re really grateful to be involved with this. This is our favorite project we have on our docket in the whole state. We’re super excited about this. We’re going keep going with it.”

BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner Rick Tryder explained the NEPA process, including cultural and paleo studies, hoping to secure funding soon. He said the studies and consultation with tribes could result in mitigation measures or rerouting a trail.

He agreed with Kusiek that the area is great for recreation and will fit in well with other BLM projects like Rainbow Canyon and the Darnell Hills, planned improvements to Five Springs and previous work at Cottonwood Canyon. He said the area is included in the West Slope Special Recreation Management Area and is also part of the Craig Thomas Special Recreation Management Area, as well. He also noted the Big Horn River Blueway water trail being developed.

“It’s a real cool time for this whole area,” Tryder said.

Nebel said federal agencies have the reputation of being difficult to work with, but he called Tryder a “legit rock star in our area” for recreation development.