By Sara Marino EBS CONTRIBUTOR
Winter
activities are winding down, but there’s still fun to be had in the snow. With
the help of volunteers, Big Sky Community Organization has had a successful
inaugural season of winter trail grooming. Sunday, March 31, is the final scheduled
grooming day, and is the perfect time to try out the Town Center trails.
These wide-open
and easy trails loop for approximately 2 miles with short-cut options, as well
as the opportunity to continue on the Ousel Falls Road trail if you’d like to add
some mileage—approximately 1.5 miles one way.
There is room
for everyone: cross-country skiers, snowshoers, fat bikers, walkers and dogs
alike. For those with dogs, please respect your fellow trail users by making
use of the provided dog-waste station.
The Town
Center trails are easily accessible from the plowed parking lot by the ice rink
at the intersection of Aspen Leaf and Simkins drives.
“It’s been a
fun winter and we’ve learned a lot about the grooming process,” said BSCO Asset
Manager Jeff MacPherson, who is responsible for managing the area’s trail
grooming. “With the continued support of our volunteers and the community,
we’ll be doing it even better next winter.”
The Town
Center trails are open to the public free of charge, but there are many behind-the-scenes
resources that make it happen. If you’ve enjoyed these trails all winter,
consider joining BSCO as a Trail Partner with an annual donation. These funds
help BSCO keep our community trails maintained all winter and summer long. From
trail repair to waste management, we can’t do it without the Big Sky community.
Warmer
temperatures and longer days make getting out on the trails easy and fun. The
Town Center trails are the perfect length for a lunch-time break or quick
after-work stress reliever.
For more information about Big Sky’s parks, trails and recreation programs, visit bscomt.org. The Big Sky Community Organization engages and leads people to recreational and enrichment opportunities through thoughtful development of partnerships, programs and places.
Sara Marino is the community development
manager for the Big Sky Community Organization.
—
2018/2019 Winter Grooming Stats[JC1]
Supplies and
Maintenance: $3,200*
BSCO Staff grooming
hours December-March: 119 hours
Volunteer
grooming hours December-March: 204 hours
Miles of
trail groomed: 735 miles
*includes
snowmobile repair, gas for snowmobile, bags for dog-waste station
[JC1]Stat
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