GCAT says Mud Springs trail crews set to begin construction Aug. 1 amid species surveys and tight schedule

Grand County Active Transportation and Trails (GCAT) officials said work to construct the first phase of the Mud Springs trail is scheduled to begin Aug. 1 and run through Nov. 15, with a possible 15-day extension to Nov. 30 if wildlife monitoring requires it.

Patty Logowicz, director of GCAT, told the Grand County Trail Mix Committee that the July–November window is the official build season and that crews and contractors are preparing for hot conditions on-site. Logowicz said the schedule is tight and that unplanned events such as weather or other delays could push some work into next year.

Logowicz said GCAT and partners have divided the project into two phases. Phase 1 focuses on putting trail on the ground this season; phase 2 centers on trailhead elements, toilet and parking improvements, and design changes that may be required after a sensitive-plant survey. Logowicz said GCAT has already spent some phase‑2 funds on toilet and trailhead work and expects to include additional phase‑2 items in an upcoming county budget amendment.

The committee heard that a sensitive plant species occurs in the Mud Springs area and that BLM botanists trained GCAT staff to identify it. Logowicz said crews walked survey routes and began block surveys; GCAT plans to hire an outside contractor (described in the meeting by staff as “rim to rim”) to complete surveys before plants dry down later in the season. Logowicz said the plant map will guide phase‑2 design adjustments if needed.

Committee members were also told that paleontological monitoring will be required in some areas. GCAT and BLM staff have identified zones where an on‑site paleontologist may need to be present while dirt work occurs; the presence of that specialist could affect scheduling in specific segments. GCAT noted it has coordinated with BLM paleontologists to narrow the areas requiring on‑site review.

Tyson Swayze, GCAT operations manager, described the work split between machine‑built and hand‑built trail: the project totals roughly 9.2 miles of new trail planned, about 6.5 miles of which will be machine built. Swayze said Dirt Tech (a contractor referenced in committee remarks) and other crews are confident they can build the machine sections if operations go smoothly.

Committee members asked about volunteer help. Logowicz and Swayze said volunteers, the state trail crew and BLM crews will all support the build; volunteers will help but one month of the window will likely be too hot for volunteers to be productive, so mechanized crews will carry much of the workload. Committee members discussed the hope that a NICA (interscholastic cycling) event could be staged in the fall of ’26 if work is completed and permitting allows.

Why it matters: Mud Springs is being planned as a substantial addition to the county trail network and will require coordination among GCAT, the BLM, consultants, paleontologists and state crews. Sensitive-species locations and required monitoring create schedule risk and could require design changes before phase‑2 work moves forward.

What’s next: GCAT will finish the botanical mapping, finalize schedules with contractors and monitor the elk/deer migration window that determines whether a short extension of the August–November build season is possible. Volunteers and partner crews were asked to stand ready for scheduled work windows and for additional survey help as needed.