Committee approves downhill-only trail reroute at Celely Fire Tower

The Sawyer County Land, Water and Forest Resources Committee voted to approve a trail reroute at the old Celely Fire Tower site intended to reduce two-way conflicts and improve rider safety.

Trail director TJ Barnes told the committee that "it will go from fire tower down to the ball field" and that the plan calls for a downhill-only alignment while the existing corridor would be converted to an uphill route. Barnes said the proposal crosses an existing road but "it just crosses" and does not overlap the county's ATV or snowmobile trails.

Greg introduced the topic to the committee and said he had walked the proposed alignment with Barnes. Daryl Mcnut and representatives of the trail group (Kama) joined the presentation. Barnes said the plan includes signage and a speed-control feature—"what we call a squirrel trap"—designed to slow riders before the road crossing.

Committee member Randy Newman moved to approve the reroute; the motion was seconded by K. Wilson and carried on a voice vote. Committee members discussed the safety rationale and confirmed the reroute would not impact other designated trails.

Next steps described during the meeting include posting signage and incorporating the downhill alignment into trail maps; implementation timing and any permitting details were not specified in the discussion.