STA Activities
Bow Hunting changes affect riders and hikers
Deer hunting season begins September 11th, 2010, and
continues until January 1st, 2011. Additionally, hunting with a bow or
cross bow is NOW LEGAL ON SUNDAYS during the season.
The Sauratown Trails Association encourages all riders and hikers to be
especially careful during hunting season. Wear bright colors, talk loudly,
make noise. Try to time your hike or ride, in the middle of the day,
avoiding prime hunting times of early morning and just before sunset. While
we are keeping the trails open as we have in the past during bow season, we
want to make everyone aware that the inclusion of cross bows and Sunday
hunting increases the risk of accidents. Please be extra careful during
this time. As always, the trails will be closed during the gun season,
November 8th-January 1st.
Next STA Meeting...
STA Work Days
To be determined.
STA Ride
TBA
Please note that if it rains on any of the scheduled days, the workday
will be held the following Saturday.
The meeting times and places will be announced at the STA meeting a
month before the workday, and they are subject to change.
STA Work Hours
Please log your work hours on the 'Log Work Hours' page. This is important when we apply for grant money. The 'View Hours' page provides a look at what trails were recently worked on and what condition they are in for riding and hiking purposes. - Marilyn
Trail Updates
Important!!! Please Read before you hike or ride
Section 1: Reported by riders and hikers to be passable.
Section 2: Reported to be passable.
Section 3: Section 4: are open for hiking only. No horseback riding. The hiking detour, which is not passable by horses, is posted here. East detour. West detour.
Section 5: This section is still temporarily closed to both horses and hikers.
Update: July 23rd, 2010. Good progress is being made on the re-route of these sections. All of the trail markers on the old sections have been removed and put up on the new sections. Sections 3 & 4 are now open to hikers, however a mired area on section 3 is preventing our opening the trail to horses at this time. It was reported that horses are sinking up to their hocks in the mud and it doesn't even look like a wet area.
Section 6: Passable
Connector trail - at the first creek from Rock House Rd. (South Double Creek) the hiking bridge is severely damaged and should not be used. It is about to fall into the ditch. The banks along the creek have had some under-cutting from the water and we found at least one large hole that you could see the water beneath it. We ( Bob, Steve and Marilyn) put a temporary large limb in the hole so no one or horse would step in it but a more permanent solution would be to move the trail over away from the creek. This hasn't been done as of 5/23/10 so please be careful here when hiking or riding.
Section 7: Passable
Section 8: Passable
Section 9: Passable
Section 10: Eastern half is clear; Western half unknown
Section 11: Cleared during a workday. One stream bank is undercut. Riders should approach with caution.
Section 12: Clear.
Section 13: Eastern half was cleared during a workday, up to the farm field with the Pilot Mtn. view. Western half condition unknown.
Section 14: I (Steve) hiked this, there are two down trees. One is passable but presents an impaling hazard riders will not like. The other tree fell along the trail, blocking it, and it up-rooted part of the trail's tread, creating a pit. Both trees are closest to the Bradley Road end of the section.
Section 15: I (Steve) hiked this. There are no down trees. The swinging bridge here is in great shape. Erosion is damaging some of the new reconstruction. We need to re-manage water runoff in parts of the trail with water ditches, water bars, and/or water culverts in some problem spots, or we WILL lose a lot of the newly graveled areas to heavy rains.
Section 16: Currently closed to riding by Pilot Mountain State Park staff until it dries out. I hiked the Eastern end of this, from the Park Office to US-52. That part is clear of trees. The newly graveled section between the Grassy Ridge Trail and US-52 has some of the same erosion issues as section 15 that need to be addressed. The rest of section 16 is condition unknown.
James Booth Loop is temporarily closed to horses only while it's
being renovated. This loop has some very unsafe rock ledges that horses must
go over and there is no way around them. So it was decided the best thing to
do is to close it to horses to avoid unnecessary risk of injury while the
loop is being renovated. Hikers should have no problems with it, and the
loop is still open to hikers.
Update 3/3/10 -
One hiker has reported
some downed trees, and one turn inside Hanging Rock State Park is not easy
to find. The reporting hiker got lost and followed the old road bed in the
park to its end, never finding the turn.
Sauratown Loop: The Sauratown loop is in pretty good shape as of Jan 20. There were several limbs and limb sized trees down due to ice, but I (Wayne Horton) was able to pull them off the trail without a saw or axe.
The Wondest Tucker Loop trail is permanently closed to all hikers and horseback riders. Regrettably, it appears this loop closure is permanent due to Landowner wishes. (11/19/2009)