Heritage Update – Fall 2022

Dry conditions this fall meant many trails were loose and marbly.

2022 is the first year that the FVMBA has had a formal agreement with the City of Mission to maintain the trails at Heritage Mountain. This agreement also included funding for the maintenance by the FVMBA trail crew. We’re excited to announce that the City is continuing to fund this work next year too!

Work began early spring with replacement of four bridges on Glen’s Trail. Additional work throughout the year has seen more bridges replaced, mud mitigation, and brushing. Lots of brushing.

: Ferns, salmon berry bushes, blackberry bushes, and more creep over many of the trails in Spring, some with thorns ready to snag, and all making it hard to see what’s up ahead.

Hannah’s Trail had a couple really muddy sections that crew tackled to improve the water management. Ditches, drains, and bridges all contributed to crew’s solutions for the mud mitigation.

: BEFORE: Better have rubber boots to wade through this puddle! Sometimes there is no drain. Or clearing the drain and raking the leaves isn’t enough.

: BEFORE: Another mucky spot on Hannah’s

: AFTER: Bridges & ditches and the mud is history

Salamander is a green-rated trail, but this one section was steep and loose and as technically challenging as a black trail. The narrow eroded trail surface combine with the steep grade made it very difficult. Crew rebenched the section to widen it and this also leveled the trail surface, fixing the erosion. To help lessen the grade, two rock retaining walls were built so the the slope is more gradual. The dry conditions this summer meant crew was unable to pack the surface fully, but fall rains should help it pack in. Crew will be back to check on the work and do any needed repairs now that we’ve had some rain.

: Rebenching & repairing the trail tread

: A rock retaining wall to help make the trail grade less steep

A few sections of Upper Gondola were getting a little too narrow where the edge of the trail was eroding away. Crew widened these disappearing sections and built short retaining walls to support the trail edge and help reduce the risk of further erosion.