A portion of a trail in the Bighorn National Forest has reopened to the public, after crews and volunteers repaired the route.

The Beaver Lakes segment of Solitude Loop Trail 038 is once again available to motorized use. Approximately 3 miles of the 11-mile motorized portion of the Solitude Loop Trail 038 had been closed to motorized use in 2018 to “protect public health, public safety, and soil resources from harm due to degraded trail conditions and maintenance needs,” the Forest Service said.

Under the terms of the closure, the trail was set to be temporarily closed for five years. However, it could reopen to motorcycle use if funding was secured and volunteers were found to complete the necessary maintenance. And that’s what happened this summer.

Forest Service employees, members of the Wyoming State Trail crew and nine volunteers spent more than three days repairing a rockslide and completing tread work. The group established approximately six rolling dips, armored areas where drainage wasn’t possible, re-established the original route, and rehabilitated the tread by eliminating braids, clearing loose rock, and brushing the corridor.

The volunteers donated over 85 hours towards completion of the project and District Ranger, Amy Ormseth thanked them for their hard work and dedication.

“This project is a great example of people working together and doing their part in caring for the land,” Ormseth said. “Users continue to have access to a favorite trail and the resource is protected from the impacts of that use.”

The affected trail segment is west from the junction with trail 033 in T52N, R85W, sections 14, 21, 22, and 23. For more information, contact Ormseth at the Bighorn’s Tongue Ranger District in Sheridan at 307-674-2600.