Tourist Trap Restoration Completed (8/23/2010)
Tim George and the Trail Crew at Pinnacles have completed work at the Tourist Trap climbing area. The work included:
- Closing down of at least 3 small, though very damaging social trails that were created from years of use that were improperly designed
- The construction of a new, more sustainable trail route to the climbing area
- A belay platform was constructed to make it more safe for folks belaying near the route "Pickpocket".
Tim indicated that this was less work than he was hoping to achieve, but he will continue to get input from the climbing community to see what we can continue to work on. "My plan, is to attack the upper portion of this area next year or whenever possible. I encourage folks to come on down and check out the area and feedback is always appreciated."
Tim reminds us all that the single best deterrent to erosion is staying on the designated trails. Tim added, "As of now, the area looks pretty bare due to the damage we did during reconstruction. Though it looks ok right now, by next spring the area will be growing back very rapidly and look great! I appreciate everyone's input in the last couple months and hopefully this fall we can get a volunteer weekend project together and have a blast restoring some of these trails."
We here at FOP want to extend our appreciation for all the work that Tim and the Crew are putting in to keep areas open and safe for all of us.
Bravo!
Tourist Trap Restoration Pictures <click thumbnails to enlarge - popup blockers may prevent these from displaying> The "before" shot New approch stairs Stairs to Pickpocket
Volunteers Wanted (7/26/2010)
Tim George (Trails Supervisor) is seeking volunteers to assist with the trail maintenance/restoration projects. If you are interested, please contact him directly and let him know you general availability over the next few weeks.
Tourist Trap Closure (7/1/2010)
The Tourist Trap formation on the East Side of Pinnacles is closed until the end of July for restoration. The Trails Crew will be working to repair, rehab, and restore some of the lower access trail at the site.
The Park hopes to begin restoration of multiple access trails at heavily used climbing areas, starting with Tourist Trap this year and hopefully extending to Discovery Wall and beyond in upcoming years. The Trails Crew work will help stabilize some of the climber access areas that have been degraded through erosion and heavy traffic over time.
Opportunities to volunteer to assist with the trail work may be possible. Contact Trail Supervisor Tim George if you are interested in volunteering.
