By MATT UNRAU Free Press Staff Writer | Posted: Friday, October 28, 2011 7:22 pm
LAMOILLE — The Lamoille Canyon is in full bloom of brightly colored fall leaves, and outdoor enthusiasts took full advantage of this fact last Saturday by hiking the Talbot Trail in the Canyon.
Spearheaded by the Northeastern Nevada Stewardship Group, the trail tour offered 60 hikers and mountain bikers an opportunity to see the progress on the Talbot Trail, which has reached the 3.5 mile mark in its construction.
“It was great. We had a wonderful turnout,” said Nancy Taylor, recreation and wilderness program manager for the Jarbidge and Ruby Mountain ranger districts on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. “There were a lot of positive comments and a lot of smiles.”
Engineered as a non-motorized route, the Talbot Trail is scheduled to eventually span 11 miles connecting Lamoille Canyon with Talbot Creek. The overall goal is to have the trail reach all the way to Secret Pass.
For now the trail offers a low-elevation 7-mile round trip starting near the mouth of the Lamoille Canyon and curving back around the north face of the mountains, offering scenic views first of the canyon and then of the town of Lamoille and Spring Creek.
“I went up to the top and really enjoyed a couple spots at the top. They were really neat. You can get nice views of the Rubys and Soldier Creek and that area,” Taylor said. “In other spots you’re looking back at Lamoille Canyon when the trail flips back on itself, and the fall colors were just incredible.”
Hikers filled out most of the attendees last Saturday, but a few mountain bikers also made it up the trail.
Although the trail is still a work in progress, the mountain bikers reported to Taylor they were able to ride most of the moderately sloped trail. Ten steep switchbacks near the beginning of the trail offers mountain bikers intermediate to advanced riding.
Public Affairs Specialist Leslie Ellis of the Elko BLM office was one of the many hikers who made their way up the trail, and for her it offers more opportunites to explore.
“This is another trail that we can take in the Lamoille Canyon. I can spend the rest of my life and not see all of the Forest Service land,” Ellis said. “ I’ve been on the Lamoille Lake hike and hiked up to Liberty Pass. I really liked this one because it wasn’t as steep.”
The Northeastern Nevada Steward
ship group approached the Forest Service with the idea of this tour in order to continue to build community support for the trail, which will be in its third year of construction in 2012. Organizers plan to hold more trail days during National Trails Day and National Public Lands Day.
The Northeastern Nevada Steward
ship Group started planning for the trail in 2003 and 2005, and from there the Great Basin Institute and the Forest Service jumped aboard. Since then the Great Basin Institute has supplied crew members and the bulk of the labor for trail construction.
With the big turnout last Saturday, Taylor said it made organizers realize events like these are successful and more should be held in the future.