This weekend we were able to assist the Salt Lake Ranger District with a new idea for fencing they were testing out up at the Buckland Flats area and go on a fantastic scenic trail ride from the Bountiful B area, to Farmington Canyon.
The group met up at the Bountiful B staging area and were treated with donuts courtesy of Coy Rector. Shortly after, the Forest Service discussed the project with the group and our goals for the day. After going over safety items, the group split up to head to buckland flats. Some of the group took the easier route to the area, while the other half went up the Old Ward Canyon road. The old road was fairly challenging in some spots for those of us in stock and mostly stock vehicles but we all made it through without incident.
Arriving at Buckland Flats some the group began cutting notches into the logs manually with axes, others picked up trash, and some installed signage advising users of the motorized travel restriction. With the large amount of volunteers we were able to complete all tasks, and an additonal job of moving large rocks up a hill to block an off trail route. Despite many in the group having winches, we decided it would be more fun to move it by hand and had a pretty hilarious time doing so.
The unique thing about the fencing we installed is that its pinned into the ground with 5' of rebar and has wire tacked to it to discourage having it cut up by chainsaws. The materials for the fencing was sourced by the rangers from another area they manage which kept the overall cost low. It will be interesting to see how it holds up.
After our closing breifing from the forest service, the group was lead on a trail ride by Alex Gertsch through the mountains and out Farmington Canyon. I hadnt realized there was so much to see up in that area, along with plenty of camping sites and awesome views. This is an area we will definitely return to on future trips.
If you are interested in checking out this area yourself, you can view and download the GPS track from this trail ride, and many others, on the BOAR website: https://www.boaroffroad.com/bountiful-farmington
Thank you to all our volunteers who made this event a success!
Til' Next Time!
