TRAILS, Continued on

Additionally, debris has fallen onto the trails or been moved over them by floodwater. “There’s so much deadfall on the trail, you’d be climbing over things,” says Cormack. “Think of drawing a line on the floor and then just scattering toothpicks. That’s what it’s like now.”

To put the damage in perspective, Cormack said all $34,000 of the federal Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) funding was used to clear only part of Six Shooter Trail. The funds purchased 18 days of work by an Arizona Conservation Corps crew focused on log outs (removing dead trees). In addition, the Globe Hotshot crew went up on Six Shooter Trail and removed another 54 dead trees in a 1.5-mile stretch.

Six Shooter is only one of many trails on the mountain - and is not the most damaged.

Chris Johnson is the founder of Tonto Gravity Riders (TGR), a volunteer group dedicated to the development and rehabilitation of the Pinal Mountain trail system. They’ve received an exemption to go into the closed area.

Johnson says, “East Mountain and Toll Road trails are a total wasteland. They got hit really bad. As far as our other trails, like Ice House, Six Shooter, Kellner, nothing is totally gone. Those are definitely fixable and already well on their way.”

With so much destruction, a unique opportunity emerges to improve the trail system with new user-friendly options. Cormack says, “We want to make the system better by putting in more loops and making them sustainable and not so steep. We want to look at the whole trail system and really rethink it.”

Because the BAER dollars have already been spent, the Forest Service is looking for other funding sources and relying on volunteer efforts to complete the work. Fortunately, TGR is already positioned to provide volunteers and is actively working to restore former trails and build new trail loops and flat walking routes.

“We’re looking to expand and update the trail systems to encourage users to visit the mountain more and to give a variety of trails,” says Johnson. “The majority of trails go straight up or downhill. This is not really friendly terrain for a lot of people who are out hiking.”

To add more trails, Cormack explained, some rarely used or underutilized trails will need to be decommissioned because of limited funding and the Forest Service’s obligation to maintain roads and trails in their system to a particular standard. They need to keep their trail inventory mileage down to a manageable level per district.

The Forest Service is working to determine the next steps. In the meantime, Cormack highlights the role of volunteers: “The Tonto Gravity Riders are essential to helping us. Once they get nonprofit status, then we can form a serious trail plan.” TGR is in the process of becoming a 501(c)3 organization to help with fundraising, because trail building is expensive, particularly working within federal regulations.

In the interim, there are lots of volunteer opportunities to help restore existing trails.

“Generally, people can volunteer every weekend,” says Johnson. “We have a wide variety of tasks that will accommodate most people’s abilities or fitness levels.” If you’re interested in helping, check out the Tonto Gravity Riders website or Facebook event page for meet-up times and places.

Additionally, while the fire closed Pinal Mountain, the Tonto National Forest is so much more. With almost 3 million acres, it’s one of the largest in the country and has 589,000 acres of designated wilderness area. It’s also an area surprisingly underutilized by local residents.

Cormack offers a few recommendations. Mostly, she’s sending people to the Legends of Superior Trail (LOST) in Superior. “It’s clear, you know where you’re going, there’s signs, and it’s getting maintained,” Cormack says. She says two large volunteer groups are working on that trail every Friday, keeping it maintained.

For options closer to Globe-Miami, Cormack suggests people go to Round Mountain. One of her personal favorite trailheads on the Tonto is Tule, located on the southeast side of the lake - a short drive from Globe. “It gives you some really nice panoramic views of the Sierra Anchas,” Cormack says.

Cormack also recommends the wilderness area at Miles Ranch in the Superstition Mountains, as an alternative to the Pinals. However, those trails are not well maintained, and people need to be aware that it’s wilderness. “You don’t have good cell service and can’t take your bike,” she says.

If you’re not out hiking or biking, remember that TGR invites participation to rehabilitate the trails on Pinal Mountain. “We are definitely looking for public support,” says Johnson. “We want people to feel free to come up and join our volunteer events so they can give back in a way that suits them.” u

£ ¤ 60

Warnica Springs

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NFSR 580 Madera Ridge Road RESTRICTED NFSR 55 Globe

! @Globe

District

Office

NFSR 112

NFSR 651

NFSR 899

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Sulfide Del Rey

NFSR 221 Doak Road RESTRICTED

FST 242

! 9

Kellner

Icehouse C C C

" C

FST 192 FST 190

FST 200

FST 198 FST 197 FST 201

NFSR 112 Pioneer Pass Road RESTRICTED

FST 193

FST 194 FST 202 FST 204

Pioneer Pass

FST 196

! 9

FST 214

À x 77

Telegraph Fire Safety Closure Exhibit A Order #: 03-12-02-21-469

Road, trail, and area closure affects only National Forest System roads, trails and lands withinthe closure area on Tonto National Forest. Theclosuredoesnotapply to anynon-NationalForest System roads, trails or lands within the closure boundary. 0

! @ Ranger Station ! 9 Camping " C Trailhead

0.5 1

Miles

Road

Tonto NF Road

Restricted Road or Trail

Non-Forest Service Ownership

Tonto National Forest Boundary

Date Saved: 9/13/2021 Document Path: T:\FS\NFS\Tonto\Program\5300LawEnforcement\GIS\Order_Closures\2021\2021_Closure_MXDs\03-12-02-21-XXX_TelegraphFire_PSClosure.mxd

All photos are courtesy of Chris Johnson with the Tonto Gravity Riders. They show various volunteer work days improving trails on Pinal Mountain. Tonto Gravity Riders is a grassroots Non-Profit organization born with the mission to provide volunteer resources to ease the burden of maintenance of the Pinal Mountain Trail System for the Tonto National Forest. Discover more at tontogravityriders.org/.

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