Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance

06/05/2026

🌱 Every spring, Eagle County's elk and mule deer follow the melting snowline uphill, tracking fresh vegetation as it emerges at each elevation. It is one of nature's most precise seasonal rhythms, and it is happening right now, in the same corridors these animals have returned to for generations.

The spring closure season overlaps almost exactly with calving. A closed gate is not an inconvenience. It is a nursery door. 👶🦌

🔗 Learn more at vmta.org/respectthewild

06/04/2026

🐴 Trail Crew in Action!

Mountain Trekkers spent a weekend tree clearing:
✔️ Sweetwater Cross Creek Trail
✔️ Muckey Lake Trail

Huge thanks to our amazing equestrian trail stewards for keeping trails open and cared for 🌲💚

06/03/2026

Every spring, before a single trail opens, VVMTA crews clear between 300 and 600 downed trees from Eagle County's trail network. 🪚🙌

That work is already underway. Now VVMTA is exploring what it would take to layer a fire mitigation prescription on top of it, turning a trail maintenance program into a wildfire protection one, one section at a time. 🌲🔥

Read the full story at https://www.vvmta.org/fire-hardened-trails-eagle-county/

06/03/2026

Come see us at the after hours mixer!

Connection and collaboration are just two words that describe our VVP After Hours Mixers. The power of face-to-face networking ignites new connections, fosters meaningful relationships, and unlocks endless opportunities. Both VVP members and non-members need to RSVP to attend the After Hours Mixer.....

06/02/2026

🚨 🚲 Flowride Concepts is wrapping up some course updates at the Minturn Bike Park for this year’s Mountain Games Dual Slalom! You can look forward to some fresh new sections for this year’s track. Sign up to race at the link in the comments! 🤙

06/01/2026

The trails you hike, run, and ride are being designed to protect your neighborhood from wildfire.🔥

VVMTA is working with Eagle Valley Wildland to build fire-hardened trails across Eagle County. A managed trail corridor reduces surface fuels, removes ladder fuels, and gives wildland firefighters a route in when it matters most.👩🏽‍🚒⛏

Learn how this works and where it is happening. Link in comments.

05/27/2026

The gate is not there because the trail is muddy. 🚧

Spring wildlife closures exist for one reason: elk and deer are calving right now, in the exact areas those trails pass through. 🦌🌱 Here’s what that means for you this spring:

🥾 All users are affected — hikers, runners, and cyclists alike
👀 Even if you do not see animals, they may see, hear, or smell you
🦌 A spooked mother can abandon her calf in its first hours of life
🔗 Check vvmta.org/seasonaltrailclosures before every outing

One check before you go makes a real difference. ✅

05/22/2026

🛠️ Join us for a VVMTA training to "sharpen" your technical trail building skills!

📅 Wednesday, May 27
⏰ 5–8 PM
📍 Walking Mountains Science Center, Avon
🍽️ Dinner included!

Learn the basics of trail maintenance, sustainable construction, drainage, berms, grade reversals, rock work, and more. Open to anyone ready to learn and do some trail work!

Bring closed-toe shoes, gloves, water, sunscreen, snacks, sunglasses, and long pants.

🔗 Sign up: https://vvmta.volunteerhub.com/vv2/event/2480176b-e12d-40a8-9c06-3d6b959bb5f2

Questions? Contact Natalie at [email protected] 🌲

05/19/2026

As Melanie, our trusty Trail Ambassador, has experienced, a single person can push elk out of an area the length of seven football fields. That's a lot of habitat lost to one morning run. 🦌🏃‍♀️

A 2026 Western Colorado University study confirmed what our team sees every spring: recreational pressure significantly reduces usable habitat during the most vulnerable season. These animals cannot just find somewhere else to go. They return to the same areas by instinct, year after year. 🌿📍

Read the full story at vvmta.org. Link in comments.