Trail Talk – May 2018

Frequent visitors to Jacksonville’s Forest Park have been excited by two recent trail improvements: Rail Trail’s rehabilitation and a new Rattlesnake Gulch Trail. Spring is a great time to explore these parts of the park with their endemic wildflowers waxing and waning through their respective seasons. Hot days will soon be upon us, so lace up those hikers and get out to enjoy!

Rail Trail is one of the oldest trails in the park. Mostly along the Bullis Rail Grade, and site of a tragic train wreck in 1917, parts of the trail have been used by different groups for generations. The city’s old water lines, both the original wire-wrapped wood pipe and the later steel pipe followed much of this route. With the city’s land swap agreement with Motorcycle Riders Association five years ago, it became exclusively a non-motorized trail. Years of hard usage resulted in a heavily guttered trail, often with wire from the old waterline exposed, and areas where water stood, unable to drain. Extreme usage had also damaged vegetation, creating high erosion areas that impacted water quality in nearby Jackson Creek.

Extensive rehabilitation has produced a more environmentally friendly trail. Trees have been planted along the grade, sweeping turns have been established, and guttered areas have been rerouted. Traffic calming measures in accordance with International Mountain Bike Association standards were also implemented for safety on this multi-use trail.

In addition, new trail construction extending the Rail Trail makes a continuous route along the east side of Reservoir Road, eliminating the need to cross the road to continue up through the park to access the trailheads at parking area P4. A mountain bike crossover was also upgraded to allow travel from Rail Trail across the reservoir area to the bicycle parking area at the old dam quarry. This will reduce overcrowding at P1 in the lower end of the park while giving riders better access to Rail Trail from Reservoir Road.

At the junction of the Rail Trail extension to P4, hikers have the option of heading up the new Rattlesnake Gulch Trail connection to Siskiyou Trail. User feedback has been very positive for this strenuous climb up through the metamorphic basement rocks of the eastern ridge of the park. Here, slates and blue-green schists, are interspersed with bands of silicate quartz and are very up-close and personal as one clambers up the serpentine route. The route is designed as a one-way up trail with returns along Siskiyou and Siskiyou Spur Trail.

Rattlesnake Gulch was so-named by motorcycle riders who claim rattlesnake sightings in the area in days of yore. Though extremely rare in Forest Park, these sightings do occur from time to time, so visitors are cautioned to always be aware of where one places one’s fingers and toes while hiking. Extremely shy by nature, our resident vipers are best given a wide berth when encountered.

With warmer weather, dress wisely, remember sun screen, and carry plenty of water. One foot in front of the other, going there, making tracks…