by Larry LagardeEarly next summer, construction on 7 miles of a planned 41 mile long bike path system is set to begin in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP).
Estimated to cost a total of about $45 million, the multi-use path system will run north 3 miles from the GTNP entrance station at Granite Canyon to Moose Junction, north 8 miles from the GTNP primary south entrance on Hwy 89 to Moose Junction, 10 miles on the Teton Park Rd from Moose Junction to North Jenny Lake Junction, 15 miles on the Teton Park Rd from North Jenny Lake Junction to Colter Bay Village.
Additionally, there will be shorter path segments in the park such as a 1 mile path from Moose Junction north to Antelope Flats Rd. Teton County and the Town of Jackson have also applied for funds to build a bike path north along Hwy 89 from the Jackson Hole Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center in Jackson to the GTNP primary south entrance.As a cyclist that has toured through Grand Teton NP, the news of this path system is very exciting; however, I'd like to see the bike path run north into Yellowstone NP. In the summer, traffic on the highway from Jackson Hole north through GTNP and into Yellowstone is heavy and can be dangerous. Several of the pulls over the Continental Divide in Yellowstone NP are real grinds (my Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur sheared in half from the strain on one of them) and the shoulder is narrow or non-existent most of the way.
For more about beautiful Grand Tetons National Park, visit the official website...
http://www.nps.gov/grte/
NOTE: Jackie Skaggs, the Public Affairs Specialist for Grand Canyon National Park, just confirmed that the first multi-use path section being constructed in the summer of 2008 will run north 7 miles from Moose Visitor Center to South Jenny Lake. More info on the project will not be available until next year.
3 comments:
Thanks for reading my blog - I am inspired by your blog's folding bike adventures.
Bravo tro those involved to get this path constructed! It should be known that the path was dreamed up because a 14 yo girl was struck and killed by a passing motorist. I was there the day it happened. This path way is going to be a hell of an undertaking to build. The soil is mostly river rock, so to build the pathway that can withstand the harsh climates will be monumental! No question that it was needed. Sharing the road with passing motorists is very scary, especially there because the beauty of the landscape is so distracting. The view of the mountains are right there in your face and can be a challenge to watch the road! So once again Bravo to all those involved with the planning and construction of this pathway!
Riders & Families ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS TRAIL!
Nevada just finished its' 35 MILE RIVER MOUNTAINS TRAIL FROM LAS VEGAS AND HENDERSON THROUGH LAKE MEAD AND BACK! In all but ONE ASPECT... IT ROCKS!
Criminal motorists can easily get on the BICYCLE TRAIL with predictable results.
I have pictures of one SUV driver speeding towards me on my bicycle TOWING A BABY TRAILER! The driver, lays on the horn, drives us off the trail, flips us off... THEN SLAMS ON THE BRAKES AND VERBALLY THREATENS US (to, "Get the F off the road a--holes! LOL!!!).
This abusive treatment mostly happens on the LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA SECTION OF THE TRAIL.
Why? "UNARMED VICTIMS"
During the Reagan Administration (per Senator Harry Reid's office) the National Park Service reversed it's longstanding rule of allowing HONEST AMERICAN FAMILIES TO DEFEND THEMSELVES BY CARRYING "THE TEETH OF FREEDOM" (BENJAMIN FRANKLIN REGARDING FIREARMS).
I recently WAS HUNTED DOWN, HANDCUFFED, & DETAINED BY RANGER CHRIS RAYNOLDS WHEN I RETURNED TO A LAKE PARKING LOT NEAR THE TRAIL ON MY BICYCLE... TOWING A BABY TRAILER! The Ranger CONFISCATED MY REGISTERED HANDGUN THAT WAS BEING LAWFULLY CARRIED IN THE SADDLEBAG OF MY BICYCLE. HE THEN ISSUED A SERIOUS VIOLATION CITATION TO ME! RANGER RAYNOLDS SAID I WOULD BE RECEIVING A SUMMONS TO APPEAR BEFORE A FEDERAL JUDGE WITHIN 6 WEEKS (he also said to watch closly for it since it was sent un-certified, regular mail! He, "Wouldn't want (me) to get a Warrant put out FOR (MY) ARREST."!!!).
HALF A YEAR LATER & after several UNRETURNED TELEPHONE MESSAGES LEFT WITH Assistant Chief Ranger Glen Anderson asking why the U.S. Central Violations Bureau HAD NOT RECEIVED RANGER RAYNOLDS COMPLAINT...
I GOT NOT ONLY MY GUN & AMMUNITION BACK BUT ALSO APOLOGIES FROM RANGER RAYNOLDS & GARY WARSHEFSKI (FOR SUPERINTENDENT WILLIAM K. DICKINSON/LAKE MEAD RECREATION AREA).
Oh. I WOULD NOT have received any of this had I not contacted Senator John Ensign's office. Margot Allen in Senator Ensign's office told me SHE WOULD BE TALKING TO ASSISTANT CHIEF RANGER ANDERSON'S BOSS IN WASHINGTON, DC... "... THAT AFTERNOON!"
Honest, Law-Abiding Citizens (me a Senior Citizen!), especially those investigated for and issued Concealed Carry Permits (CCW'S), ARE NOT THE CRIMINALS THAT SOME PARANOID BUREAUCRATS ARE BRAINWASHING THE MINDS OF HONEST, PEACE OFFICERS WITH IN SOME LOCALES!
When a vulnerable bicyclist & HIS FAMILY, on a remote BICYCLE TRAIL, IS THREATENED WITH A DEADLY WEAPON... a phone call for HELP is going to result in dead or seriously injured bicyclists and family members.
I only use the Las Vegas side of the trail now (until Senator Tom Coburn's "Right to Defend" law is passed).
God Bless America! jerryfoisel@yahoo.com
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