Nestled between Jackson to the northwest and the Wind River mountain range to the east, Sublette County is the highest elevation county in Wyoming. It is home to lush meadows bursting with seasonal wildflowers, rolling foothills dense with the smell of sagebrush, and Gannett Peak, Wyoming’s tallest point, towering at 13,810 feet. In Sublette County’s center is the county seat of Pinedale, an important gateway town to the famed Wind River mountains familiar to bikepackers traversing the inimitable Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

Two miles southwest of Pinedale’s main roads, about seven miles of user-created trail exist in an area called Tyler Draw. What Tyler Draw lacks in existing infrastructure, like trailhead amenities and professional trail design, it makes up for in community enthusiasm — the town’s collaborative planning process has demonstrated widespread demand for sustainable trails that suit the whole community’s craving for more recreation close to town. The Sublette Trails Association (STA) was recently awarded an IMBA Trail Accelerator grant for a professional trail plan to craft a vision for about 15 miles of mountain bike-optimized trail that will also be open to hikers and equestrians.
 

The Sublette Trails Association (STA) is working closely with the Bureau of Land Management as the Tyler Draw area land manager, as well as the Town of Pinedale, the Sublette County Recreation Board, Wyoming Pathways, STA members, and Pinedale citizens to incorporate feedback, respond to concerns, implement a trail development construction plan, and prioritize a feasible trail maintenance plan. Part of this process included a trail charrette in spring 2023 — a community-led planning process used to help land managers gather public input on what locals would like to see happen with public lands.

“The Sublette Trails Association is beyond thankful to partner with the International Mountain Biking Association through the Trail Accelerator grant. It is our sincere hope that the area around Tyler Draw, located on public lands just a few miles south of Pinedale, Wyoming, will offer multi-use trails for years to come,” said Matt Gaffney, Sublette Trails Association Board Member.

A trail plan for the Tyler Draw area will include trails for all skill levels. Currently, the community has less than five trails suitable for mountain biking and only one trail appropriate for beginner riders. Even so, the Tyler Draw trails host annual mountain biking and running events. To encourage mountain bike skills development for the high school mountain bike team and to provide options for the entire community, mountain bike-optimized trail styles, including slopestyle, dirt jumps, and flow trail, may be included in the plan alongside traditional singletrack that is suitable for hikers and equestrians as well as mountain bikers. A professional trail plan accounts for flora, fauna and wildlife to aid in area conservation. This plan will be developed outside of migration corridors for mule deer and pronghorn and away from other sensitive biological and cultural resources.

The STA promotes the development of family-friendly recreation trails to foster long-term economic and recreation growth in their community and knows it is vital that community trail systems receive thoughtful maintenance to keep recreation sustainable for years to come.

IMBA’s Trail Solutions planners will visit Pinedale later this year to begin crafting a professional trail plan for the Tyler Draw area.