Redfish Lake Lodge, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) and the Sawtooth Society are celebrating the newly completed Grand Mogul Bridge construction across Redfish Lake Creek inlet.
The previous bridge washed out in the Winter of 2017, and last Fall a new, more elevated bridge was installed. The challenge this summer was to create multi-use accessible ramps to each end of the bridge providing access to not only hikers and mountain bikers, but also equestrian trail users. Two ramps were constructed over the last month, by hand, including a 15-foot ramp to the northern end of the bridge and a 35-foot rock stair approach to the south.
The ramp’s design was a collaborative effort among USFS Braidy Richins, Tom Winter and Matt Binion, with input from Mystic Saddle Ranch owners Mathew and Rebekah Cain. The project required rock-moving power and shared heavy lifting and included Tom Winter, USFS Wilderness and Trails Coordinator and his team (Carl Horvitz, Nate Herbert, Caitlin Frawley, Karl Menzel, Amy Sevcik and Haley Pines) and; the Sawtooth Society staff of Dalton Warr, Stewardship Coordinator, and Kit Foster and Brad Grohusky, Trail Crew.
“This bridge will be a lasting legacy of the incredible work that can be done when organizations come together for the public good. The bridge now allows safe public access for all trail users to enjoy the Lily Pond and Waterfall trail, Redfish Creek Canyon, the Garden of the Giants and beyond,” says Jeff Clegg, Redfish Lake Lodge General Manager. “The Society has been a particularly effective partner with its go-to trail crew – we are so grateful.”
Tom Winter notes, “Funding for the bridge project included a $10,000 donation from Redfish Lake Lodge, a $67,500 grant from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Trails Program with $5,000 from the Sawtooth Society’s License Plate Fund Grant Program. The Society followed up with an additional LPF Grant for $7,500 to finish off the ramp. The USFS added about $12,500 in crew labor.” Winter said, “The Society’s trail maintenance focus has been a real boon this year, clearing about 40 miles of road, 120 miles of trail and 2,300 downed trees…and now, stacking rocks.”
Formed in 1997, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Sawtooth Society is the only organization dedicated exclusively to protecting, preserving and enhancing the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
Contact: Kathryn Grohusky, Executive Director 208.721.1495 kathryn at sawtoothsociety.org
