Owens Run & Mule Summit Reroute

Despite the setbacks of our 2018-19 season we were determined to finish the projects we had been planning.  Both of them were going to be comprised of hand built single track.  The first was a section of trail that would eliminate a steep road climb to the start of the Mule Mt. Summit trail.  If you had used this trail prior to the reroute, you would agree that it’s steepness often swayed you not to ride to the top of Mule Mountain.  Now that the reroute is in place, the whole trail has a cohesive feel and makes the decision to journey to the top an easier one.  

Next up was our climbing trail for the Enticer.  With no direct and easy way to get to the top of the downhill trail, people were constantly riding up it, which was far from optimal.  It was very steep at the top and you always had to be extremely cautious for oncoming traffic.  With the help of Brian Sindt from the McConnell Foundation and Shawn Stapleton from BLM, we laid out a very mellow trail that connects the bottom of the Enticer directly back to the top.  This trail ended up being a little over 1.5 miles long and was built entirely by hand!  Not only does it do what it was designed to do, giving people an easy way to get to the top of the Enticer, it breathed fresh life into the whole Swasey trail system by offering a new experience.  This trail is used by bikers, hikers, runners and equestrians alike. 

During construction of this new trail, discussion on what to name it ensued.  At first we settled on Inclinator, a play on the nearby Escalator and Elevator trails.   During a conversation with Bill Kuntz of BLM during a volunteer day, he mentioned the importance that Brent Owens has played in the development of our trail system.  He also acknowledged the love everyone has for our Executive Director’s dog Owen.  So the name Owen’s Run was born, an ode to a trail advocate and a trail dog.