The new Burn Pile is finally complete! The crew at Tony Boone Trails finished the final segment from Lil Rattler to Spiral Drive late Monday. The final trail measures about 7/8th of a mile in length and drops close to 250ft in elevation.
There are two ways to access the trail: one is by riding up Spiral Drive from the upper parking lot until you see the trail crossing. The second way is to enter off of Lil’ Rattler, which will be the best choice if you’re coming from Backbone.
The redesigned Burn Pile was created with downhill mountain biking in mind. If you’re thinking of hiking, running, or riding up the trail, please be aware that there will be lots of bikers descending. If you’re descending on a bike please use caution and yield to other trail users when crossing Spiral Drive and Frontside. Also, be aware that mountain bikers of varying skill sets will be on the trail, so if you want to pass someone please announce yourself in enough time to allow them to move out of the way. Lastly, if you want to do multiple laps, consider riding the Chili Pepper trails to Spiral Drive and then ascending to the top instead of riding up Burnpile.
This redesign would not have been possible without our very special partners The Boathouse Cantina and Rivers Edge Bar & Restaurant. These locally-owned restaurants have created a voluntary 1% donation program (from all of their sales) to benefit SMT’s trail construction efforts. This program has generated over $40,000 for SMT. Please show your thanks by frequenting these locally-owned restaurants.
Thanks also goes out to the crew at Tony Boone Trails who rose to the challenge of turning the old, under-utilized trail into one that’s sure to see a lot more use. In the words of Tony Boone, “Diggin in the dirt sure feels good, and it feels even better diggin new flow in our own backyard–thanks Salida!” (For more info contact Tony Boone Trails at 719-221-3421.) Finally, SMT would like to thank the City of Salida for making this a reality and supporting the effort all along the way.
Description and photos by Tim Ryan
