BLM Installs Signs Along Trapper’s Route Near North Platte River
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will install signs along the roads and trails within the Trapper’s Route Special Recreation Management Area beginning this month, a BLM spokesman said.
The area is 23 miles west of Casper on the north side of Wyoming Highway 220 at Government Bridge, Brady Owens said.
"The reason we're doing this is so that we can help with some highly erosive areas that are kind of sloughing off and creating safety hazards," Owens said.
"Then also there are some areas that some of these user-made routes have trespassed onto private land, and we're just generally trying to be good neighbors to all the folks that live around those public lands," he said.
Any roads or trails not designated for recreational use will be signed accordingly.
Most of the trail is for walking and off-road motorized vehicles, and some of the two-track trails are sloughing off into ravines and pose a safety hazard, Owens said.
The route arose from the creation of the special recreation area, he said.
The name "Trapper's Route" is more of a nickname rather than "fur trappers once-upon-a-time," Owens added.
Those who walk or ride the riparian corridor may see raptors overhead, mule deer, pronghorn, song birds and water birds, he said.
This area of the North Platte River is a Class 1 fishery and is rated as Blue Ribbon by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. The area offers opportunities for fishing, floating, waterfowl hunting, wildlife observation, picnicking and camping.
Developed recreation areas along the route include the Chalk Bluffs, Buffalo Berry and Golden Currant campgrounds, and the White Tail Day Use area, Owens said.
The project is an expansion of previous acquisitions using the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire lands from willing sellers in the mixed U.S. Bureau of Land Management estate in Wyoming.
It will also enhance recreational access by developing additional access points and enhancing facilities along the river.
The project also has involved removing invasive species such as Russian Olives.
The BLM is the lead federal agency for the project. Other agencies are the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, The Conservation Fund, City of Casper, The Wyoming Fly Casters, Natrona County Road and Bridge Department, and the Natrona County Weed and Pest District.