Report compiles trails community’s ideas for Yesness Park, Alcova, Rimrock development

CASPER, Wyo. — Stakeholders invested in public trails and pathways have released a report of a meeting this summer summarizing desired opportunities for development and improvement in areas in and around Casper.

The Wyoming Pathways report looked at areas like Alcova and Pathfinder, the Bureau of Land Management’s Rimrock property west of Casper, Yesness Pond and the overall trail network in the city. The intensive planning session was not a decision-making affair, but the report reflects a broad range of input on ideas for better developing certain areas and connecting the overall network.

In the city, stakeholders said they wanted more connections between segments of the Rail Trail and Platte River Trails network, with more traffic control and safety features where the paths cross the street. They also suggested expanding pathways around Yesness Pond and connecting it to Mike Sedar Park to the north, where the Central Wyoming Trails Alliance is already working with the city to build a mountain bike park and pump track.

The group is also hoping to ultimately connect the asphalt trail along Casper Mountain Road to Rotary Park, and the city of Casper has already sought a grant to build a path that circumnavigates Casper to the south, parallel to Outer Drive.

Bureau of Land Management officials also participated, as the bureau manages the Rimrock Cultural area west of Robertson Road and parts of the lands eyed for trail development around Alcova and Pathfinder reservoirs. Trail access between Fremont Canyon and areas on the southwest side of Alcova Lake is desired, as people now have to walk along shoulder-less Lakeshore Drive.

The report says that stakeholders want a point-to-point trail between Alcova and Pathfinder. Current users would like to see some official designation of the informal Kokopeli trail along the canyon, which is marked with cairns along the rocks. The stakeholders want to see an expansion of the trails around Alcova in general, along with signage to keep people from getting lost, but they also want to retain the wild, single-track dirt feel for most of them, according to the report.

The Rimrock Historical and Recreational Area was also looked at for possible expansion of public recreation. The area is historically associated with the Battle of Red Buttes in the summer of 1865, and it is also “a pristine segment of several National Historic Trails including the Oregon, Mormon-Pioneer, California, and Pony Express Trails,” the report said. As such, the collaboration with the BLM is crucial and necessary to retain the historic cultural asset. The report notes that prospects for future development could change with turnover in the federal agency.