By Melanie Vining, ITA Executive Director

In trail work, there is no “Done with a capital D”, but there are finish lines. Often, we clear sections of trail and, at weekend or week’s end, leave knowing we contributed but that there is more to be cleared to get to that next lake, trail junction, peak, etc. So, we set goals that span multiple years. One recent such finish line story is the Southfork Blackmare Cutoff Trail #302 on the Payette National Forest. Three seasons after our first foray into the drainage, we are planning a “polishing up” project in 2025 to cut back the last of the brush and touch up the tread after weeks of hard work by dedicated volunteers over three summers to rediscover this “lost trail” to Blackmare Lake.

Made it to the lake! Volunteers on ITA’s 2024 Blackmare Lake project worked hard to clear this beautiful trail. Photo credit: Dave Beck

Accessed from the scenic South Fork Salmon River Road via the Poverty Flat Campground, this trail is reached by first hiking 3.5 miles up a multiple use trail, open also to motorcycles, before reaching the turnoff onto this non-motorized access to beautiful Blackmare Lake. Our first attempt at working on this trail was through a small crew of three people hiking in and spending five days trying to just find the tread, cutting out key logs and brush to define the route. We knew we’d be back. In 2023 we fielded a full crew of ten volunteers, packing their gear in by pack string and dropping them off for a week of serious brushing and logout. They made it within a mile and a half of the lake. 2024 was “the year”, with the crew scouting lost trail tread and clearing the rest of the way to the lake but feeling that one more hitch in 2025 would allow for fine tuning the work.

Our volunteers were excited about this multi-year goal and being part of opening a scenic route for ambitious day hikers and backpackers. Will this trail require lots of future maintenance? Of course! Trails are needy like that. But, for the first time in over a decade, the trail to Blackmare Lake is a benefit to the public and a beautiful route not choked by brush and logs. It begs for a family adventure, a trail running group outing, or a fall hunt. Our Payette National Forest partners were excited, too. Overwhelmed by so many miles of trail to care for with so few staff, they thanked ITA’s volunteers after a busy 2024 season:

“ITA has been integral to the Payette National Forest…with a focus on helping us re-establish older non-motorized trails such as North Fork Lick Creek Trail and most recently the Southfork Blackmare Trail. ITA’s unique focus on doing things (using) non-mechanized means is a tool used in sharing with people the traditional skills that go into trail maintenanceand backcountry explooration, on public lands in their back yard. They contribute 100’s of hours each year not just to the Payette National Forest, but on National Forests across the state of Idaho. The USFS wouldn’t get nearly as much done without the continued commitment that ITA brings to bear through its robust volunteer base and foundation of success stories. Thank you, ITA!”- Joshua Simpson, Recreation, Wilderness, Trails, & Noxious Weeds Program Manager for the Payette National Forest

Large trees blocked much of the Blackmare Lake Trail before ITA’s volunteers cleared the trail over three different projects. Photo credit: Don Essig

Work like this is why I joined ITA, then later made it my career. I love the steady determination it takes to make headway on trails. I love the teamwork and both mental and physical effort planning and executing a project demands of our team, and that, through sweat and shared accomplishment, strangers become friends, regardless of the job, financial or personal situation, or city each of us left to arrive at the trailhead. I also love I’m part of a team- from our staff to volunteers to donors- working to leave a legacy for our grandchildren. Fifty years from now we may be flying around in auto-piloted cars and have a colony on Mars, but we will still need access to a serene lake, a roaring river canyon, or a ridgeline with dizzying views to feed our souls and offer perspective on our place in the universe. Public land trails offer all of this, and even on the most tedious of winter days when my budget spreadsheet makes me feel eons from Blackmare Lake, my heart is full when I think of the next project.

This Blackmare Lake success story illustrates why ITA needs your help. Trail work doesn’t end, but we do make progress, taking steps forward, a few back, then pushing on, making a difference on the 10,000 miles of non-motorized trails across our scenic and wild state, both for ourselves and for those to come. This is expensive work: tools wear out, gear needs replaced, crews need food, and transportation to the most remote projects, and ITA’s staff needs time to plan and coordinate projects.

We are grateful for your past support; our growth is a testament to the generosity of our donors and volunteers over the past fourteen years. Please help us reach our 2024 Membership Drive goals so we can plan our biggest trail season yet in 2025 and cross more “finish lines” all over Idaho! Learn more about our membership here.

If you’d like to read more about the Blackmare Lake Trail, check out this blog post by 17-year-old Josh Davis, an ITA volunteer who was part of the 2023 crew.