As the leaves start to fall and the mornings grow cold, the 2026 trail season comes to an end. This year, we had three special guests on the trails: a High Efficiency Trails Assessment Process (HETAP) cart named Nelly, baby Pear (the cactus stuffy that rode in Nelly), and me! I’m Claire, PPLT’s first international intern.
Nelly collected more detailed trail info than we’ve ever had, including incline, cross slope, elevation, distance, width, and obstacles. Our team can use the HETAP data as they build and maintain trails and plan more informative signage. We assessed 15 trails, starting at Rodney Ridge, then Prickly Pear Park, Tenmile Creek Park, and The Grove. By the end of the season, the Prairie, Waterline, O.G.R., Archery Range, and Eagle Scout trails, and the Upper DeFord Bike Course were added. We also mapped new long routes and loops, including Barking Goat Route, Northwest Loop, Rodney Ridge Bicycle Loop, and Davis Gulch’s Rider Coaster.
I also worked diligently to hike and photograph every trail in the South Hills. The Happy Trails guide on our website at pricklypearlt.org/trails has grown from seven trails to over 120. This work complemented the assessment project, as it wasn’t possible to take Nelly on all the trails due to time, incline, and obstacles.
We hope the South Hills will be explored by all kinds of people, because outdoor recreation should be accessible to everybody. Studies show that spending time in nature is highly beneficial to the nervous system and overall health as people can socialize, exercise, and enjoy beautiful sights and wildlife. We are assessing trails and expanding our online Happy Trails guide so that all users have the information they need to enjoy our public lands.
Claire Gallani is the communications intern at PPLT.
