Behind the Trails: How We Help Keep the Ketchum Ranger District Crew Digging

The Ketchum Ranger District (KRD) manages an incredible network of over 400 miles of singletrack trail—open to hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, dirt bikes, and just about everything in between. But maintaining all that trail takes people, time, and funding—and unfortunately, the U.S. Forest Service doesn’t always have the annual budget to staff a full trail crew who maintain our trails while also tackling maintenance projects.

That’s where the Wood River Trails Coalition steps in.

One of our core missions is to support local land management agencies like the KRD by helping them maintain a steady, reliable trail crew. We want these teams focused on the work—not worrying about whether they’ll have the funds to do it.

A Hybrid Solution

To make this happen, we work with the Forest Service to implement what we call a hybrid trail crew model. Because of federal hiring limitations and budget constraints, the KRD often can’t field a full crew on its own. So, the WRTC hires additional crew members, while the Forest Service oversees the day-to-day operations of the entire team. In practice, it’s a seamless partnership—the crew works together on KRD trails, the only difference being the logo on their shirts.

The ratio of WRTC to KRD employees varies each year, but the goal is constant: ensure a fully staffed, professional crew is out on the trails every season.

Planning for the Future

In addition to hiring, the WRTC also has a Collection Agreement with the Sawtooth National Forest. This agreement gives us the flexibility to directly fund Forest Service positions when needed, allowing the agency to hire trail crew members as official federal employees—with WRTC reimbursing the cost. It’s another way we help make sure there are always boots on the ground, no matter the hiring circumstances.

At the end of the day, our partnership with the KRD ensures that your favorite trails are well cared for—not just this year, but for years to come.

Because great trails don’t maintain themselves.