The San Juan Outdoor Club is proud to partner with the Pagosa Area Trails Council (PATC) asking you to make a greatly needed tax-deductible donation that will help keep area trails cleared. To donate using PayPal, click the button below. To donate by check, make your check out to San Juan Outdoor Club and send it to:

San Juan Outdoor Club
PO Box 3856 Pagosa Springs, CO 81147

Pagosa Area Trails Council (PATC) and the Pagosa Ranger District (PRD) are jointly applying for a 2025 Colorado Parks & Wildlife State (CP&W) Trails Grant. This will be the 3rd grant PATC and PRD have applied for. In 2020 and 2022 they were awarded the 2nd highest score on each grant application. These funds have and will be used to hire trail crews to clear trees and do much needed trail maintenance on the local PRD trails and to supplement needs of volunteer crews, some which include our own Club members. The campaign has raised over $500,000 since starting in 2019. Over 30,000 fallen trees have been cleared to date in the PRD. 462 miles of trails have been cleared annually since 2021. 

As you may know, the Pagosa Springs area was hit hard by an epidemic of the spruce beetles 10 years ago that killed innumerable trees.  These dead trees are falling on our trails each year. Over 5,000 trees have already been cleared in 2024. Many of these trails are in the wilderness where cross cut saws must be used.

 It costs about $50 per tree.  

As the dead trees keep falling we are being told by the local Forest Service that they will not have funds in 2025 for seasonal employees, including trail crews. 

$300,000 is needed over the next 3 years to keep our trails cleared and in a safe condition. PATC and PRD plan on requesting $200,000 in CP&W grant funds which can be used for 2025, 2026 and 2027 to hire trail crews.  The goal of PATC is to raise $100,000 to add to the grant.  With trail crews being more expensive and CP&W grants more competitive, we need to make this grant application look top notch.  PATC has $50,000 available for a cash match.  PATC is  in the process of raising the remaining $50,000 from local user groups, other agencies and organizations including San Juan Outdoor Club.

If you would like to Contribute to the “Clear the Trails” Fundraiser please click on the DONATE button above.