The Granite Mountain Trail project was created in response to extremely heavy use and inadequate trail maintenance.  Significant damage and deteriorated trail conditions made this trail dangerous, consisting of frequent gullying, dramatic trail widening and braiding, caused by hikers seeking to avoid wet, muddy areas and loose rocks in the tread.

Conservation corps crews spent nine consecutive weeks in the summer of 2009 camped near the summit, and spent time addressing the most heavily impacted areas, installing drain dips, rock steps, and turnpikes, along with performing trail braiding closures.  Overall, the conservation corps crew contributed 72 work days and 4320 hours of labor to the project.

Work that was accomplished included:

• 285 feet of rock turnpike;

• 300+ feet of drainage ditching and the installation of 20 drain dips;

• 130 feet of a rock retaining wall, along with 117 rock steps and 20 waterbars;

• 750 feet of old trail restoration; and

• 200 feet of new trail excavation.

Rock step construction

Parallel ditching