14 Sep Tread Lightly! Impact Report: Smithie Creek Trail Reroute

Project: Smithie Creek Trail Reroute
Location: Idaho

Description: This project was funded by Can-Am Off-Road. Can-Am has committed to funding trail stewardship projects in partnership with Tread Lightly! to help maintain and improve access to public lands and off-road trails.

From August 11 to the 13, 2023, 33 volunteers gathered to reroute Forest Road 4079/Smithie Creek Trail in Idaho to ensure continued access to this unique riding area while protecting important watersheds and the wildlife rich environment. 

The rerouted 200 yards of trail, that previously ended at a historic cabin, now connects to the main route creating miles of additional riding and protecting foot access to the cabin. The reroute also protects important big game habitat and critically important watersheds for Idaho Bull Trout and other species. In total, 14 miles of trail were improved by this project.

Thanks to the donated Can-Am Defender Pro, Tread Lightly! was able to access this hard-to-reach area and haul a massive amount of critical supplies and equipment needed for the project. Because of the Can-Am’s payload, Tread Lightly! was able to provide dinner on-site as a thank you for all the volunteers and partners that participated in the work. 

Thank you to the partners who made this possible:

• Can-Am Offroad
• US Forest Service 
• Idaho Parks and Recreation
• Two Wolf Foundation
• Idaho Falls Trail Machine Association 
• Idaho Falls Single Track Alliance

“I really enjoyed hearing from Evan from our Team about the amount of positive work that the group was able to accomplish in Idaho during this project. Hearing the stories of how the Can-Am Defender Pro made the project more efficient was so intriguing. We do these projects to protect recreational opportunities for motorized recreation, like UTVs, but it was great to see the other side of the equation. This project was made more efficient due to the capabilities of one of those machines.”-Matt Caldwell, Tread Lightly! Executive Director

“Big thank you to Can-Am for providing the ability to get our team and the supplies to this remote trail system. This project would have taken much longer and been a lot more difficult without the amazing payload and drivability of the Defender Pro . Thank you also to our very dedicated volunteers who worked for two days and traveled hundreds of miles to improve this critically important wildlife habitat. A special thank you to Idaho Parks and Recreation who provided the heavy equipment, designs, and steadfast dedication to make such an important project happen..”-Evan Robins, Tread Lightly! National Stewardship Programs Manager