Spring has officially been here for over a month. The signs of spring are always exciting — first we are covered by a big snow, and then it melts again the next day. Bluebirds, robins and osprey have returned, and a few brave green shoots are peaking out of the ground. April has been a big snow month, which is not uncommon. The recent 65-degree days have felt great, and have melted some lower-elevation snowdrifts. The recent snow has returned the complete covering of brilliant white across our mountains.

Spring is always a complicated decision-making time for us in the High Country, where we could have warm spring-like days and snow again any day. While I’m yearning to plant some flowers, and I would love to see pasqueflowers blooming, there is still great skiing at Arapahoe Basin and other local areas, and some higher-elevation backcountry skiing. Many of us are pondering, shall I ski, ride my bike, hike — or all of the above?

This is a great season to take advantage of our incredible recreation paths in Summit County. The recpaths have been cleared of ice and snow early this year. Visitor numbers are fewer than in the winter or summer; mud season is for us locals to enjoy. Some restaurants and other businesses shut down for mud season, and the ones that remain open are less crowded. Our recpaths are quieter, too.

This time of year, it is generally better to stay on lower-elevation, south-facing drier trails, or on our paved recpaths. The Tenmile path travels through some of the most intensive avalanche areas on those beautiful steep slopes, and it is regularly the last to open. The temptation to hike up your favorite trail is not good for spring plants trying to come back.

So, where shall I hike this time of year? Remember, Principle No. 2 of the Leave No Trace principles: travel and camp on durable surfaces. Choosing the most sun-exposed trails can be the best choice. Any trails with remaining snow melting into mud means hiking into an area where your hike is likely to cause damage to the trail, making it wider and more eroded, and causing permanent damage to the vegetation.

Trail use during snowy and muddy trail conditions leads hikers to create side trails around the difficult icy or muddy areas. Trampling into the sides of the trails causes vegetation damage, including the destruction of tiny plants trying to sprout. Delicate green leaves emerging from the long winter may be just one-quarter of an inch long, and successfully photosynthesizing to create a summer flowering plant, but could be destroyed by a boot stepping on the side of the trail. Mountain bikes can be even more destructive due to their speed and weight. 

Did you know that beneath the ground’s surface is a complex community of biocrust? This living community incudes algae, cynobacteria, lichens, and fungi all living together and supporting the plants rooting in this rich complex. Any stepping or biking off the trails in wet conditions can damage this amazing complex.

We are all happy to enjoy the robust return of life that spring brings. Be sure you are not trampling and destroying it in a rush to get out there. The hard surfaces of our recpaths are a perfect seasonal transition to get outside and enjoy the signs of spring. Let’s all do our part to protect our unique and fragile high-elevation environment so it can produce the best summer blooms that we all want to see and that wildlife needs to survive.

“Get Wild” publishes weekly in the Summit Daily News. Karn Stiegelmeier is a volunteer wilderness ranger for the Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance, an all-volunteer nonprofit that helps the U.S. Forest Service protect and preserve the wilderness areas in Eagle and Summit counties. For more information, visit Wild4ESWA.org