Mission statement
Teton Valley Trails and Pathways promotes a trails and pathways connected community. The organization brings together citizens, businesses, and local governments to expand the Valley’s opportunities for outdoor recreation and nature appreciation, while linking communities, providing access to National Forest trails, and promoting healthy mountain lifestyles.
Goals
To build and maintain a complete, connected network of pedestrian and bicycle pathways and trails throughout Teton Valley to create a practical alternative to driving as a means of both transportation and recreation.
History
TVTAP was formed in the fall of 1998, with the focus of creating a paved, pathway along Teton Creek between Driggs and Teton Canyon. The Valley’s first paved pathway, built in 1997 by the Idaho Transportation Department between Victor and Driggs, encouraged the founding members to form TVTAP to pursue additional pathways.
We are a small non-profit supported by the volunteer efforts of our Board of Directors and approximately 800+ members. Trails and Pathways currently has one full-time employee, Executive Director Dan Verbeten and one full-time seasonal employee, Nordic Program Manager, Nick Beatty. During the summer months we gather over 140 volunteers to work on trails and in the winter of 2010-2011 had over 25 volunteers working on grooming trails.
Programs
Trails and Pathway’s current programs include our Nordic Grooming Program, which provides groomed Nordic ski trails in Teton Canyon, Alta, Pioneer Park in Victor, Teton Springs Resort, and the Driggs Nordic Track located between the High School and Middle School (all these trails are free for public use); our partnership with the US Forest Service to help build, maintain, and restore trails in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest; and we work closely with the local, county and state agencies to build a Valley-wide connected pathways network. The Executive Director, with help from board members, regularly writes grant applications for organizational support to obtain funding for new pathways in Teton Valley. Trails and Pathways facilitates a Summer Trail Work day program which amasses over 1,200 hours of volunteer work annually in the National Forest. We also facilitate a Mountain Bike Festival as well races in the summer and winter to support our mission.