VOLUNTEER GROUP: CORE

DATE: 10/5/25

LOCATION: COLORADO, Pike National Forest - South park DISTRICT

VOLUNTEER HOURS: 300

DONATED EQUIPMENT USED: HAND TOOLS, 4×4 VEHICLES, mini-excavator

ESTIMATED PROJECT VOLUNTEER VALUE: $15,000

The Wheeler Lake Trail in Colorado is a difficult route that climbs through Alpine Basin, ending above treeline at Wheeler Lake. The trail is a destination for Colorado locals and motorized enthusiasts who visit the state in the summer. Near the end of summer 2025, the Wheeler Lake Trail near Alma, Colorado, suffered from a unique issue. A mining claim owner, looking to make improvements to his property about halfway up the trail, filled in several obstacles to get heavy equipment there. In doing so, he altered the trail's difficulty in an undesirable way, making it much easier.

The public and local 4×4 enthusiasts were in an uproar after the work was completed, and many wondered what the USFS would do or how it would return the trail to its intended difficulty level. The USFS admitted they didn’t have the budget or personnel to accomplish the task, and that it would likely take years to complete a project to ‘fix’ Wheeler Lake.

That’s when CORE stepped in; the volunteer group offered to restore the trail through volunteer efforts and donations, at no cost to the USFS. Over three long days late in the trail season, battling cold temperatures, wind, and snow squalls, CORE volunteers used a donated mini-excavator to restore the Wheeler Lake trail to its previous difficulty level and to build several drainage features to ensure the trail would shed water and remain in usable condition for years to come.

Wheeler Lake Trail Fix