The New Bike Trail has a Name!

The Sweetwater Trails Alliance (SWTA) has selected a name for the new bike trail behind Western Wyoming Community College’s residence halls. The trail will be called the Mustang Loop. Local submitter, Keith Hay, won a Yeti backpack and water bottle for submitting the winning name.  

While the trail path has been completed, donations are still needed for items such as signage, benches, picnic tables (if possible), a south parking lot off Skyline Street, and recycled asphalt on the staging area near the College’s West parking lot.  

A staging area is a location that can be the area used for people to sign up for events, get water and food, first aid, and vendor setup during events. The space allows people to gather without using the parking lot as that parking lot is used for CDL classes. The City of Rock Springs moved roughly 500 tons of dirt to flatten the area on the northwest corner of the West parking lot to create space for the staging area.  

Donations will also be used to include skills items for mountain biking such as teeter-totters, eight-inch rails at ground level, eight-inch rails at a two-foot level, and possibly a rock-climbing skills section.  

The SWTA would like to place signage throughout the trail with facts such as that users can see both the Wind River and Uintah Mountain ranges from the staging area – they're about 160 miles apart. The team hopes to have signs explaining rock formations and other facts throughout the trail to create a learning experience.   

“The Sweetwater Trails Alliance is excited to bring a quality trail system inside the city of Rock Springs. We look forward to our community getting outside and enjoying our community trail whether hiking, running, or biking. This trail can fit your needs whether grandma and grandpa want a place to walk, possibly teach someone biking skills to build confidence, or just stroll around the trail with the kids in a stroller or even a strider bike while learning how to ride! The best part about this trail is it is for the whole community,” stated Randall Dale, SWTA member. 

This year’s National Day of Giving or Giving Tuesday falls on November 30, 2021.  

The Mustang Loop serves as an outlet for community members to get outside and experience Wyoming’s unique landscape without ever having to leave town. SWTA would like to encourage those hoping to do some good in our community to donate to the Mustang Loop, this Giving Tuesday. Details on how to donate can be found at www.westernwyoming.edu/biketrail.  

So far, the Trail has seen monetary and/or time donations from The Bike and Trike, Sweetwater County Fire Department, City of Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, Wyoming State Parks, Walmart, Home Depot, the Boy Scouts, Cowboy Donuts, Messco, Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Sunroc, United Site Services, Western Archeological Services, and the State of Wyoming. Many of our community members also came out to help build the trail.   

Many of Western’s students would not have the opportunity to attend the College if not for scholarship opportunities. Donors to the Western Wyoming College Foundation provide students with the chance to attend college at an affordable cost, without sacrificing quality. To donate to Western’s Foundation, visit www.westernwyoming.edu/giving.