High School Butte trailhead easement would lock in access, limit development

High School Butte’s trailhead parcel is set for another layer of protection on Sept. 21, when the Teton County Scenic Preserve Trust board considers a resolution tied to a conservation easement that would keep public access to the butte’s trails and conserve open space, while also wiping out existing development rights on the property and reserving limited rights for minor improvements that support recreation and trail work purchase packet.

This is not a brand new idea, the Scenic Preserve Trust approved the High School Butte Trailhead Parcel easement back in August 2019 (EAS2019-0001), but the current packet frames the easement as the mechanism that makes the trailhead purchase workable: a pedestrian easement for getting people to the trails, plus conservation terms that still allow “trail maintenance/improvements” and basic facilities at the base without opening the door to a bigger buildout purchase packet.