Post Falls cracks down on unofficial park trails to stop erosion

Post Falls is closing off the informal paths people have carved into local parks, with the sharpest warning coming from Black Bay Park, where one social trail eroded so badly that part of the slope nearly fell into the lake. City crews responded by putting up fencing and using sandbags, and officials said they may add stone or log stairs on popular routes that keep drawing foot traffic.

The effort is part of a broader crackdown on unofficial trails that the city says are damaging park infrastructure and creating safety problems. At Kiwanis Park, Post Falls Parks and Recreation has been decommissioning social trails after noticing a number of them develop over several years. Parks manager Bryan Myers said the city used logs to block the unofficial routes, then spread grass and wildflower seed to help restore the ground cover that had been worn away.

The Kiwanis Park work also included a trail kiosk and map, a sign that the city wants visitors to stay on the approved network instead of cutting new lines through sensitive areas. Myers said the problem has grown as foot, bicycle and e-bike traffic has increased, especially where official trails intersect with unofficial shortcuts. That overlap, he said, creates conflict between users and makes it harder to keep people moving safely through the parks.

Post Falls also directs residents to use the designated trails shown on its interactive GIS map, saying the rule is meant for both safety and environmental protection. The city’s message is straightforward: stay on the mapped trails and do not create new ones. The crackdown at Black Bay Park and the restoration work at Kiwanis Park show how quickly a shortcut can turn into a maintenance problem, particularly on slopes and other high-use areas where erosion can spread fast.

For park users, the practical changes are already visible. Unofficial paths are being fenced, blocked with logs or repaired with seed and soil protection, while the city considers sturdier steps in places where repeated use has made the detours hard to stop. In Post Falls, the push is no longer just about asking people to use the main trail. It is about physically closing the shortcuts that have been wearing away the parks.