Meet the woolly workforce maintaining Colorado trails

Llamas are taking the lead in maintaining Colorado's worn-down trails, which are increasingly eroding as people flock to them .

Why it matters: With a nationwide shortage of public lands workers and the demanding nature of trail maintenance, llamas — with their docile demeanor and impressive strength — can be an ideal solution.

The big picture: Two llamas, Wyatt and Junior, are helping the Leadville Ranger District this summer with several projects, including lugging heavy materials for bridge maintenance and rerouting two trails.

• The Leadville District is home to nine 14ers, with many of its trails towering at 9,000 feet in elevation or higher.
• That's a tough environment for some species — but not llamas, which are native to the Andes Mountains of South America and accustomed to living and working in very high elevations.

Zoom in: Additional factors that make these fuzzy friends prime for the job are their two-toed feet, which are lighter on the land and less likely to trample sensitive terrain, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

• They're also low maintenance and walk at a similar pace as their human coworkers.
• Another advantage: Llamas don't transmit diseases to vulnerable species, such as bighorn sheep.

What they're saying: "Llamas relieve our wilderness crew of some of the extra pack weight necessary for the four-day hitches they work throughout the summer," wilderness ranger and llama program manager Kate DeMorest said in a statement.

• "This helps with fatigue and gets our wilderness folks farther and faster into the field," she added.

Fun fact: Llamas can carry up to one-third of their weight, or roughly 60 to 80 pounds.

Zoom out: Llamas have long helped with trail maintenance in Colorado, from Summit County's trail work treks to Rocky Mountain National Park's waste removal efforts.

What's next: Wyatt and Junior will help the Leadville team through the end of this month.

• The district plans to continue the llama program, which first started in June 2023, into the future, according to the U.S. Forest Service.