The 44 Trails are still under snow at the moment, but we’ve set our calendar for 2019 trail work days.

First priority is to wrap up the Surveyor’s ridge reroute trail, and then we have more new projects in the works.

All work days are scheduled for 9am-2pm and require longs pants, gloves, helmets (hardhats) and tools. Specific details will post a couple weeks before each trail day.

Add these dates to your calendar with one easy click by downloading the calendar file below!

May 25 – Surveyor’s reroute
June 8 – TBD
June 29 – TBD
Sept 28 – TBD
Nov 2 – TBD

44 Trails Conditions Report 5/24/18
Singletrack Mountain bike trails on the Mt. Hood National Forest

The long weekend is here and conditions up in the 44 zone are great! Here is a list of trails that have been cleared in the last two weeks:

Surveyor’s Ride
8-Mile
Knebal SPrings
Bottle Prairie
Super Connector
Dog River
Lower Cooks Meadow

Snow is still patchy above 4500 feet, especially in shaded/north-facing areas. Please use good judgment and refrain from riding muddy trails. 

The Surveyor’s Ridge Reroute Continues!

Trail Work Day – Surveyor’s Ridge Reroute Project

REQUIRE EQUIPMENT:
Hardhats (bike helmets ok), long pants, work gloves and work boots, water. 

WHEN: 
Saturday, October 7, 2017 @ 9am – 2pm (plenty of time for a post-work-project ride)
Meet 9am @ Little John SnoPark on Highway 35
We’ll have coffee thanks to Dog River Coffee in HR and sign-in at the SnoPark and then move up to the work site as a group. Lunch will be provided by NY City Subs in Hood River.

PROJECT:
Handbuilt singletrack on Surveyor’s ridge re-route. We will be doing rough in and route trimming/clearing.

TOOLS:
Helmet/hardhat (bike helmets ok), long pants, gloves, and work boots required.
Hand tools only – Flat Shovels, McCleods,Metal Rakes (NO chainsaws please).

Here is the map showing the approximate route of the Surveyor’s Ridge trail project. The existing trail (yellow) will be disrupted by the new pipeline – the new route (blue) shows the tentative routes to connect with the SuperConnector (brown) near the 17 Road.

In case you were not aware, the Forest Service is preparing a longterm timber / fuels reduction plan, aka a Timber Sale, for what is called the Polallie Cooper area on the east side of Mt Hood.

The Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Polallie-Cooper Timber Sale was released recently and the public comment period ends on February 25, 2016.^. 

You can download and view a pdf copy of the Polallie-Cooper EA here. It’s a long (300+page) document, but one of the critical concerns to 44 Trails is the USFS proposal to move ahead with a 55-foot buffer on either side of trails that fall within the timber sale. This means cutting to within 55 feet of either side of existing trails.

44 Trails Association, among other groups involved in a collaborative process before the EA was completed, suggested a 100-foot buffer (on each side) be used. The idea behind our 100-foot per side recommendation is to preserve the quality of the trail user experience as much as possible. The trail user experience being based on forest quality and trail/tread quality, both of which, we believe, are directly related to forest canopy where more forest canopy equals a better experience and better tread quality/durability.

Of the trails impacted by the proposal, the Dog River Trail (#675) is the highest profile within the mountain bike community. Not only, could the proposal result in cutting within 55 feet of the trail, it will surely impact the trail with extended closures while the work is being done.

There is a public meeting on Weds., Feb. 10 from 5 to 7 pm at the Hood River fire station in next to the pool in Hood River. We hope to see you there.

This is an important opportunity to let the Hood River Ranger District hear your opinion of the proposal.

You can also submit written comments to the Forest Service, by February 25^th, your opinion could help preserve the riding experience on the Dog River Trail and beyond into the future.

To comment or to learn more
contact: Casey Gatz – Interdisciplinary Team Leader
(541) 352-1255 cgatz@fs.fed.us
www.fs.usda.gov/projects/ mthood/landmanagement/projects

Download Polallie Cooper Timber Sale Environmental Assessment

We are CANCELLING the November 21 work day due to snow. The 44 road is a mess of frozen snow and slush.

We will look toward December 5 as the next possible work day, weather permitting and will keep you posted here, on FB and via our e-mail list.

Thanks for your support!

The final work party of the season is almost here. This round, we’ll be working on the 450 Trail doing some repair and enhancement projects. As usual we’ll meet down at Little John Snopark at 9am.

Please bring rakes, shovels, McLouds, wheelbarrows, etc. We’ll have Timberline there with at least one power toter, too.

Shoot us an e-mail with any questions. 44trails (at) 44trails.org.

See ya Saturday Oct 18!

Here’s the official summer work poster. First session on June 14 will most likely be used to armor and bank corners on the new Super Connector. Specific event details for June 14 event will come together and be announced here by early June.

Saver a date or two on your calendar and join us to keep the 44 Trails zone buffed out!

44 Trails Trail Work

The snow gods may be slow in delivering the goods this year, but it’s never too late (or too early) to learn about avalanche safety. Ranger Jim Thornton is offering a free avalanche safety briefing on January 24, 2014 at Dog River Coffee. Check it out.

There’s an open house hosted by the Friends of the Columbia Gorge regarding the idea for a community trail system out of Lyle, Washington on Dec. 11 at 5 pm at the Lyle Activity Center. The idea is part of the Towns to Trails vision put forward by Friends of the Columbia Gorge.