Hey everyone, the 8-Mile trail parking area (just off 44 road, across from the 450 trail) will be closed on Thursday, August 14 while the USFS works to remove some standing dead trees.
All trails remain OPEN for riding! If you find yourself in the area on Thursday, be sure to give the tree crew the space they need. Thanks!
Summer is here – in case you hadn’t noticed – and it’s time for our second trail work day of the season.
Saturday, July 26 is the day.
Continued Super Connector tuning is the plan.
Where: 9am Little John Snopark, Hwy 35
What: Trail maintenance, Super Connector
When: Saturday, July 26, 9am-2pm
HELMETS required! Bring shovels, McLeods, metal rakes, wheelbarrows, gloves, water, long pants, work shoes.
We’ll meet at the Little John SnoPark on Hwy 35 at 9am for coffee and registration. We’ll shuttle up to the work site and get started. There are a variety of projects including continued trail armoring with reject and corner alignment. We’ll break into two or three smaller crews on the trail.
Lunch provided by Hood River’s New York City Sub Shop.
Reach out via e-mail with any questions – 44trails (at) 44trails.org
Red dot marks the location of 10-15 acre fire near popular 44 trails trailheads. click for full size
The recent thunder and lightning storms have sparked a few fires around the area including a small one in the 44 trails zone.
The fire is located just east of the junction of 44 and 17 roads, not far from the Knebal and 8-Mile Crossing campgrounds, as well as the Super Connector (see red dot on map for location). The fire is small (10-15 acres) and the USFS is on it with a dozer and heli water drops. They expect full containment without incident, but they would like to ask forest users to avoid the area as much as possible. There are no official trail closures at this time, but there is increased fire vehicle traffic in the area.
If you are headed up to 44 to recreate, please be alert for fire traffic, give fire vehicles and associated personnel plenty of room and report any additional fire starts.
UPDATE: Fire is contained and in mop-up stage as of 5pm 7/15.
Thank you to everyone who supported our June 14 trail work day! The USFS supplied 10+ yards of reject (gravel) and the 44 Trails crew worked to armor weak spots on the new Super Connector trail linking Knebal Springs to Surveyor’s Ridge. New York City Subs provided lunch and Dog River Coffee set us up with our morning fix!
We made made good progress moving the reject material and saw loads of riders using the trail. It’s great to see the word is getting out and people are riding the new connection. Next work day is July 26!
Here’s a few photos from the day.
Our friends down at Sixth Street Bistro in Hood River have a new item on the menu, the Singletrack Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger and they are going to donate $1 from the sale of every burger to the 44 Trails Association and the Hood River Area Trail Stewards (44 gets it one month, hrats the next).
Thanks to Chris and the crew at Sixth Street for supporting the mountain bike scene! Now get on down there and get yourself a Singletrack Burger . . .
June is here, the 44 trails are in fine form and it’s time for our first organized work party of the season.
Saturday, June 14 is the day.
Where: 9am Little John Snowpark Hwy 35
What: Trail maintenance, Super Connector
When: Saturday, June 14, 9am-2pm
HELMETS required! bring shovels, rakes, 5-gal buckets, wheelbarrows, gloves, lunch, water, long pants, work shoes, dress for the weather!
We’ll meet at the Little John SnoPark on Hwy 35 at 9am for coffee and registration. We’ll shuttle up to the work site and get started. There are a a variety of projects including trail armoring with reject and corner alignment. We’ll break into two or three smaller crews on the trail.
Reach out via e-mail with any questions – 44trails (at) 44trails.org
While Mother Nature has been melting snow and drying out access to the 44 Trail zone, log clearing stud Paul Gundlach has been cutting through blow down on the 450 trail. 450 is now clear to the junction with 15-Mile at the meadow. Thanks Paul!
Roads 4410 and 4420 are also now open to vehicle traffic.
What’s next you ask? Attention turns to clearing downed trees on Boulder Lakes!
Forest Leadership Team
44 Trails Association participated in a congressional review of the Mt Hood National Forest with the USFS Forest Leadership Team for the Mt. Hood National Forest on May 30.
Our favorite corner of the Mt Hood National Forest (the 44 zone) plays an important role in the forest as it holds the watershed for The Dalles as well as the Dog River Pipeline, a vital component of the watershed. Additionally, ongoing fire mitigation thinning work, upcoming Dog River Pipeline upgrades and, of course, the importance of recreation were combined for a tour of the forest for congressional representatives, county representatives from Hood River and Wasco and the full regional Forest Leadership Team (FLT).
44 Trails was able to share stats on our ongoing work efforts to maintain, restore and enhance the multi-use trails accessible from FR 44. The FLT was very appreciative and supportive of our efforts, so we look forward to continued cooperation with the Barlow and Mt Hood districts to further our mission of trail maintenance and expansion!
Thanks to the hard work of our favorite USFS Ranger, Jim Thornton, and some skilled 44 Trails Association volunteers (Paul Gundlach and Dana Hale!), 8-Mile trail, Knebal Springs trail, the Super Connector, Bottle Prairie trail and 15-Mile/Cedar creek are open to USFS spec and ready for riding! You’ll still encounter a few isolated single logs, but the big blow-down sections have been cleared!
As for High Prairie and 450 up higher, it’s still a no go. Too much snow and water on the tread (see photos). So please stay off the trails to avoid permanent tread damage.
You can also check out the Camas, Clear Creek, Rim Rock (connects at Clear Creek CG) and Bear Springs race course trails – all in the Barlow District on the east side.
Check the fed web site for beta on these trails. http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mthood/null/recarea/?recid=52772&actid=34
If you’re keen to help with continued clearing efforts, reach out via e-mail to us and we’ll connect you with the ranger to make a plan.
Yield to Uphill Traffic
Keep an eye out for the new two-way traffic signs up on the 44 trail system. 44 Trails Association helped pay for the new signs and they are being placed in high traffic areas on the trails.
The idea here is to yield to uphill traffic, so those of us who like to let ‘er rip down need to stay tuned in to other users, be they bikers, hikers or horse riders. Although we have some ideas (in the future) for downhill only development, all 44 area trails are currently open to two-way traffic.
Enjoy the spring weather!