Trailwork Day Oct. 20, 2018

Posted on October 11, 2018 by 44trails

Fall Trailwork Day Number II – October 20

We need your help to finish the project this fall! Come on up to the 44 zone on Saturday, Oct 20 to help us finish up!

The new route adds single track miles and reroutes the trail away from The Dalles Watershed Pipeline, which is about to get replaced, thus disrupting the original Surveyor’s route. READ MORE about the Surveyor’s Ridge Reroute Project and check out project map.

Trailwork Day – Surveyor’s Ridge Reroute Project SATURDAY OCTOBER 20, 2018

WHEN: SATURDAY OCTOBER 20, 2018 @ 9am – 2pm
Meet 9am @ Little John SnoPark on Highway 35
We’ll have coffee at signin thanks to Dog River Coffee in HR 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 are working on a variety stages right now – rough-in, finish work and brushing.

TOOLS:
Please bring your own tools! Flat shovels, polaskis, McLeods, metal rakes, loppers are all good options.

*REQUIRED EQUIPMENT*
Hardhats (bike helmets ok), long pants, work gloves and work boots.

Can’t make it? Make a donation!

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.

44 Trails Meets Forest Leadership

Posted on June 3, 2014 by 44trails

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!

New Two-Way Traffic Signs

Posted on May 20, 2014 by 44trails

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!

Trail Conditions Update 5/19

Posted on May 19, 2014 by 44trails

Latest trail conditions update May 19: trail2

Knebal / Bottle Prairie – 75% clear of trees and tread dry – Hope to clear this week.

8-Mile – Good shape but there’s one big section of blowdown on streamside trail 20+ trees – hope to clear this week.

High Prairie / 450 – Not ready. Snow on trails and tread too muddy for riding. 4410 road is also still closed due to snow. Please stick to lower trails.

15-Mile – Not ready. Needs clearing work. Hold use until after Memorial Day weekend, thanks.

Surveyor’s Ridge – Clear an ready to ride

Dog River – Clear and ready to ride

Mt Hood Fusion Pass

Posted on October 21, 2013 by 44trails

Thanks to everyone who rallied out to Double Mountain in support of 44 Trails last week. The event was a great success. We sold loads of t-shirts, had a great raffle and raised valuable funds for future trail development with the silent auction. Your support is much appreciated! We were too busy to capture the night with photos, but it was a full house.

We have two more special auction items available: Mt Hood Fusion Passes. These ski passes are good for a full season of riding at Timberline and Ski Bowl. The pass also gets you into the Powder Alliance where you get three free tickets at all partner resorts. You can get the full lowdown on the Fusion Pass and all its perks at www.mthoodfusionpass.com.

You can submit a bid for one of the fusion passes by e-mailing us at 44trails at 44trails.org. The passes are valued at $495 each. The bidding starts at $350 and bidding ends October 31.

44 Trails Association Party

Posted on October 16, 2013 by 44trails

Hey 44 Trails supporters, don’t forget the party this Thursday eve (10/17) down at

Fall in the Gorge

Double Mountain Brewing. We’ve got live music, a silent auction, a raffle and, of course, beer by Double Mountain.

Auction items include generously donated products from supporters like Dakine, Kona, Shimano, Oakley, Timberline, and Mt Hood Ski Bowl (who just kicked down two night ski passes!). Money raised goes directly toward helping to defer costs of EIS work and planning costs associated with developing trails on the National Forest.

Come on down between 6 pm and 10 pm to celebrate the completion of the Super Connector Trail and find out what’s next on the trail development list for the 44 zone.

We’ve got new t-shirts and stickers, too!

44 Trails Party!

Posted on October 7, 2013 by 44trails

Rally around 44trails.org to help us celebrate a successful summer of trail work and to help plan for the future.

We’re throwing a party at Double Mountain Brewing in Hood River on October 17, 6pm-10pm. There will be a silent auction fundraiser with items ranging from jerseys to complete bikes and gifts certificates from local businesses.

We’ve also got a raffle planned. Raffle tix will be $5/each, and we’ve got a great collection of swag from the bike industry and local businesses alike.

Of course, there’s beer, too, and Arthur Lee Land will rock the house with tunes.

Come on down Thursday, Oct 17 and learn about future 44 Trails projects, get one of our new t-shirts and stickers and support the future of trail development in the 44 Trails zone.

Super Connector Success

Posted on September 17, 2013 by 44trails

Wow, what a crew that turned out on Saturday to support the 44 Trails Association! We had a beautiful day in the hills on our third work party of the summer for continued work on the new Super Connector Trail linking Knebal Springs and High Prairie with the classic Surveyor’s Ridge and Dog River mountain bike trails. Forty volunteers dedicated five hours each on Saturday to add another 200 volunteer labor hours to the Super Connector Project!

In addition to nearing completion of the Super Connector trail, we successfully installed a new cedar trailhead sign board (built by Hale Construction of Hood River) that meets USFS spec. The new sign is located near the 1720 and 17 roads junction (near the parking zone on the 17 road).

All told, the 44 Trails Association has rallied over 600 hours of volunteer labor this summer, completed 3.5 miles of new trail and built and installed a new trailhead sign board. The project would have cost $40,000-$70,000 had it been put out to bid using the standard 10-20K per mile cost normally incurred building trails.

Here are some impressive specs on the work and results of the summer’s efforts:

Total volunteer labor hours for three work parties, layout and design:
120 people x 5 hrs each = 600 man hrs! That’s $9,000 worth of labor!

Tangible Results: Three volunteer work parties successfully constructed 3.5 miles of trail, built and installed new trail head board, installed armoring rock work and moved 20 yards of reject armoring material to help maintain tread integrity for multi-use traffic – horse, hiker and biker!

Local business contributions:
Hale Construction materials and labor for trailhead board = $1500
New York City Sub Shop provide 60 lunches at a cost of $7/each = $420
Dog River Coffee provided morning coffee for all three events = $300
Dakine, Dirty Fingers Bikes, and Sellwood Cycle provided raffle items = $1500+. Dirty Fingers Bikes, Sellwood Cycle and Mt Hood Ski Bowl paid employees to be on site to provide assistance.

Total Volunteer contribution labor hours, materials, supplies = $15,000+. Way to go everyone who has kicked in time and resources!

The trail is not quite 100% complete, but Ranger Thornton has some time slated this fall for the required finishing touches including working with local Eagle Scouts on the trail September 22.

Super Connector Work Day Sept 14

Posted on September 8, 2013 by 44trails

Knebal Springs Mt Hood Hood National Forest

The 44 Trails zone was spared any fire damage from the recent Government Flats wildfire, and the riding is as good as it gets right now. Recent rains have knocked back the dust for a primo riding experience.

If it’s not on your calendar already, Saturday September 14th is our next, and hopefully final, Super Connector trail work day. Here’s the beta:

Where: Meet 9am Little John SnoPark on Highway 35

What: Final tread development to link Knebal and Surveyors -bring hand tools if you’ve got ’em – shovels, rakes, McLeods

Required: Helmets and long pants (bike helmets are a-ok), don’t forget gloves and clothing to keep you happy rain or shine – bring water too.

Time: We expect to work til 12 or 1, so you can still enjoy a good ride post work day

New York City Subs is kicking in lunch food, Dog River Coffee is kicking in morning coffee. There’ll also a be a sweet little swag raffle to help say thanks for your work!

44 Trails Area is Open for Riding!

Posted on August 30, 2013 by 44trails

Updated fire closure map

The 44 Trails zone on the Mount Hood National Forest is open for riding!

Thanks to favorable weather conditions and the efforts of wildland fire crews, the 44 zone is accessible again.

The 17 road remains closed, but 8-Mile, Knebal Springs and the rest of the 44 Trails are open for riding. Ranger Thornton was up in the area on Thursday and said there is moisture in the dirt and the trails are in great shape.

Here is the latest closure info: