Author Archives: 44trails

Cooks Meadow Extension Approved

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view of mt hood from cooks meadow extension trail

view of mt hood from cooks meadow extension

Well, it took a little longer than we were hoping, but the Hood River Ranger District just approved the proposed Cooks Meadow Extension Trail that we have been hoping to begin work on this fall.

44 Trails Association would like to thank all who commented and added their support  during the public process for the new trail.

cooks meadow extension map

map of area

The new trail will move the route off of the 4410 road and create approximately four miles of new single track! A short section (2/10 of a mile) at the very top, which crossed the High Prairie Meadow, was adjusted based on public comment. Although it would have been nice to roll through the meadow, we can live with 2/10 of a mile on the road to connect to the parking lot.

You can read the full Cooks Meadow decision document from the district ranger here.

We will announcing our work party schedule before the end of September and hope to hold at least one trail work day this October. Stay tuned for details or sign up for our e-mail list to be notified automatically.

Once completed, the Cooks Meadow extension will connect the lower Cooks Meadow trail with High Prairie and the 450 trail, creating a new loop ride and further working toward our goal of an interconnected trail system worthy of destination riding on the Mt Hood National Forest.

44 Trails Map

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44 trails mapWe recently completed a digital map of the 44 Trails area that is designed for use on your mobile device. The geo-referenced PDF is viewed with the free Avenza PDF Map App (available for iPhone, Android and Windows phones). The map shows your location, offers your coordinates and allows you to navigate.

At this point, we’ll call it a beta version of the map, as we have not been able to check every trail. Think of it as a good general reference.

You can get your free copy of the map by signing up for our e-mail list. Once you sign up, you’ll get an e-mail that includes a download link for the map.

How to get the free 44 Trails Mobile Map:

1. Download the Avenza Map App (free) on your mobile device.
2. Sign up for our mailing list and a link to download the 44 Trails map will be sent to you.
3. Open 44 Trails map with Avenza on your device

The map is for general reference only and is provided without a warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. Use of this map is at your own risk and discretion.

Sign up for our mailing list to receive the 44 Trails Map for free!

TrailGate 2015 Success!

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44 trails mountain bikingThanks to everyone who turned out for TrailGate 2015!

We had a great crew and a great day up on the 44 trail system. The weather was great, trails were ridden, bikes demoed, food eaten, music played and a good time had by all. We estimate over 200 people participated in the event.

We owe a big thanks to sponsors: Timberline Lodge for grilling up the food, Hood River Bicyclesfor serving up great demo bikes, Lets Get Out for organizing kid events, the USFS for the permit and attending the event, plus the band – Cripple Hop for setting the atmosphere with great bluegrass and their own imusic!

Plus all of our swag contributors deserve a shout out including: Mountain View Cycles, Dirty Fingers Bicycles, Dalles City Cyclery, Pfriem Family Brewers, Full Sail Brewing Company, Camp 1805 Distillery, Best Western Plus Hood River Inn, Brian’s Pourhouse, DAKINE, Pine Street Baking, Northwest Graphic Works, Solstice Wood Fire Cafe & Bar.

Trailgate 2015 may be over but the trails are still open to riding. So if you missed out on the event, get up there and enjoy the trails for a chance to enjoy the best single track on the Mount Hood National Forest.

Trailgate 2015

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Trailgate Event PosterTrailgate on Saturday, July 11 is only two days away!

The weather forecast for Saturday is looking excellent. Saturday is forecast to offer sunny skies and 65-70 degrees, a nice change from the 90+ temps we have been experiencing.

Trailgate is an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the fine single track trails accessible from Forest Road 44 on the Mt. Hood National Forest. There’s plenty of great riding and hiking to be had from the Billy Bob SnoPark, including great rides for all abilities, even kids! There’s even some killer road/gravel grinders to be had in the 44 zone.

We will be staging from the Billy Bob SnoPark located about 10 miles east of highway 35 on FR44. You can also get there from the east side out of Dufur. There’s plenty of great camping available at Eight-Mile and Fifteen-Mile campgrounds as well as other dispersed camping in the area.

Come on by at 10am on Saturday to check in on ride options, grab a cup of coffee compliments of Dog River Coffee and learn more about 44 Trails Association, meet local USFS rangers and to check out demo bikes from Hood River Bicycles (Yeti, Pivot, Giant, Santa Cruz and more).

Families can enjoy pedaling the Eightmile trail and kid focused ecology events at Billy Bob hosted by the USFS and Let’s Get Out

Once you’ve been out to enjoy the trails come on back at 3pm to enjoy food, drink (free) and music. We’ve lined up Hood River-based band, Cripple Hop, for a some great live music. Timberline Lodge is setting up the food service and 44 Trails Association will have info about upcoming projects. We’ll have a raffle with some great swag, too!