Category Archives: Trail Work

June 14 Trail Work Day

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44trails_june14webJune 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

Trail Conditions Update 6/4

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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!

Trail Conditions Update 5/23

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44 Trails AssociationThanks 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

Clear Creek trail

Camas Trail

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.

Trail Work Schedule

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Sweet new trail signs!

Sweet new trail signs!

The dirt is top notch in the Gorge right now and the riding season for Mount Hood’s 44 Trails area is fast approaching. As of May 8, there is still some lingering snow and plenty of downed timber on the upper trails accessible from Forest Road 44. Typically, the bulk of the system will be cleared and ready to enjoy come Memorial Day Weekend.

In the meantime, we’ve set a schedule for summer trail work parties to keep our mission of maintenance and expansion moving forward. Please mark these dates in your calendars and join us when you can. We strive to work for 4-5 hours in the morning and then enjoy an afternoon trail session, so you don’t have to give up a day of riding! More details about each event will be provided as the date nears and as we evaluate trail needs:

June 14 – Celebrate National Trails Day with a 44Trails work party – (Nat. Trails Day is actually June 7, but our event will be on June 14)

July 26 -Mid summer work day to armor and maintain high-traffic areas

October 4 – TBA Special Event – riding related event to thank everyone for all their support

October 18 – Final trail day before winter transforms the forest floor

Although random acts of kindness in helping to clear the trails is appreciated, all significant clearing and trail work needs to be organized through the USFS to maintain trail standards. The process on 44 Trails is different from that in Post Canyon or Sandy Ridge, and we need your help adhering to this policy. We have a great relationship with the Mt. Hood and Barlow Ranger Districts, and we aim to keep it that way. If you have time and energy to help with trail work, please reach out to us. We have ongoing opportunities to help clear and maintain the trails outside of our scheduled events. Give us a shout and we can connect you with the details.