trail design/terrain survey in mountain biking zone
Submitted by jrykowski on Wed, 11/26/2008 - 7:37pm.
Will be heading to Stub on Friday to do some adhoc trail work, adjust (reflag) a proposed section of access trail, and scout the terrain on side of canyon between proposed skill area and connect up to lower section of flagged single-track (section scouted/flagged during IMBA Trail Solutions visit in 2006).
Anyone interested in some bush whack rugged hiking (no trails, lots of side hilling) to do some trail design work, please contact me. jrykowski(at)gmail.com
Worked on section of
Worked on section of single-track trail adjacent to Caddy Whomper corridor. Did terrain scouting for the XC portion of single-track along canyon to first ravine. Will go back later to flag line - adds about 1/2 mile of single-track - along an epic section with great views of Hares Canyon thru ferns and some old growth. (this section of trail is going to be VERY enjoyable to experience by bike...)
Lots left to do before June opening of mountain biking zone!
high-level overview of trail planning
Notice the Viewpoint location - that's key spot we hiked to today during terrain scouting - the XC trail will flow along from Crossroads along edge of Hares Canyon to the Viewpoint location, then loop back along ravine back towards proposed Skillarea. By June, we're aiming to have that out-loop-and-back completed (contingent on bridges being built by OPRD and we get enough volunteers to come help at build days to dig those 2 miles)...
This is only phase 1 of mountain bike trail construction, the long-term goal is to build out XC trail along canyon to south end of park and connect with Banks-Vernonia or other appropriate trail.
...and here's another
...and here's another Google Earth map that shows roughly where the initial single-track will flow. From mtb zone access past crossroad, along canyon edge to viewpoint, back along ravine past lower part of proposed skill area and into crook of ravine tying back into where Caddy Whomper maintenance access corridor will be (loop back on corridor to crossroad). Eventually the single-track will flow around the ravine and further down the Hare's Canyon to tie into existing park trails back within the shared-use trail system.
(this is only proposed vision by local riders, we'll be finalizing details when park trail manager revises the Trail Plan...)
Need your help digging this single-track at upcoming build days (in December) - see Calendar.
Joe Rykowski, local trail builder
joer@westsidetrailfederation.org
http://westsidetrailfederation.org
proposed filter for mtb zone access
The existing Hares Canyon trail comes past the spot, but since equestrian users and hikers aren't allowed over into the mountain biking zone... we need to develop a filter which will make it more clear it's an area that's purpose-built (by mountain bikers) for mountain bikers!
Great work!!!
Ted D
Wow! You and your team are making big advancement with your project. I am Pro any mtn bike trail that is created anywhere. Keep up the good work!
Q - After looking at your maps I was wondering if there is enough room for a cross country trail. If so, how many miles do you think you can get?
Q - Is the creatation of a cross country trail (w/ 14+ miles) part of the plan? What is the skill level you are building for (Beginner, Intermidate, Advanced)?
Q - Can any of the trail be built using machines and have volunteers do the finishing work? If so, the project will be completed sooner and you will not "kill" off your volunteers. As a past project leader, I know that building new trails by hand is a lot of work and takes a lot of man-power. As you can imagine, I highly recommend mechanized trail building.
For those who don't know where this is located, I have included a google map web link
Driving Directions
Link: <http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=97201&daddr=45.739050,-123.199461+(L.L.+Stub+Stewart+State+Park)&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=45.604431,-122.912292&spn=0.446752,0.931091&z=10>
See you on the trails
Great questions Ted. This
Great questions Ted.
This isn't nailed down officially in Trail Plan (there will be meeting shortly with park trail manager to nail a lot of this down), but there's two distinct things happening with the mountain biking zone at Stub... this is general vision (park trail manager is in support of this stuff based on verbal conversations)...
#1 network of XC single-track trails along canyon (some in future dropping down into canyon and flowing along the creek) - ideally, design would target all levels of XC rider (for example, optional trails branching from main trail that would be "more difficult" option and merge back into main trail).
#2 build out of "skill areas" with challenging technical features (i.e. "freeride") - this is _separate_ from the XC trail network but linked in (the freeride area #1 was planned out fairly detailed alreay, even GIS mapped, and all - but it's taking additional management planning before it gets a green light to build out). The park manager suggested also building a "beginner beginner" skill area (family man style) near the new day use area which will get built nearer to the mountain biking zone (in the future - it's part of the Master Plan).
Honestly though, there isn't a ton of area within the park (it's very long but narrow - like 2+ miles "as crow flys"), and the idea is to have a network of looping trails (so you could get a 15 mile ride in but you'd be within a 5 sq. mile patch of land). There's already miles and miles of shared-use trail on the westside of the park (but it's not "single-track"), so linking in from the mountain bike only zone to existing trails will quickly result in some decent milage. (at this point, if I were a non-mountain biker person I'd also point out that the Banks-Vernonia trail goes right thru the park as well and that's 22 miles of "trail" but... I'm sorry, that just doesn't count in my book as "mountain biking" trail... it's a paved wide path...)
(opinion) It's not always about the distance involved with a trail system either... I mean, it's the quality of the facilities and options which are available too. "Family friendly" and "weekend trip" are keywords for Stub - there's cabins, there's campgrounds... and there's WIRELESS BROADBAND (yeah, the campground has wireless baby!!)
Machines... yes, definately the 6' maintenance access corridor will primarily be constructed by mechanized equipment (there's also stump grinding to do - definately don't want volunteers doing backbreaking labor of digging out dozens of stumps!). Volunteers are helping remove logs and stuff though. But the single-track... it's 24" wide and is lovingly being crafted by hand... dug by mountain bikers for mountain bikers.
(opinion) Any planner/crew can build a 6' wide maintenance access corridor, but only a real mountain biker can artfully craft a single-track trail which is compelling and enjoyable for riders.
Joe Rykowski, local trail builder
joer@westsidetrailfederation.org
http://westsidetrailfederation.org
how many miles to be
Undetermined at this
Undetermined at this point, but the park is long and narrow. Plan is for looping options.
Best comparison I guess would be onscale with the Mollalla "Hardy Creek" trails. There's options for multiple skill levels, and loops... So actual number of single-track depends on the route you choose.