HRATS, county continue to improve, expand trail system

T.J. Moloney, recreation program manager of the forestry department, noted that the Hood River County Forest Parking Permit Program was “the catalyst for all of the improvements, including grant writing, that are taking place.”

Tim Mixon, HRATS president, described the parking pass as a game-changer to maintaining and building trails. He expressed his excitement about the grant projects and the positive relationship with Hood River County.

“We’ve really found an amazing balance where Hood River County runs Post Canyon and writes the grants and we show up with a volunteer force and raise money to match the grant amounts,” Mixon said. “The commissioners, county administrator and forestry department are all motivated to develop the mountain biking trails.”

In 2023, Family Man Staging Area began a massive renovation to create a new family-friendly training area for all mountain biking ability levels. This year, there will be continued improvements to the area, including finishing a large jump line, putting in a small technical rock garden and completing an adaptive mountain bike trail named Timber Cruise. The name comes from a term used by forester’s to calculate the health of a particular plot of forest land.

The infrastructure will also be getting an update from the grant, with the creation of additional parking and two vault toilets.

Mixon also pointed to the improvements of the popular Klee Way Trail, which includes an update to the intersection at Sister Wives for safer riding.

Features on the trail will be “refreshed” through the use of a mini excavator, with a focus on creating landings for the jumps that are suited to a wider range of user ability. Mixon doesn’t anticipate the take-offs will change too much.

“The start area [of Klee Way] is going to get pushed forward, so it’s not quite as steep of a climb up and there will be a better spot for people to stop and hang out at,” Mixon said. The start area will allow riders to gain more speed at the start.

In addition to the improvements at Family Man and Klee Way, there will be a new trail called Remix opening in the spring. This will serve as a friendly, all-skill level, grouse-free trail that starts at the bottom of Extended Play and ends at the bottom of Upper Grand Prix.

“It’s going to be a cliche [Post Canyon style] trail — rolly, jumpy, surfy downhill,” added Mixon. He believes it will be a great alternative to Bad Motor Scooter, a difficult trail not necessarily suitable for beginners.

While Mixon is hopeful the trails and improvements will be completed in April, he noted that this is dependent on the volunteer force and weather patterns. He recommends anyone interested in learning more sign up for their newsletter at hrats.org, which will begin sending out weekly emails starting in April. It includes volunteer opportunities, as well as trail condition and closure updates.

For those interested in supporting HRATS, an upcoming fundraiser and party will take place on Saturday, April 20 at The Ruins in Hood River from 4-8 p.m.

“The goal is to gather our community to share what we’ve been up to and hopefully raise some money to keep at the work,” said event organizer Campbell Morrissy. “We want to gather to share drinks, good food and enjoy some live music. There will be a raffle for some awesome prizes.”