ODOT Portland Metro Region Manager Rian Windsheimer emcees the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Viento State Park Campground along the soon-to-be-finished Columbia River Historic Highway.
The Oregon Department of Transportation, in collaboration with a number of local, state and federal organizations, officially opened two miles of trail on the Historic Columbia River Highway on Sept. 9. The ribbon-cutting ceremony stretched from Viento State Park to Mitchell Point — which is still under construction. The Mitchell Point segment is one of three sections pedestrian and bicyclist-exclusive sections.
The Oregon State Parks Department, Western Federal Lands Highway Division and a number of conservation groups joined ODOT at the brand-new Viento State Park Campground to celebrate the ribbon cutting. Approximately 60 residents from around the Gorge came to witness to unveiling and be the first to trek the trail.
The Columbia River Highway, also known as “The King of Roads,” was constructed in 1922 and was a vital commercial and recreation connection between Portland and The Dalles. Sam Hill and Sam Lancaster came together in 1906 and Hill called on Lancaster in 1913 to engineer his idea for a highway along the banks of the Columbia River.
Today, ODOT Executive Director Kris Strickler said there is no time like the present to take on the project of reconnecting the Historic Highway from Troutdale to The Dalles.
ODOT Portland Metro Region Manager Rian Windsheimer emcees the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Viento State Park Campground along the soon-to-be-finished Columbia River Historic Highway.
Noah Noteboom photo
“People come to Oregon for what we have in the natural environment. I mean, that’s why I’m here,” Strickler said. “And years ago, obviously, it was quite a different experience. So remitting this kind of historic connection together, providing a way to do that without the hustle and bustle of thousands of pounds of steel around you. This is a separated facility that allows us to have bicycle and pedestrian connections that will reconnect significant portions of the Gorge.”
Strickler and other representatives spoke to the hard work done behind the scenes by their organizations and how the trail will impact their communities in the future. Rian Windsheimer, ODOT Portland Metro region manager; Guy Rodrigue, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department; Brent Coe, Western Federal Lands Highway Division; Gladys Rivera, Hood River City councilor; and Megan Ramey, HRCSD Safe Routes to School manager, provided insight.
AJ Zelada takes a photo of an old-timey car at the visitor's center.
Noah Noteboom photo
The new segment of trailhead also serves as a home base for pedestrian travelers. Complete with hiker and biker sites, new bathrooms and a visitor center, the south campground is the second-to-last section of trail that will bring the historic highway back to life.
Work on the final length of trail has already begun, according to Jeanette Kloos, president of the Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway group.
“Most recently, we sent $10,000 to Hood River County Planning to do the developer review on the last section of the trail,” Kloos said. “We have several people that go to the historic highway advisory committee meetings to review the plans and put in suggestions.”
Project representatives officially open the new section trail and welcome hikers and bikers to the pedestrian-friendly campground.
Noah Noteboom photo
Terra Lingley, ODOT Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area coordinator, said it's great to see the new trail open to the public after so much hard work from construction and contracting crews.
“We’ve spent a lot of time and effort looking at rockfall mitigation. We also had to do a lot of scaling during construction — scaling is basically taking the cliff face and removing all the loose rock,” Lingely said.
Lingely added that ODOT expects Mitchell Point to wrap up construction in spring 2024.
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