News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Bryn Hazell on one of the trails that will become part of a local network. Photo by Jim Cornelius
A network of trails linking Sisters with outlying communities could be in place as early as next spring, at least in a preliminary form.
The Community Action Team of Sisters (CATS) has created a draft plan for a Sisters Area Trail system, based in part on extensive public input gathered at forums earlier this year.
Some of the plan can be implemented right away.
There are already informal trails from Tollgate and Crossroads into Sisters and trails into the backcountry south of town. According to Trails Committee member Bryn Hazell, those trails can be signed so that users are comfortable knowing where they'll end up.
"The surfaces may not be done as we'd like them, but they'll be signed and people can use them," Hazell said. "That will give people an opportunity to use trails they don't now use."
Hazell said the type of signage has yet to be determined, but the committee is leaning toward graphic signs similar to those used to show routes on ski runs.
Surfaces will vary depending on location and type of use, Hazell said. Some trails might be crushed gravel, while others would remain dirt. Surfacing will require grant funding, Hazell acknowledged.
According to Hazell, the overwhelming priority of community members is to have trails that provide routes into town. Bicyclists would love to have a route along Camp Polk Road that would allow safe riding in from the Indian Ford area.
The draft plan lists 20 proposed trails. Some are already unofficially in existence; others are speculative.
For more information call 549-CATS.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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