Indian Ford Campground Bridge to be removed

The Forest Service announced that the bridge across Indian Ford Creek at Indian Ford Campground will be removed this week. Amy Racki, recreation team leader for the Deschutes National Forest, Sisters Ranger District, said that the rotting bridge has been condemned and has been closed to equestrian traffic for more than two years. Removal of the bridge has been necessitated by the determination that it poses a public-safety risk.

The bridge links the Sisters Tie Trail with the west side of the Indian Ford Campground. The trail is a key link from Sisters to other east-west trail routes along the eastern Santiam corridor.

Forest Service officials were uncertain as to when the bridge would be permanently replaced.

Racki, however, said, "It will be replaced just as quick as we can get funding."

At present, and until its removal, the bridge is closed to all traffic. Removal is expected to be completed this week. The Sisters Tie Trail is popular with hikers, equestrians, and cyclists. Until the bridge is replaced, the Forest Service requests that users avoid crossing the stream to reduce potential sedimentation and erosion problems which can impact fish habitat and water quality.

The lack of a bridge link across Indian Ford Creek also significantly reduces access to much of Indian Ford Campground and effectively eliminates numerous campsites at a time when the seasonal demand for camping sites is peaking.

The Sisters Tie Trail itself is not closed, but users are being encouraged to turn around at Indian Ford Creek, rather than attempting to cross the stream. The trail runs for 6.6 miles from the trailhead on North Pine Street to the Indian Ford Campground. Nearer to Sisters, much of the trail runs parallel to Pine Street as it runs out of town to the north.

This area borders Trapper Point and the Indian Ford Ranch subdivisions of Squaw Back Woods and Indian Ford Meadows. All along this area, the trail crosses and follows many old dirt roads and tracks; so, there are numerous access points along the trail and opportunities to turn around if a 13-mile round-trip is more than the user desires.