Sandy Ridge update: Lower Hide & Seek trail open Friday July 2nd...

Submitted Wed, 06/30/2010 - 11:25am by Tom Slovak

Sandy Ridge has undergone a lot of work in the last month, including drainage, bridge work and other trail improvements.  It returns now, better than ever, just in time for a long holiday weekend.

As of Friday 7/2/2010, the LOWER section of Hide & Seek is OPEN for use again.

Work is continuing on the bridge across Little Joe Creek, which should be wrapped up in the next couple of weeks.  

The UPPER section of Hide & Seek remains CLOSED until July 20th, due to the bridge placement and other trail work.

Additional information from the BLM:

SANDY RIDGE TEMPORARY CLOSURE: A temporary closure reamins in effect for the upper segment of Hide and Seek Trail (below Little Joe Creek)until July 20th. Starting Friday July 2nd, the lower segment below the creek crossing will be re-open for public use. Please be aware of ongoing work in this area.

The trail closure was instituted due to unseasonably wet weather and high levels of visitor use. This closure will also allow for a bridge installation to take place. Check this website for updated information.

Other resources:

BLM Website

Sandy Ridge Trail Map

Thanks,

Tom

‹ FP Fire Lane 1 North Umpqua River Trail ›

Trail is in great condition

by TomArcher - 2010-07-05 05:16

The BLM/IMBA team has done a lot of work on the trail over the past month or so - improving drainage, adding flow, etc.  I rode it both saturday and sunday.  Stilla few wet spots, but the conditions are improving as the weather dries out.  Should be great this week.

spent time riding it

by Will Heiberg - 2010-07-05 15:11

spent time riding it saturday and monday, great improvements, even more fun then before!

Spent time riding it

by ebrock1972 - 2010-07-06 06:54

Hit the trail Monday it is looking great, a lot of fun.

rode today

by econoline - 2010-07-17 01:46

I had my first ride out on sandy ridge today.  The banking on the curves is sweet.  The trail is obviously still a work in progress but it is also awesome.  Great work guys!  Looks like some folks are living in a trailer/camper out there working hard on the trail.  Can someone in the know confirm for me that if I leave a six pack next to said camper if we ride it again later this week that it will not go to waste?

Great idea, econoline, I

by Will Heiberg - 2010-07-19 10:40

Great idea, econoline, I will see if I can follo wup on that.

-Will

camper crew

by vernarella - 2010-07-19 10:55

If it is the camper that is located on the right as you go up the road, then I think that is the crew working on the bridge.

UPDATE: Hide & Seek will be ALL OPEN on Saturday 7/24/2010

by Tom Slovak - 2010-07-20 09:18

More in a separate post, but the BLM has indicated that the bridge is in and the entire Hide & Seek section will be open on Sunday.

Details to follow in a separate post.

Thanks,

-Tom

*edited to change open date from 7/25 to Saturday 7/24*

Sweet!  I was planning on

by Hunter - 2010-07-21 08:20

Sweet!  I was planning on checking in on the status since I planned on riding out there Saturday morning.  Now I'll definitely be out there.

I have an email into Zach

by Will Heiberg - 2010-07-20 14:18

I have an email into Zach from the BLM, checking to see about how we can drop off thank you gifts.

 On a side note, if you feel the need to gift more beer in the future, you can leave it on my porch :)

-Will

Here's the response from

by Will Heiberg - 2010-07-21 09:11

Here's the response from Zach:

Hi Will,

Thanks for the words of encouragement on the project. Things have been progressing well and it's nice to see the amount of support and use that the Sandy Ridge Trails are receiving, definitely points to the overwhelming need for more riding opportunities in the areas surrounding PDX.  The contractors that were stationed in the RV's on site were actually the crew that was installing the bridge over little joe creek. They have since finished and are off of the project.  We will continue to have several youth crews, BLM and IMBA staff  performing machine and hand crew work on the project.  Work is scheduled to continue until the weather turns poor this fall/early winter.

Probably a good idea to not drop off any "thank you's" to the workers out in the field for various reasons.  The best way to support the project would be to continue to participate in build days etc., and let the builders and youth crews know that they are doing a good job when riders cross paths on the trail. Probably going to be some of the IMBA/BLM staff attending the upcoming NWTA meeting on the 27th so we can talk in more detail about a potential trail celebration/grand opening day sometime this fall to celebrate the project.

The final stages are coming together and we are looking forward to fully opening the trail system this weekend.  The Santa Cruz demo team will be out there this Sunday, July 25th to provide a fully stocked fleet of bikes for the reopening. The next section of trail will also be open and it has some really fun features that lend to the overall trail experience out there. Looking forward to hearing the feedback from riders!

Thanks again for the support and let me know if you have any additional questions!


Zach Jarrett
Lead Outdoor Recreation Planner
Bureau of Land Management
Salem District