Written by Ted Dodd, Edited by Kelsea De Filippis
Here’s a highlight of the work out at L.L. Stub Stewart plus a little history from LST Ted Dodd.
Trail crews made headway on Lower Greenhorn to try and mitigate serious drainage issues along with removing a pesky stump pre-Christmas. The trail still needs work to complete it and some dry days for things to settle. Despite the ‘Trail Closed’ signs, some riders created some bad tracks through the muddy spots. Please stay off!
Rock Hauling started on Shoe Fly in early December, along with some drainage fixes (see before and after photos below). Along with Shoe Fly, progress was made on the new kiosk/tool locker at the top of the freeride area by hauling in the material needed to finish the project. The crew also transported the old kiosk to the end of Caddwhomper where it will be installed.
Thank you to all of the Trail Ninjas who have been working on the trails at Stub Stewart! Read more about becoming a Trail Ninja at the Bottom of this article.
Did you know? – L.L. Stub Stewart State Park opened in 2007. Named for Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s (OPRD) number one supporter, Loran L. “Stub” Stewart, who served nearly 40 years on the State Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission. Hares Canyon Horse Camp is named for Joseph Coulson Hare, a long-time Washington County resident who served as a mayor of Hillsboro and operated a successful lumber business. Acreage of the park is: 1672
Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA) has been volunteering at ‘Stub’ since the park opened. The NWTA Advocacy Team (back in 2004-2007) was instrumental in having mountain biking trails be included in the park’s overall master plan. From the parks inception, NWTA volunteers have been building every foot of trail, every trail feature, and all the bridges in the mtb area. While the trails are still considered a work-in-process, ‘Stub’ has become a mountain biking destination.
Edit:
The MTB trails at Stub Stewart did not magically appear or happen overnight. Trail building is a marathon, not a sprint. And it’s due to the persistence of a few determined mountain bikers that we’ve got such wonderful trails so close to Portland.
Although planning for Stub began in the 1990’s, the park didn’t open until July 2007, and then only with access for equestrians, hikers, disc golfers, and campers. However, early in the planning phase of the park, NWTA (then the Portland United Mountain Pedalers a.k.a. PUMP) took the initiative and suggested to the planners that some dedicated mountain biking opportunities would be a good thing to integrate into a state park trail system. Steve Kruger (currently of Trailkeepers of Oregon) was a trail manager ranger at the time and he reached out to volunteers to help develop recommendations for a “mountain biking only” area.
NWTA, together with subchapter the Westside Trail Federation, collaborated (and continue to collaborate) with State Parks to scout for MTB trail locations. Hundreds of folks have helped dig at volunteer work parties to make the Stub Stewart MTB trails a reality. Those trails finally opened in 2012, with a 5-mile cross country trail and one freeride trail. Over the last seven years, NWTA and Westside Trail Federation have added more than 10 miles to the mountain bike trail system and we there’s still more to come!
Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.
Trail Ninjas
In response to COVID, we created an additional way you can volunteer. As a Trail Ninja, you have an opportunity to do solo trail projects which can be done by yourself or as a small project team (i.e. you and your buddies). These projects could be done when it is convenient for you and during ideal weather conditions. This approach to trail work minimizes contact with others while still accomplishing needed trail work.
Want to become a Trail Ninja? Sign Up Here
