Closing 50 thousand acres of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, the Eagle Creek fire shutdown access to 120+ miles of the most highly sought after natural wonders of Oregon. Scenic area staff with the USDA Forest Service are an amazing bunch of folks – fighting the fire to protect communities of the Gorge and historic sites like Multnomah Falls Lodge, then turning immediately to their partners to usher in a response to recover nearly 90+ miles of trails over the last two years. TKO jumped into the trails recovery effort, defining a critical moment in our history where we will look back and realize this changed everything for our organization.
Multnomah Falls and the trails that loop from Horsetail to Wahkeena continue to be a focus for TKO and the Forest Service trail crews. Reinforcing rock walls, building retaining structures and responding quickly to new damages. Rocks and trees will continue to tumble and we will be there to respond. Oneonta is where we turn to next. The Oneonta Gorge may be a distant venture to tackle, but upper Oneonta and the connection to Triple Falls from Horsetail is an opportunity we see coming in 2020 and beyond.
Averaging over twice per week since the beginning of 2018, TKO has had volunteers recovering trails in the Gorge. The freeze and thaw of each winter brings new rocks and burned trees to shift and fall.We will need to be tending to trails within the Multnomah Falls system for many decades to come. Join us, support us today.
In July of 2019, a FS trail crew with a TKO intern hiked to Triple Falls via Horsetail. It was gnarly and damages were significant. There is a bridge that needs to be replaced, meanwhile a substantial rock slide requires a reroute. The bridge replacement and reroute are all under review by the FS. TKO will be starting in from the top near Franklin Ridge, hoping to host multi-day events because of the 6+ miles to hike into the work site.
Every spring, Trailkeepers of Oregon Trail Ambassadors head out onto some of Oregon’s most well-loved trails to welcome visitors and share important information about the trail, hiking safety, Leave No Trace, local flora and fauna, and more. We’ve added more locations to our repertoire for this season and we need your help to meet the growing demand on our trails!
Happy Holidays Trailkeepers,
The TKO Legacy Builders end-of-year campaign is coming to a close on December 31st. We are so proud that this campaign is fueled by a grassroots donor base that builds a kick start of support for a new year. Our approach continues to be that everyone in their own way is a Trailkeeper – giving time, giving passion, or giving dollars. Each of these contributions amount to more protection and enhancement of Oregon’s hiking trails.
From Latourell Falls to Mosier Plateau, TKO volunteers put in 6,171 hours (257 days!) in the Columbia River Gorge throughout 2023 ensuring your favorite trails remain ready to welcome you on your adventures. Read on for fun insight on the wide variety of trails and projects that you, our community, helped us to pursue!
Trailkeepers of Oregon
P.O. Box 14814
Portland, OR 97293
(971) 206-4351