Fires along the Western United States continue to rage on, affecting mountain biking in one way or another. In Hood River, Oregon, the county board of commissioners have closed county land, which effectively shuts down access to the Post Canyon trails for the time being.
“Hopefully, this closure will be short-lived,” said the Hood River Area Trail Stewards (HRATS) in a statement. The closure took place on September 11, and restricts use of Hood River County Forest, Forest Roads, and Forest Trails. Once conditions improve, HRATS says that the access should be reinstated quickly.
As of Friday afternoon, HRATS said the visibility was limited to about a quarter-mile from dense smoke. Air quality has reached a “hazardous” level of over 400 (AQI) the past few days and residents are being discouraged from outdoor activities that may have dangerous health consequences.
I’m glad I got out when I did a friend of mine and I rode the Alpine Trail In Oakridge using the shuttle on Labor Day with about 10 other riders had a great time but now Pretty much all national forest on the west side of the Cascade is closed until further notice. Air quality is so bad in this area but I haven’t even seen a single cyclist out since the fires start not even a road cyclist or commuter
Any word on the McKenzie River Trail? The unincorporated community of Blue River, which is in the area, had major damage.
Looks like Willamette Nat’l Forest (which Mckenzie is in) is currently closed too:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/cs/recarea?ss=110618&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE_003738&navid=110240000000000&pnavid=110000000000000&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&recid=4479&ttype=recarea