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June 28, 6-8pm
General Membership Meeting
1969 NE 42nd Ave - Portland
July 23-24
Falls Creek Campout & Work Party
Last year, we started a re-route of a gravel road section of the Falls Creek trail to create a better user experience on this awesome trail. The re-route
section is almost complete. We need one last push to complete this section.
This work will require trail building machines to get through the duff, and down to the dirt, but we'll also need a lot of hand work to finish the trails to the USFS standards.
More information can be found here.
Please save the following 2016 NWTA event dates! Check our events and Facebook pages for more details; we'll post information as we get closer to each event.
- Aug 19, 20, 21 -- St. Helens International Festival Of Trails (SHIFT)
- Sept 17th -- Sandy Ridge Shuttle
- Oct 1st -- Take A Kid MTB Day
Please note, the Coldwater Lake event has been cancelled.
Cost is $482 for IMBA and REI members ($535 for non-members)
Additional information available here.
MtBike League season is over. Stay tuned for the start-up next fall.
Please visit our sister club, 44 Trails Association, for information on their events. 44 Trails Association's area includes such favorites as Surveyor's Ridge and Dog River, etc.
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WEBSITE ADMIN
We are currently looking for a website admin team (1-2 people) to manage the day-to-day postings and updates on our website and social media sites. A separate team is creating a new website and will need volunteers to run it when it's finished.
Interested in helping?
Dan Powell
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETER NEEDED
Are you a social media maven? Great at story telling, and creating excitement? If so, NWTA can use your help in marketing and promoting our events. NWTA has many talented leaders who are organizing events and trail projects, and we need help letting our membership (and the rest of the world) know what we're doing.
NWTA BIKE PATROL
NWTA Bike Patrol consists of dedicated volunteers partnering with land mangers, landowners and emergency personnel to assist, educate and inform all trail users in order to enhance their recreational experience.
Trail Patrol is open to ALL ages and skill levels of adult riders.
You are perfect fit for the Bike Patrol if you like to:
- Ride your bike
- Help other people
- Be involved in the management of your local trails
- Learn about outdoor first aid, trailside bike repair, off-road riding and trail-use education.
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President's Message
by Kelsey Cardwell
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Behind every major mountain bike trail project exists a surprisingly small number of volunteers taking initiative. On your next ride this summer-be that in the Gifford-Pinchot, up on Mt. Hood, over in Tillamook State Forest, or any of the other areas where NWTA volunteers help expand riding opportunities-think about the volunteer hours contributed to advocate for, plan, fund and build each mile of your ride.
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Wayne Naillon
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We lost a quintessential trail leader
last month.
This summer, most of us will probably benefit from the time
Wayne Naillon dedicated to the
trails in the Tillamook State Forest. Wayne was someone who showed up, and put in the time, even when no one was watching.
Here's a sampling of how Wayne contributed to this region's mountain bike and trail community:
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- Wayne was the mountain bike representative to the Tillamook Recreation Advisory Committee
- For around nine years, he was a recreational community advocate on the State Forest Advisory Committee
- He helped set the stage for the Sickter Lars trail by advocating that mountain bike areas be put on the Tillamook State Forest planning maps.
- He contributed significantly in protecting the Raven Ridge Trail in public meetings.
- Wayne was a Tillamook State Forest Volunteer Patroller.
- He spent countless hours maintaining trails, and adopted portions of trail in the Tillamook Forest. His volunteer hours contributed significantly to the Wilson River Trail, Triple C Trail and Step Creek Trail.
- Wayne volunteered for a number of SOLVE cleanup work parties in the Tillamook State Forest.
- He testified in front of the State Oregon Board of Forestry on behalf of recreational interests on state forest lands.
- He helped initiate the Tour de Tillamook event to help introduce families to the Tillamook State Forest and mountain biking
- He advocated for trails in Forest Park and Powell Butte and volunteered for numerous trail work parties in Forest Park and elsewhere
Wayne: You will be missed. Thank you for your years of service. Rest in peace.
A website has been created for Wayne where you can read more about his life, post memorial tributes, and find out how to contribute to the Wayne Naillon Trail Fund. Follow this link. *A special thanks to Ryan Kilgren for helping us put together a list of Wayne's contributions.
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Advocacy Alert: Please Complete Metro's Survey Regarding the Chehalem Ridge Nature Park Master Plan -- ASAP!
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Metro is in the planning stages for Chehalem Ridge, a new Nature Park in Washington County. Detailed information on Chehalem Ridge can be found here. Chehalem Ridge is a large property (approx. 1200 acres) and has ample space for off-road cycling trails.
Metro has received very little input from the mountain bike community thus far.
Please take a few minutes to complete the Metro survey for Chehalem Ridge Nature park. All questions are optional, so, if you prefer, you can simply respond to the mountain bike specific questions. Click here for the survey.
Do it, now!
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Despite the blistering heat, more than 100 volunteers joined the
Northwest Trail Alliance at Stub Stewart State Park on June 3-5
for the annual Stub Fest trail work day and campout.
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Together, the volunteers put in 1,145 hours of work on improvements and maintenance at the Stub Stewart trails,
even though 28 percent said they had never ridden there.
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NWTA also raised $960 towards the trail design of the South
Stub Expansion, a plan for 8 additional miles of trail on
State Park property.
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The NWTA would like to extend a HUGE thank you
to all who came out and participated. Thank you to Oregon State Parks, REI and Fat Tire Farm for their support, and thank you to all the other sponsors that made the event a success.
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Read more about the event at the We want your feedback! If you attended Stub Fest, we'd love to hear your thoughts about the event. Take our quick survey here. |
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New Trail Signs At Stub Stewart
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 Bob Feiler, volunteer camp host and NWTA bike patroller at Stub, has been hard at work recently replacing all the temporary trail signs in the mountain biking area with the new --legit-- trail guide signs. The signs were purchased with Recreation Trail Program (RTP) Federal grant funding, which NWTA secured in 2014. The bridges, and some major trail enhancements are also funded by NWTA through the same RTP grant. |
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Sandy Ridge Trail
Maintenance Day: May 21st, 2016
by Tom Slovak
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Volunteers braved the all-day rain on May 21st to work on a couple of important projects at Sandy Ridge. Getting some much needed attention was lower Hide & Seek, which had become quite overgrown in spots and was brushed back to provide for greater lines of sight down the trail, as well as drainage work on upper sections of trail on 338. The large project for the day was working with Jason and Tyson from IMBA on Rock Drop, revitalizing/reshaping the jumps and berms that make that section of trail so much fun. |
Afterwards volunteers regrouped in the parking lot to enjoy some refreshments and participate in the raffle of donated items from our sponsors. Thanks to all our sponsors, volunteers, the BLM and IMBA for helping continue to make Sandy Ridge a great place to ride!
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Get Into Bikepacking -
No Suffering Required
by Adam Newman
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 At this point it's unlikely you haven't heard of bikepacking. From magazines to websites, message boards to Instagram, the lightweight and off-road journeys have inspired everyone.
But while many of the folks you read about are putting in huge miles and minuscule amounts of sleep, trying it out for yourself doesn't mean you have to suffer.
At the May NWTA member's meeting Andy Jansky and Jocelyn Gaudi walked us through some tips for taking your first bike camping overnight: Don't start from scratch -- One great way to get started is to ride and camp on a route you know already. Without having to worry about navigation, you can spend more time focusing on riding with extra gear, setting up camp, etc. If you do want to try something new, go for an established route like those you find on oregonbikepacking.com. Keep it simple and focus on attainable goals. Don't shoot for the starts on your first trip. You probably have enough gear already -- To start with a single night, you don't need a lot of specialty gear. Prioritize your packing based on how much of a focus you want to put on the "bike" portion of your trip versus the "camping" portion of your trip. Don't be afraid to do a shorter ride with more "luxury" items. A mountain bike is a great platform for exploring singletrack or the endless gravel roads in Oregon. A backpack might not be the most comfortable way to travel, but it works in a pinch. Do a practice ride around the neighborhood with all your gear before you head out into the wild. |
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But you do need some essentials --
Water is the most important thing to consider, and be prepared to filter water you find along the way if there aren't resupply opportunities along the way. If you don't have a water filter, boil water before you drink it. Any kind of food will work, but don't experiment with new foods-stick to stuff you know, and bring plenty! Don't risk heading out without some first aid either, and make sure someone knows where you are and when you expect to return. Make sure you have a paper map with you too-don't rely solely on GPS!
Make memories, but leave nothing behind -- Practicing Leave No Trace ethics is the most responsible way to enjoy the outdoors. Know how to dig a cat hole when nature calls. Know when and where it's appropriate to start a fire. And most of all, pack out whatever you pack in.
Bikepacking is a ton of fun when you don't overthink it. For more bikepacking resources, visit:
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Thank You To Our Sponsors
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The Northwest Trail Alliance would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support. Without their help, it would be impossible for NWTA to accomplish our mission of creating and protecting mountain biking opportunities.
NWTA is still accepting sponsorships at all levels for 2016. If you are interested, or know a business that is, please
PLATINUM LEVEL SPONSORS
GOLD LEVEL SPONSORS
SILVER LEVEL SPONSORS
BRONZE LEVEL SPONSORS
  
 
 
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