Bulletin E-Edition:
Paved trail may link Sunriver, Lava Lands
New path would be 5-mile jaunt for bikers, pedestrians
By Kate Ramsayer / The Bulletin
Published: October 08. 2009 4:00AM PST
more photos
advertisement:
A new paved path for bicycles and pedestrians could link Sunriver with the Lava Lands Visitor Center, under a plan proposed by the U.S. Forest Service.
The idea stemmed from an ongoing effort to connect Bend and Sunriver with a paved route, said Shane Jeffries, ranger with the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District.
“As part of that, we wanted to make sure we were able to connect that route to the Lava Lands Visitor Center and Lava River Caves,” he said, so eventually, people would be able to bike not only from Bend to Sunriver, but to some of the volcanic attractions as well.
The agency decided to move forward on the Lava Lands paved section, which would make the visitor center about a five-mile ride or walk from Sunriver, to coordinate it with the Oregon Department of Transportation's U.S. Highway 97 project, Jeffries said.
ODOT's effort will include widened frontage roads to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians between the visitor center and Lava River Cave, he said, and the Forest Service wanted to be able to tie into that.
The Forest Service's section of the path would lead west from the Lava Lands Visitor Center, roughly paralleling Benham Falls Road on an existing Forest Service road, until it crossed the railroad tracks.
Other sections of the path west of the tracks would be created either by widening existing roads to give bikers and pedestrians space, or paving Forest Service roads.
The new, handicapped-accessible paved path would end up tying into the Sunriver bike paths. “We're looking at the use of existing trails and roads, most of which are no longer opened to motorized travel,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries said that although he doesn't have a good estimate of the project's cost yet, both the Forest Service and ODOT are looking into funding sources for the project.
Different groups have been working for many years to build paths connecting communities in Central Oregon, said Sally Russell, coordinator for the Deschutes County Committee on Recreation Assets. And the current proposal would help fill in that network, she said.
“It allows people to move between our communities in a safe way and in a scenic way,” Russell said.
The paved path could become a draw for lots of people, from families on vacation to professional cyclists, she said, especially as Bend and Central Oregon become recognized in the cycling community. “It's really clear that people are drawn to recreate, to play and to live here because of the recreation assets,” Russell said.
Her committee has been working with the Forest Service, ODOT and others on other bike and pedestrian links as well, she said, including connectors between Bend and Sisters and between Redmond and Smith Rock, as well as a scenic route to connect other Central Oregon cities.
“You'll have this incredible puzzle that's finished,” she said, referring to the different stretches. “As I look at this Forest Service project, it fits into that well. Here's one more just really vital piece to completing this puzzle.”
Scott Silver, of the Bend-based conservation group Wild Wilderness, said he's in favor of having a trail but is concerned about where people who start from the Lava Lands Visitor Center will park, and if they would have to pay to park in the existing fee lot.
Many people who come to the visitor center are from Sunriver, said Larry Berrin, with the nonprofit Discover Your Northwest, which partners with the Forest Service to operate the visitor center, and many visitors would like to enjoy the area's scenery without car windows in the way.
“I'm all for it,” Berrin said. “Anything that reduces the amount of vehicle traffic and allows people other options is great. Highway 97 is not a good highway to bike.”
Kate Ramsayer can be reached at 541-617-7811 or kramsayer@bendbulletin.com.
ARTICLE ACCESS: This article is among those available to all readers. Many more articles are available only to E-Edition members. Sign up today!
blog comments powered by Disqus
