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Umatilla National Forest |
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Recreational Opportunities - Trails
Pass InformationA Northwest Forest Pass is required if you are parking at any of the eight participating Umatilla National Forest trailheads. **NOTE: The Umatilla National Forest will have eight trailheads participating in the Northwest Forest Pass Program in 2009. Those trailheads include: Elk Flats, Meadow Creek, Panjab, Teepee, Three Forks, Timothy, Tucannon, Twin Buttes.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFICULTY LEVELS?The trail difficulty level represents the degree of challenge that a trail presents to an average user's physical ability and skill. Difficulty levels are based on the trail condition and location factor such as: trail alignment, steepness of grade, clearing width, tread conditions, gain or loss of elevation, availability of drinking water, type of natural barriers that must be crossed, exposure to cliffs and steep slopes, length of trip, and other appropriate criteria. The three levels used on the Umatilla National Forest are:
DIFFICULTY LEVELS AS A COMMUNICATION TOOLDifficulty level serves as a communication tool to indicate what the trail user can expect, and to provide the manager with direction on how the trail should be maintained. Often, the Most Difficult levels are found in more primitive settings, but higher difficulty is not unique to these settings. Snow, ice, rain, and other weather conditions may increase the levels of difficulty. Volume of use will usually vary by difficulty level, with the higher volume normally occurring on the Easiest level trails and lower volume on the Most Difficult trails. Although trail managers have guidelines that help them determine trail difficulty (grade, length of trip, clearing and tread width, etc.), variable conditions and site-specific situations require the rating to be more subjective. DIFFERENT RATINGS ON THE SAME TRAILA trail will often be rated differently for different kinds of use. For example, a trail may be rated as Easiest for hiker, but Most Difficult for pack and saddle stock use because of the narrow clearing-width. Trail difficulty levels can even be different for the same type of use, depending on the specific activities. For example, a trail may pose different challenges for a day-use horseback ride, than for a horseback rider leading a string of pack stock with camping equipment. A trail, which has a 36-inch wide, smooth, gravel surface, might usually be classed as an Easiest difficulty level, but if it is located on the side of a steep, rocky cliff where one wrong step means a 500-foot fall. It would be rated a More Difficult or Most Difficult. Trail difficulty ratings are based on the conditions of the local are so similar trails in a different area might be rated differently. SHARED USESIn most cases, trails classified for one type of use does not mean that other types of uses are not accepted. Most trails designated for a specific use are also available for use by others. TREAD LIGHTLY IN NATIONAL FORESTSNational Forests are a popular place to take off-road vehicles and four-wheel drives. Driving rugged terrain is a challenge. Another challenge that OHV enthusiasts face is a responsibility to “tread lightly” and protect the environment that they use. There are a few simple rules recreationists need to be aware of and some guidelines that will help make their trip more safe and enjoyable. To ride in the National Forest, your vehicle is required to be trail legal. The following equipment is required: a State Parks OHV tag, a working muffler, brakes and Forest Service approved spark arrestors. Headlights and taillights are required before and after sunset. Three and four wheelers are not allowed on dirtbike trails because they are too wide and cause damage to vegetation along the edges. Many Forest Service offices have a variety of maps that will show roads, trails, topography and closures. Become familiar with the area you are riding in and the regulations that govern it. If an area is closed to vehicles, it is with reason, so travel only where vehicles are permitted. The Forest Service offers some advice to recreationists on how to tread lightly with OHV’s:
Please. . . Tread Lightly when using public land. HORSE SENSEBackcountry trails in the Blue Mountains are busier that ever before. Crowding, litter and pollution are becoming part of our outdoor experience. We face a choice as horseback travelers: do nothing and see the quality of our outdoor experience decline, or reduce our impact on the land and see its beauty and solitude preserved. We can reduce our impact and have a quality experience by keeping groups small, traveling the less-used trails, improving our camp etiquette, using lightweight and compact equipment, and adopting a pack-it-in- pack-it-out philosophy. Outfitters and backcountry horsemen have developed some ingenious techniques and equipment to reduce their impact and save their time:
Your backcountry visit will make little change in the environment when you are considerate of the land and other travels. Your respect and courtesy will help ensure that the land remains unspoiled. Weed Free Feed Required!As part of a larger effort to reduce invasive species on national forest lands, weed-free feed is now required for those using National Forests in the Pacific Northwest. (See Weed-Free-Feed Website) Weed free feed providers: Oregon /Washington
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USDA Forest Service - Umatilla National Forest |