We need your help to make Mt. Hood the 5th largest National Recreation Area in the nation.

For many Oregonians, Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge offer some of the best our state has to offer: incredible views, epic trails, diverse recreation opportunities and so much more. Like many recreation hot spots across the state, these areas have seen a huge increase in visitors in recent years. The pandemic magnified these issues as more people than ever searched for recreational experiences and socially distant opportunities to see friends and family on our public lands. Now though, Mount Hood and the surrounding National Forest lands need our support.

As mountain biking continues to grow in popularity, we know that the existing trail networks around Oregon’s treasured mountain need to be expanded and enhanced. Meanwhile, competing interests continue to support closing trails to sustainable recreation like mountain biking while climate change and wildfires threaten to degrade the recreation opportunities, clean water, and wildlife habitat of this beloved region. The management plan for the Mt Hood National Forest is over 30 years old now and it fails to adequately address sustainable recreation, climate change, and wildfire needs.

Thankfully, Oregon Mountain Biking Coalition has been working with Congressman Blumenauer and Senator Wyden over the past few years, along with other recreation organizations, local communities, tribes, conservation organizations, to craft a thoughtful, balanced proposal that attempts to address all these issues.

What this bill would do:

Expand the existing Mt. Hood National Recreation Area by over 350,000 acres, encompassing Mt. Hood and its surrounding recreational lands. This would require the Forest Service to manage these lands with recreation as a priority and allow access to additional funding for trail building/maintenance.
Mandate the planning and building of new, high-quality, sustainable non-motorized trails that meet current and future recreational needs
Prioritize access opportunities for traditionally underserved communities and users of all abilities and backgrounds
Create and fund the Mt. Hood Volunteer Trail Stewardship Center for Excellence to facilitate increased volunteer stewardship participation and collaboration
Provide for the development of a socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable trail network within Mt Hood and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Address climate change and wildfire risks to homes and communities and the forest.
Provides greater access and opportunities for communities of color and others who have often been left out of public lands recreation

If proposed as legislation and enacted into law, these changes would provide an opportunity to address sustainable recreation needs, conservation, and climate change. Will you join us in letting Rep Blumenauer and Sen Wyden know what you think about their proposal?

Suggested comments:

I am a mountain biker and support the expansion of the Mount Hood National Recreation Area.
Please move this legislation forward as soon as possible. Recreation needs are far outpacing the current system and mountain bikers are eager to work with the Forest Service to improve and enhance access across the Mt. Hood National Forest.
Please ensure that the National Recreation Area management direction is focused on delivering an array of high-quality recreation experience for users of all types and abilities. Removing non-motorized trail access or inhibiting the USFS from maintaining trails does not equate to enhancing recreation opportunities.
Mountain bike trail access within the Mount Hood National Recreation Area needs to be greatly expanded and improved.
Thank you for including public transportation solutions and consulting tribal communities in your vision for the future of Mount Hood. Everyone should belong in and have access to public lands.

Submit your comments

Still curious? Read the OMBC’s full detailed comments here.