[OHPV-list] BIG improvements on the Banks-Vernonia State Trail!

[Kirke Johnson]

Here is a report I put on BikeJournal this last week:

Stub Stewart State Park metric century: part 1<br> <br>This is
Oregon's first new state park in several decades: today's goal was to
see how it might fit in for bicycle touring as a destination or a stop
en route. The park has only been open for a few weeks.<br> <br>I took
the route through North Plains and Mountaindale, then followed Hwy 26
and the Wilson River highway to Banks. A quick stop there to fill my
water bottle at the City campground, then up the Banks-Vernonia State
Trail (I think they have renamed it). There is new pavement at the
edge of the highway where you drop to cross the railroad when first
getting on the trail.<br> <br>Nothing else looked different until I
got to the trestle at Buxton. There was a work crew on the trestle
working to fix it up for use! This will be very good news, eliminating
the sharp drop to cross under the trestle, which has been
impassible.<br> <a
href="http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c37/kirkej/2007StubStewartJul009.jpg"
target="blank"><img width=400
src="http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c37/kirkej/2007StubStewartJul009.jpg"></a>
 <br>More changes beyond the Buxton access road - the trail has been
freshly paved from there clear up to the Vernonia highway!  No more
gravel, though there are a lot of wood chips scattered along the north
edge where there is a continuous path of chips for horses. Doesn't
seem to keep the horse droppings off the pavement, however.....
;-{<br> <a href="http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c37/kirkej/2007StubStewartJul013.jpg"
target="blank"><img width=400
src="http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c37/kirkej/2007StubStewartJul013.jpg"></a>
 <br>The Park is located on a steep hill, and everything is built on a
slope. The wind gets a pretty good bite at the upper facilities.
Things look pretty raw at this point. Lots of little details are still
getting finished up, and the entire east loop of the campground is
still under construction. Most everything is out in the open without
shade trees, which will take a few years to get started.<br> <br>The
paved roads and the buildings are handsome, but there are plenty of
lesser roads and paths that can be improved. The bike camping was a
particular disappointment. There is a "walk-in" tent section in the
west loop, but it is priced at $18 a night and you still have to get
water with old fashioned hand pumps. Right across the road are full RV
hookups with running water, but they saw fit not to run it across to
the tent sites. At least the tent sites include access to the
showers.<br> <a
href="http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c37/kirkej/2007StubStewartJul035.jpg"
target="blank"><img width=400
src="http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c37/kirkej/2007StubStewartJul035.jpg"></a>
 <br>

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Kirke Johnson kirkej at gmail.com
http://www.bikejournal.com/profiles.asp?rname=kirkej
'06 Prius Super White #7  & '03 Super White