Trail Building and XC Racing in Eastern Oregon
I ventured away from Portland’s rainy climate a few weekends ago to attend a mountain bike race in Echo, Oregon. I had never been there before, let alone ridden there. I’ve known about the trails for years, but since XC riding days have long been in my rearview mirror, I never felt compelled to drive three hours just to pedal. But that all changed for me.
As a photographer, I watched the Echo Red to Red XC mountain bike race. Since I spend most weekends with trail builders in the lush forests around Portland, I was looking forward to a change of scenery. A three-hour drive east of Portland, and suddenly you’re transported into a different world and, more importantly, a different climate. No more endless stands of Douglas firs. Instead, they’ve been replaced by expansive grasslands with very few trees.
The race started in the heart of Echo, a town of 600-700 people. Pretty much the whole town shuts down for this yearly race. I chatted with several locals who loved to share how much they enjoy the race and all it does for the community. Once the race began, riders headed out of town on a gravel road and into the heart of the trail system, just a few miles away. Once the racers cleared out, I jumped in my van and drove to the trail system (called the Echo West Vineyard). After I parked, I hopped on my bike and pedaled into the heart of the trail system to capture photos of the race action.
While out on the trail, I couldn’t help but notice my surroundings. I have to keep reminding myself that most of Oregon is not like the lush forests I’m accustomed to. Much of it is high desert and receives very little rainfall. What does trail building look like here and in other similar climates?
Being so accustomed to endless ribbons of loam, I wondered who maintains the trails here and what they are made of? And so I asked Brian Cimmiyotti, who owns and runs Scott’s Cycle and Sports and is also the race director for Echo Red to Red. I asked him who maintains the trail there. He replied,
The Echo trails were built by myself and handful of very dedicated local riders. The origins from which are now nearly 20 years ago. Throughout the years, many local riders have helped maintain and develop the trail system to where it is today. We are loosely associated with Blue Mountain Single Track Club and are now forming a group called Shrub Steppe Trail Alliance. By putting on Echo Red to Red, my bike shop does a lot of work to prepare for the event, and the Spike family, who puts on the Echo Sage Trail Run in the fall. These two intervals of preparation for events have kept a pretty good rhythm for trail maintenance and preservation over the years.
Again, what intrigued me were not only the trails but even what they are made out of. How do the soil type and climate factor in building and maintaining trails that differs considerably from the Portland area? Brian shared a few trail building pointers for the Eastern Oregon/Washington Shrub Steppe region,
Mountain biking in certain parts of Eastern Oregon, considered a desert climate, particularly the shrub steppe environment, has unique and fragile qualities that I hope we have preserved with our trail system.
1. Putting the trail in the most healthy spot but at the same time minimizing the impact. Desert ground is extremely fragile, where even a tire track in the wrong direction will be visible for at least a season or more.
2. Once a trail is set, bringing in material and building it up rather than digging is almost always the best option for our climate and terrain.
Brian goes on to add,
Luckily we have a basalt stockpile and gravel pit next door. We have placed a huge amount of 3 inch minus basalt (maybe up to 60 tons?) throughout our 21-mile trail system over the last two decades. It is almost unnoticeable because most of it sinks into the soil, but it does hold together our trails for the most part and has proven successful.
One of the topics we’re exploring in our upcoming first issue of the magazine is what it’s like building trails in different climates and soil conditions. It would be too tempting to start a trail building magazine and only focus on “loamy PNW” trails from coastal Oregon to coastal BC. But having lived in the Sonoran Desert for years before moving to the PNW, I know that trail building techniques vary significantly from place to place. Some regions have to account for up to 100 inches of rain a year, whereas annual rainfall might be 2-4 inches in other areas.
As we build this magazine from the ground up, we’ll keep writing articles and reviews to supplement our print (and digital) magazines. We are creating a platform to inspire, inform, and connect around the common goal of building, maintaining, and advocating for more trails.
Words: Sean Benesh Photos: Sean Benesh
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sean Benesh
Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag. He is also the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. While in grad school, he worked as a mountain biking guide in Southern Arizona. Sean also spends time in the classroom as a digital media instructor at Warner Pacific University, where he also leads and coaches the WPU Cycling Club.
