One of the most popular mountain bike trails in the Pacific Northwest is getting a major upgrade.
The Coyote Wall Trail, also known as the Syncline Trail, runs along the top of a basalt cliff east of Bingen, Wash., in the Columbia River Gorge. For years, it’s been a tangled (really fun) rut through the wild grass.
On April 1, the US Forest Service will begin work on 2.6 miles of engineered single track from Atwood Road to the Old Ranch Road Trail. The agency expects to complete the project by July 4. Like the old one, the new trail will also be open to hikers.
Given the large population of mountain bikers, the gorge has precious few dedicated trails. Of the 194 miles of National Forest System trails in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, only 37 miles are open to bicycles, and only 19 miles are designed and managed for bicycle use, the Service says Forestry.
Funding for the project comes from the Great American Outdoor Act, signed by former President Donald Trump in August 2020, which provides $9.5 billion for delayed maintenance in national parks and other public lands.
Until now, second High Country Newsthat money went to repair Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park ($7 million), replace a water treatment plant in the Grand Canyon ($40.5 million), and rebuild roads, bridges and water plants in Yellowstone National Park ($317.7). millions).
Ptarmigan Trails, based in Port Orford, Ore., won the contract to build the track. He will use two trail-specific mini-excavators, and when necessary, hand tools, the Forest Service said.
To keep invasive plants out, all equipment will be washed before use. Rare plants will be transplanted before construction. No work will happen within 200 feet of the cliff edge if peregrine falcons nest there.
The Coyote Wall Trail is not for the faint of heart. Some sections flow within a few meters of the west-facing cliff. In 2005, a mountain biker named Jeffrey Allen Johnson, 49, went over the edge, fell 200 feet, and died. according to the Columbia Gorge News.
The trail should be the first of four new ones in the area. The Bitterroot Trail (2.3 miles) is planned for 2026. Tracy Hill (3 miles) is coming in 2027. The Burdoin Mountain Trail (1.9 miles) should be completed 2028.
