November 26, 2018

AWTA Presentation at the Ashland Outdoor Store
Ashland Woodlands and Trails: We’re the Fagawi?
Where we’ve come from, where we are and where we’re going: trails in the broader Ashland area. This talk featured novel ways of looking at trail use, maps, guides, some seasonal trail recommendations and looked to the future. Adult refreshments (Ninkasi!) and some nibbles were provided.

As Chief Trails Evangelist of AWTA, Torsten Heycke has figured out how to channel the trail enthusiasm of others into building and maintaining trails so he can hike, run, ride and cross-country ski them.

May 12, 2018
AWTA hosted trailside picnic lunch for a Red Queen Trail maintenance work day.

April 29, 2018
Completed the Wonder Trail on the west side of the Ashland Watershed!

August 12, 2017
The 40th Mt Ashland Hill Climb Run was so much fun! For results see https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=43024.

August 15, 2015
38th edition of the Mt Ashland Hill Climb Run. 13.3 mile event began in Lithia Park with climbs on dirt roads and trails to finish on the Mt. Ashland summit. Fund raiser for AWTA. hillclimbvollie@gmail.com

June 20, 2015
Worked on a little used section of the PCT near the California/Oregon border. Prepared the trail for both the through hikers of summer plus the SOB race in late July.

February 28, 2015
Trail work on the BTI trail, cutting in a re-route, and decommissioning an unsustainable part of the bike trail.

Built a NEW trail! January 31, 2015
An extension to the popular Bandersnatch trail crossing Alice and descending gently down to the intersection of the Ashland Loop Rd and the Fire Ecology Trail.

December 6, 2014
Finished remaining work on the BTI trail.

November 15, 2014
Trail work day on BTI, near Bandersnatch.

April 19, 2014
Mt Ashland Access, Big Bend – General trail maintenance on the south facing slope between I-5 and the Mt Ashland Inn.

The 2013 Radical Reels Tour as a fundraiser in our area. Supporting our partners.
Saturday Night, March 2nd 7:30pm @ Music Recital Hall SOU Campus.
Sunday Night, March 3rd 6:30pm @ North Medford High School.

November 10, 2013
Ashland Mountain Adventures trail maintenance project.

November 2, 2013
Ashland Mountain Adventures trail maintenance project,

October 12, 2013
Pacific Crest Trail maintenance project.

Sunday September 15, 2013
32nd Annual Mt. Ashland Hill Climb Bike Race ~ 24 mile road bike race & 18 mile mountain bike race.

Saturday August 10, 2013
36th Annual Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run ~ 13.3 mile event.

Saturday July 27, 2013
15th Annual Siskiyou Out Back Trail Run ~ 50 mile, 50 & 15 km event begins & ends at the Mt Ashland Ski Area and meanders along the Pacific Crest Trail. Fund raiser for AWTA.

Saturday, April 27, 2013
Watershed trail project – Tread work day on Alice in Wonderland.

Saturday, March 23, 2013
Watershed trail project – Tread work day on Bandersnatch.

Sunday March 10, 2013
AWTA parnter Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association hosted a trail work day on BTI.

Saturday, November 10, 2012
Watershed trail project – Tread work day on Bandersnatch.

Saturday, October 20, 2012
Watershed trail project – Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association (RVMBA) hosted a trail work day. rvmba.org

Sunday September 16, 2012
31st Annual Mt. Ashland Hill Climb Bike Race ~ 24 mile road bike race.

August 11, 2012, Sat – Sun
PCTA and AWTA at Grouse Gap. Rogue River-Siskiyou NF. The PCTA and Ashland Woodland Trails Association at Grouse Gap for some PCT drainage work.

Saturday August 4, 2012
35th Annual Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run ~ 13.3 mile event.

Saturday July 14, 2012
14th Annual Siskiyou Out Back Trail Run ~ 50 & 15 km event begins & ends at the Mt Ashland Ski Area and meanders along the Pacific Crest Trail. Fund raiser for AWTA.

July 7, 2012
Pacific Crest Trail – Siskiyou Out Back course trail work project.

June 30 through July 1, 2012
Pacific Crest Trail Skill College – put on by the PCTA.

Registration: Merrit Hoeh ator call 916-285-1838.

June 30, 2012
Pacific Crest Trail maintenance project.

June 9, 2012
Pacific Crest Trail maintenance project.

Saturday, May 12, 2012
Watershed trail project – Final tread work day on Bandersnatch.

Thursday, April 19, 2012 – 5:30 p.m.
Watershed trail project – Tread work on Bandersnatch.

Saturday, April 7, 2012 – 1:00 p.m.
Watershed trail project – continued building Bandersnatch.

Thursday, April 5, 2012 – 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
ODOT Flagger Certification class in Ashland. Special events like the Mt Ashland Hill Climb Run & Bike races in the City of Ashland will require certified ODOT flagggers.

Saturday, March 31, 2012 – 8:00 a.m. to noon
ODOT Flagger Certification class in Central Point. Special events like the Mt Ashland Hill Climb Run & Bike races in the City of Ashland will require certified ODOT flagggers.

Saturday March 10, 2012
Watershed trail project – built new a new trail to parallel BTI.

Friday February 10, 2012
Southern Oregon Brewing and AWTA hosted the screening of Unbreakable: The Western States 100. Meese Auditorium at SOU.

Saturday October 15th 2011
PCT trail maintenance project.

Saturday September 24 2011
PCT trail maintenance project.

Sunday September 18 2011
Mt. Ashland Hill Climb Bike Race – Fund raiser for AWTA

Saturday August 13, 2011
PCT trail maintenance project.

Saturday August 6th, 2011
34th Annual Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run ~ 13.3 mile event begins in Lithia Park and climbs on dirt roads and trails to finish on the Mt. Ashland summit. Fund raiser for AWTA.

Saturday July 2nd 2011
PCT trail maintenance project – SOB course.

Saturday June 11, 2011
Watershed trail project.

Friday May 6th 2011
Ribbon cutting celebrating opening of reroute section of the Pacific Crest Trail in the Green Springs.

Saturday April 23 2011 (Earth Day)
Watershed Trail Maintenance: Horn Gap and No Candies.

February 2nd & 22nd 2011 7:00, Ashland Library Large Meeting Room
Public Hearing on Ashland Watershed Master Recreational Trails Plan to solicite public input and comments.

Saturday January 29th 2011
Greenway Trail Project – we cut in a new trail by the greenway which is part of an Eagle scout project for a young lad named Andrew Blocker.

November 6 and November 14, 2010
Ashland Watershed Trail Workdays was hosted by Ashland Mountain Adventures (AMA) with tools provided by USFS.

June 12, June 19, July 3, August 14 and Sept 25 2010
AWTA worked with the Pacific Crest Trail Association on PCT trail maintenance and reroute projects including a project to rebuild a section of “turnpike” raised trail in an area prone to water drainage issues.

May 10, 2010
AWTA volunteers put in a trail maintenance workday on the lower section of the Ashland – Wagner Gap trail. The trail held up very well through the Winter and required little work.

January 8, 2010
Volunteers worked with Ashland Parks and Rec staff to install on White Rabbit 2 view benches donated by AWTA. These benches offer an opportunity to relax and take in views to the East and West.

June 13, July 5, August 15, and Sept 26 2009
Trail projects with the PCTA on sections of the PCT maintained by AWTA and a project to reroute the PCT near Green Springs Mountain. Two of these dates were workdays with Americore volunteers and Sept 26th was in conjunction with SOU Civic Engagement Day.

April 18 2009
A clean-up volunteer project with local bike groups to remove and take to the dump trash that had been thrown off and left on the side of Tolman Creek Road.

March 7 2009
AWTA worked with Ashland Parks and Rec on the Looking Glass loop off of White Rabbit Trail to improving trail tread and repair rutting on steep sections. A mixture was applied in an attempt to harden and stabilize the trail surface in this section which receives a lot of usage.

January 31, 2009
AWTA worked with Ashland Parks and Rec to build a connector trail from Terrace Street near the TID siphon into the Cottle Open Space. This trail allows easier access for those on lower Terrace to the TID trail system and an alternative trail route to the Loop Road.

Nov 15 and Dec 9, 2008
A trail rebuilding project with Ashland Parks and Rec on the trail to Ostrich Peak in the section where it leaves Hitt Road. The project included brush clearing, water drainage structures and tread work.

Sept 27 2008, June 13 and Sept 26 2009
AWTA volunteers worked with the Pacific Crest Trail Association on a reroute of the PCT in the Green Springs Mountain area offering a more scenic route and with the original trail on nice loop for local hikers. The June 13th date was with the Americore trail crew and on Sept 26th we had a large number of volunteers as part of SOU’s Civic Engagement Day.

October 11 2008
A trail project involving AWTA and downhill mountain bikers to rebuild sections of the Upper Time Warp trail. This event was important in beginning a relation ship between hiking/running trail users and the biking community to work on projects together.

Sept 6 and Oct 25 2008
One of many workdays devoted to re-opening an historic trail from the Ashland Watershed to Wagner Gap. This trail originally connected the old Ashland ranger station and the Wagner Lookout and had not been maintained for close to 50 years. The project involved using old USFS map coordinates and GPS to locate the original trail, clearing hundreds of downed trees and re-establishing the trail tread.

Summer of 2008
Again we spent the summer on the Pacific Crest Trail, working on various sections of the 30 miles we have adopted. The highlights of the work were introducing people to various sections of the PCT (in particular some of the wildflowers) and receiving thanks from many of the through hikers (Mexico to Canada) that stopped and talked to us about their journey.

April 25 2008
Maintenance project with Ashland Parks and Recreation on the lower section of Alice in Wonderland where it connects with BTI. This trail section of trail receives heavy use and had become quite rutted.

January 26th and February 23 2008
AWTA worked with the Ashland Parks and Recreation to construct the Hearts Nature Trail on property given to the city by the Burnson family. This trail provides an alternative way to reach the T.I.D. ditch from Granite Street and a short loop with Granite Street stairs to the ditch. We had over 15 people at each event, including some very helpful students from SOU. Read more about this trail in our Fall-Winter newsletter.

Summer of 2007
Five different days along the Pacific Crest Trail allowed us to maintain and improve over 30 miles of this wonderful and nearby pathway. During that time we visited with a number of through hikers that were thankful for our efforts. Help from members of the Pacific Crest Trail Association as well as students from Southern Oregon University made for a very successful summer. We had six people earn their very own PCTA hat by participating in at least three of the five events during the summer. A special thanks to those individuals!

Saturday, April 28th, 2007
We completed the top section reroute of the BTI today by creating large water bars made from cedar logs, then covering the old trail with a jute mesh. The final touch was to seed the mesh with grass seed and cover the old trail with large logs and branches. The group that finished the work can take pride in knowing this day culminated work spanning over three months and countless hours.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

more images from this project

We began the reroute of a particularly dastardly section of the BTI trail, right where it meets Alice-in-Wonderland trail. Approximately 15 hard working trail users turned out to help. Special thanks to the Southern Oregon Mountain Bike Association for their efforts. By the time we left, the rough out was mostly complete. Further work on the tread and switchbacks were still needed.

Saturday, January 27, 2007
We completed the trail from Glenview to the Loop Road. This trail, which we’ve designated as Rich’s Trail, provides a nice alternative to the heavily trafficked Glenview. Board member Rich Vanderwyst spent a considerable amount of time to research and design this trail. Special thanks to Ashland Parks and Recreation Department and Jeff McFarland.

November 18th, 2006
We again worked on Hitt Road, improving the drainage, clearing culverts and smoothing out the surface. We also spent time improving the drainage of the culvert section worked on the prior month. This section had not been maintained for many years and the erosion was starting to be severe. We covered some cuts in the middle of the road that were 18 inches deep.

October 21, 2006
AWTA members put in a new culvert, replacing one that had been washed out many years ago. This means that bikers no longer have to dismount to carry their bikes over the ditch and walkers/runner no longer have to watch out that they don’t slip and fall. We could not have done this work without the efforts of Parks Department employee Jeff McFarland. Thanks Jeff!

September 1, 2006 NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY:
National Public Lands Day. Some of our members participated in this BLM sponsored event. Optional Friday night camping was followed by a hearty breakfast. We adjourned to the Pacific Crest Trail for some maintenance near the Highway 66 crossing. We were able to significantly improve the tread along this section. Sack lunch was provided as was dinner.

August 5th, 2006 MOUNT ASHLAND HILL CLIMB FUND RAISER:
We held the Mount Ashland Hillclimb, our fundraising event for the year. Turnout was fantastic, with over 120 participants. The day was lovely, and whether a hiker or runner, a good time was had by all. A special thanks to our sponsors, especially the primary one, Standing Stone Brewery.

July 22, 2006 PCT MAINTENANCE:
We had a good turnout for a work project on the Pacific Crest Trail up near Pilot Rock. AWTA has adopted this section of the PCT and was readying it for the through hikers. We met a few coming through that day and all were appreciative of our efforts.

June 10th, 2006 HALD/STRAWBWERRY PARK:
Scotch Broom had no chance of survival during this event. On a near perfect day, approximately 15 people helped rid Hald/Strawberry Park of this invasive species. At last report, little poison oak was experienced by the fearless workers.

June 3rd, 2006 NATIONAL TRAILS DAY:
We celebrated National Trails Day by beginning the construction on a new trail above Lithia Park. This section of trail, when completed, will provide a great bypass, allowing quicker access to Ashland Loop Road from Glenview. We had some new faces that helped with this construction, and a total of around ten people were out.

March 18th, 2006 PCT/SODA MOUNTAIN MAINTENANCE:
We began our year of maintenance on our 18 mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail on the Soda Mountain side. Working along side an experienced crew from Americor, we created a much improved tread for a couple of mile section. We also cleared some of the overgrown vegetation. We had close to 15 people helping.

Feb 11, 2006 LOWER BTI BYPASS TRAIL:
Over 20 hardy volunteers worked to create a bypass trail on lower BTI. We dug in drainage and placed drain pipe, laid down gravel, and finished with a nice top dressing of decomposed granite. This well-engineered bypass trail gets a lot of use and should stand up well over time. To check out our work, take the first right turn after the Lithia Park reservoir as you head uphill on Glenview Drive. Go through the locked gate and follow the trail on the right. Thanks to all for participating in this well done project!

Nov 12, 2005 CLAY CREEK LOOP:
It was time to work on a trail closer to town. AWTA volunteers worked on improving the Clay Creek Loop near the White Rabbit trailhead. Numerous water bars were placed and chips and gravel were laid to improve the trail tread. Another fun day had by all.

Oct 22, 2005 PACIFIC COAST TRAIL EVENT:
Our next event on the PCT saw us repairing the trail east from Soda Mountain Rd just past Hobart Bluff. We had more than a dozen fun-loving and hardy volunteers working on overgrowth that was removed from the trail and we repaired the trail tread.

Aug 27, 2005 PACIFIC COAST TRAIL EVENT:
AWTA has now taken on a portion of the PCT to maintain it on an ongoing basis. About 20 volunteers worked our inaugural PCT trail project and made fantastic headway in cleaning up and maintaining the trail for future hikers. We cleared overgrowth, fallen trees, and reworked tread on the PCT east of Pilot Rock. What a day.

May 21, 2005 ASHLAND QUARRY TRAIL:
It was time to clean up and maintain the beautiful Quarry trail that connects Lithia Park with the TID trail. More than a dozen AWTA volunteers completed the maintenance project on the Quarry trail above the upper duck pond above Lithia Park. Stairs were resealed and trail regraded and chipped.

Mar 12, 2005 COTTLE PROPERTY:
A large group of volunteers and AWTA members came out to help with the Cottle Property Project, which was a connector trail to the TID ditch trail below Terrace street. The team planted nearly 200 trees and native plants to help restore this generous gift of open space from the Cottle family to the city of Ashland. Come check out the trail and have a walk on the TID.

Jan 29, 2005 BIRDSONG TRAIL PROJECT:
A group of ambitious and hardy trail enthusiasts helped us to put the finishing touches on the construction of the Birdsong trail between Hitt Rd. and Birdsong Lane. Rock work and trail cuts were completed and chips laid down to finish the trail. It looks beautiful, come have a look.

Applegate Lake:
In partnership with the Southern Oregon Mountain Bike Association we worked together on the Applegate Lake trail to extend the Ashland trail system beyond the Southern Rogue Valley.

Lithia Park:
We worked on the BTI trail above Lithia Park, which needed quite a bit of work including some rerouting near the top. For those who helped on the trail event, they had the chance to get know this natural beauty of a trail. It is one of the steeper trails we’ll work on, but is relatively short in its length.

Ashland Watershed:
In partnership with the Southern Oregon Mountain Bike Association, we helped to work on a variety of trails in the watershed, to help improve connectivity and keep trails in the area stable.

Caterpillar Trail: Again, in partnership with SOMBA, we completed work on the Caterpillar trail, improving connections and rebuilding water bars.

Oredson-Todd: We built a new trail to relieve traffic from a property owner’s driveway. Our work contours the canyon leading into the beautiful Oredson-Todd park. An all weather trail, this is one of the most unique outdoor areas of Ashland and allows the neighborhood to better utilize the park.

White Rabbit Trail: We continued the work begun at Oredson-Todd by helping to maintain the White Rabbit Trail. Oredson-Todd can be accessed by either our new trail off of Lupine Drive or via Park Street. The White Rabbit Trail is heavily used by walkers, bikers and equestrians. We widened and smoothed the trail plus readied it for the winter. The White Rabbit Trail eventually ties into the Ashland Loop Road and is part of the Crest to Creek Trail Route.

Liberty Street Trail: One of our best turn-outs to an event, we made quick work of creating a trail that will allow a complete neighborhood access to the TID Ditch Trail. The property owner cooperated with the Parks Department to allow access where none existed and we followed their work by our own activity. The result is a beautiful half mile trail for the entire neighborhood’s enjoyment.

Granite Street Trail: A bit of maintenance and a bit of building, we cleaned up, widened and created further access from Granite Street to the TID Ditch Trail. Ashland has seen some trail closures, the TID Ditch Trail being the highest profile, and as a result this trail became more important. Again, our activity provided better use and further access for the neighborhood to utilize Ashland’s green space.

North Mountain Park: A small event held over a Thursday through Saturday, we worked with the Parks Department to create and develop trails and access points into North Mountain Park. This event helped directly supplement the work of Ashland’s Parks Department and allowed for a speeding up of the completion date.

Laurel Street: Our smallest trail building, we created a block long trail connecting two streets leading down to an elementary school. Following the informal trail outline, we created steps, hauled gravel and secured the hillside to make this path all weather.

Lithia Park: With two work parties under our belt, we have spent a considerable amount of time maintaining and widening the secondary trails in Lithia Park, Ashland’s largest. Clearing some of the downed trees, creating water bars, cutting back vegetation, and working to create the ideal slope are all parts of the job here. With Lithia Park so big our job is never done. Future work parties will continue our effort for the benefit of all Lithia Park walkers.

Hald-Strawberry Park: At the crest of Strawberry Lane sits Ashland’s newest Park. Designed primarily for walkers/hikers it provides beautiful views of the valley below. Our help was in creating new trails on this site, primarily to provide access to both neighborhoods above and below it, but also to particular vistas where the view can be enjoyed.