Umatilla National Forest

Recreational Opportunities - Trails

Pass Information

Northwest Forest Pass

A Northwest Forest Pass is required if you are parking at any of the eight participating Umatilla National Forest trailheads. **NOTE: The Umatilla National Forest will have eight trailheads participating in the Northwest Forest Pass Program in 2009. Those trailheads include: Elk Flats, Meadow Creek, Panjab, Teepee, Three Forks, Timothy, Tucannon, Twin Buttes.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFICULTY LEVELS?

The trail difficulty level represents the degree of challenge that a trail presents to an average user's physical ability and skill. Difficulty levels are based on the trail condition and location factor such as: trail alignment, steepness of grade, clearing width, tread conditions, gain or loss of elevation, availability of drinking water, type of natural barriers that must be crossed, exposure to cliffs and steep slopes, length of trip, and other appropriate criteria.

The three levels used on the Umatilla National Forest are:

• Easiest -- A trail requiring only limited skill or travel
• More Difficult -- A trail requiring some skill and challenge to travel
• Most Difficult -- A trail requiring a high degree of skill and challenge to travel.

DIFFICULTY LEVELS AS A COMMUNICATION TOOL

Difficulty level serves as a communication tool to indicate what the trail user can expect, and to provide the manager with direction on how the trail should be maintained. Often, the Most Difficult levels are found in more primitive settings, but higher difficulty is not unique to these settings. Snow, ice, rain, and other weather conditions may increase the levels of difficulty.

Volume of use will usually vary by difficulty level, with the higher volume normally occurring on the Easiest level trails and lower volume on the Most Difficult trails.

Although trail managers have guidelines that help them determine trail difficulty (grade, length of trip, clearing and tread width, etc.), variable conditions and site-specific situations require the rating to be more subjective.

DIFFERENT RATINGS ON THE SAME TRAIL

A trail will often be rated differently for different kinds of use. For example, a trail may be rated as Easiest for hiker, but Most Difficult for pack and saddle stock use because of the narrow clearing-width.

Trail difficulty levels can even be different for the same type of use, depending on the specific activities. For example, a trail may pose different challenges for a day-use horseback ride, than for a horseback rider leading a string of pack stock with camping equipment. A trail, which has a 36-inch wide, smooth, gravel surface, might usually be classed as an Easiest difficulty level, but if it is located on the side of a steep, rocky cliff where one wrong step means a 500-foot fall. It would be rated a More Difficult or Most Difficult.

Trail difficulty ratings are based on the conditions of the local are so similar trails in a different area might be rated differently.

SHARED USES

In most cases, trails classified for one type of use does not mean that other types of uses are not accepted. Most trails designated for a specific use are also available for use by others.

TREAD LIGHTLY IN NATIONAL FORESTS

National Forests are a popular place to take off-road vehicles and four-wheel drives. Driving rugged terrain is a challenge. Another challenge that OHV enthusiasts face is a responsibility to “tread lightly” and protect the environment that they use. There are a few simple rules recreationists need to be aware of and some guidelines that will help make their trip more safe and enjoyable.

To ride in the National Forest, your vehicle is required to be trail legal. The following equipment is required: a State Parks OHV tag, a working muffler, brakes and Forest Service approved spark arrestors. Headlights and taillights are required before and after sunset. Three and four wheelers are not allowed on dirtbike trails because they are too wide and cause damage to vegetation along the edges.

Many Forest Service offices have a variety of maps that will show roads, trails, topography and closures. Become familiar with the area you are riding in and the regulations that govern it. If an area is closed to vehicles, it is with reason, so travel only where vehicles are permitted.

The Forest Service offers some advice to recreationists on how to tread lightly with OHV’s:

• Respect the rights of hikers, campers and other recreationists who also use the National Forest.
• Know the operating limitations of your vehicle and keep it in good repair.
• Carry emergency equipment as well as food and warm clothing.
• Wear proper safety clothes.
• Stay off of soft, wet roads and trails that can be easily torn up by vehicles.
• Don’t drive into wilderness areas; they are closed to all mechanized vehicles.
• Respect landowner’s rights; get permission to travel across private land.

Please. . . Tread Lightly when using public land.

HORSE SENSE

Backcountry trails in the Blue Mountains are busier that ever before. Crowding, litter and pollution are becoming part of our outdoor experience. We face a choice as horseback travelers: do nothing and see the quality of our outdoor experience decline, or reduce our impact on the land and see its beauty and solitude preserved. We can reduce our impact and have a quality experience by keeping groups small, traveling the less-used trails, improving our camp etiquette, using lightweight and compact equipment, and adopting a pack-it-in- pack-it-out philosophy.

Outfitters and backcountry horsemen have developed some ingenious techniques and equipment to reduce their impact and save their time:

• For short trips, adequate gear and food can be carried in a cantle pack. Pommel pockets can be added to carry equipment on the front of the saddle. Large panniers that fit over a riding saddle are convenient for those who don't mind walking in, but like a saddle for side trips from camp.
• Use hemp or cotton for picket and lead ropes because plastic rope can severely burn hide or skin and damage tree bark. A picket pin that can be moved easily is desirable.
• Make sure your animals are correctly shod and packed. They will stand quieter and cause less wear and tear on the trail than uncomfortable stock.
• Once on the trail, keep stock in single file to prevent developing multiple trails. Take extra care on open ridges and mountain meadows. Restrain horses from skirting shallow puddles, and when on switchbacks, keep on the trail. Shortcutting saves a few steps, but kills plant cover and brings on soil erosion.
• At rest stops, tie stock well off the trail. If it's a scenic overlook, historic site, or other popular stop, remove stock from the area.
• Use nylon "tree-saver straps" with quick-adjusting buckles for a hitch line. Stock can be quickly tied, kept in order and easily watched.
• When possible, remove trail obstacles to make travel easier for yourself and others. An ax, lightweight bow saw or crosscut saw can be used to remove most blowdown.
• Always tie stock some distance from camp. Use a hitch line with tree-saver straps to tie stock to a tree. Later, a pole can be tied between two trees to form a hitch rail.
• A temporary corral is a good idea for parties camping at one spot. Make your corral from poles or rope, or construct an electric fence.
• Hobble your horses to reduce damage to tree roots, and use bug repellent and fringed eye guards to ease torment from flies and mosquitoes.
• Water stock at rocky spots where little bank damage will occur. Avoid soft, marshy lake edges.
• Set salt blocks in a notched log or other container. This prevents rain form leaching salt onto the soil, destroying vegetation and attracting wildlife that paw up the ground. Pack out unused salt.
• When it's time to break camp, dismantle hitch rails, remove ropes from trees, fill in the fire pit with the original dirt and sod and scatter unused firewood. Also scatter manure to discourage flies and as a courtesy to others.

Your backcountry visit will make little change in the environment when you are considerate of the land and other travels. Your respect and courtesy will help ensure that the land remains unspoiled.

Weed Free Feed Required!

As part of a larger effort to reduce invasive species on national forest lands, weed-free feed is now required for those using National Forests in the Pacific Northwest. (See Weed-Free-Feed Website) Weed free feed providers: Oregon /Washington

USDA Forest Service - Umatilla National Forest
Last Modified:  Thursday, 07-May-2009 11:16:17 EDT