There's some great news for local users of the Mt. Hood National Forest roads and trails. Funding has been approved for many projects to fix roads and trails that have been heavily damaged from the 2006 flooding and storms over the past couple of years. A total of $961,840 in emergency funding is headed our way according to Forest spokesperson Rick Acosta. Contracts will be awarded in September.

Some of the projects most important to our side of the mountain include:

Road repair to the popular Romona Falls and campgrounds near Ramona Falls.

A horse and hiking bridge on the Pacific Crest Trail.

The bike and horse trails using a stringer bridge at the Dog River crossing and fill will be brought into the historic Barlow Trail that has washed away sections.

The most expensive repair will be a suspension bridge at the Eliot Crossing on the Timberline Trail.

Around 4.5 million people visit the Mt. Hood National Forest each year so it will be great to have our resources back in use in the not too distant future for visitors to enjoy!