Save Vista Ridge!

In the remote hills above Parkdale, a hidden gem of a road awaits your skinny little tires and your spandex-clad backside. Known as Red Hill, Vista Ridge, or FS 16, this remote single-lane blacktop gives you the chance to ride through the woods, far from traffic, with stunning views of Mt. Hood. This road hosted the now-defunct Mt. Hood Cycling Classic stage race. Vista Ridge hosts the Tour de Hood supported ride. FS 16 allows you to link the stellar Lost Lake ride to more climbing for 52 miles and 5200 feet of low-traffic, forested awesomeness. And if you’re into big, hard rides, you can tack on Cooper Spur for the crushing Three Summits. There’s nothing like Vista Ridge.

And sadly, it’s endangered.

Due to budget cuts, the US Forest Service (USFS) plans to remove 3.5 miles of pavement from this unique road. Once the pavement is gone, it’s not coming back. If we want to save this ride, we need your help. We need you to write letters. We need you to send them to the regional office of the USFS and to the Parkdale office.

And we need you to use your own words. Form letters, we’ve been told by the USFS won’t help in this process. Your unique views of why Vista Ridge (and other local USFS roads) should remain paved are the only chance we have to Save Vista Ridge.

If you want to Save Vista Ridge, the BEST thing to do is to e-mail (waiting for an answer on the best way from USFS, so submit ANY way at this point), and we would encourage you to do that. Please also send a copy to savevistaridge@gmail.com, as we may use your comments when working with federal representatives.

Here are the relevant questions you need to include:

1) We are interested in hearing from you about how you use Forest Roads. What do you like to do when you visit the Mt. Hood NF? What roads are a priority for you or are most important for accessing your favorite area or activity?

Use your own words to create a compelling story.

2) Are there particular road segments that provide unique opportunities?

We’d encourage you to mention Vista Ridge as your number one priority, as it’s the USFS’s number one priority for downgrading. We also encourage you to mention Lost Lake, Whatum Lake, and Lolo Pass roads. Please mention these roads MUST stay paved for you to use them for your preferred activity. Do not forget to mention why these roads are UNIQUE!

3) Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Here’s your chance to be creative. Did road biking save your life? Is Vista Ridge the only place you’ve ever seen a bear while biking? Were you part of a bike-vehicle interaction that scared you, and Vista Ridge is the only place you can escape the PTSD? Do you shed tears when you think of us losing this ride? Did you do your first bike race there? You get the picture. Go wild. Share your passion. Make the USFS understand just how much this ride means to you. Go do it now, before you forget. It’ll take less than 15 minutes.

–From the Save Vista Ridge

DO NOT USE THE ONLINE FORM SUBMISSION.  IT DOES NOT WORK.

Please e-mail your answers to mthoodtap@fs.fed.us and Todd Reinwald at treinwald@fs.fed.us

Please let the Mt. Hood National Forest Service hear thoughts on  this issue! We must save Vista Ridge from being decommissioned, and also ask that all Forest Service Roads connecting communities, such as the six mile stretch of FS Road 1810 off of Lolo Pass connecting the villages of Mt. Hood to Hood River be repaired and maintained.

You can also snail mail your answers to:

Public Affairs Office/TAP, Mt. Hood NF

16400 Champion Way

Sandy, OR 97055