grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

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Chip Down
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grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

Post by Chip Down » August 1st, 2019, 8:08 pm

Excerpt:
Another segment of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail will open on Saturday, Aug. 3, giving the public new access to the paved pedestrian and cycling trail that will eventually run the length of the gorge.

The new segment runs three miles connecting Wyeth State Park to Lindsey Creek, where it meets a smaller trail segment that opened in 2016. The paved pathway then continues 1.2 miles farther west past Starvation Creek to Viento State Park.

While the last trail segment completed gave new views of waterfalls, this one is highlighted by a 500-foot viaduct that rises up above Interstate 84, giving what promise to be great new views of the Columbia Gorge.

It also features safe passage around an unstable rocky hill known as Shellrock Mountain, a particularly tricky task for engineers.
Source, and further reading: https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2019/ ... gorge.html

I consider this to be a ridiculous frivolous squandering of resources, but more importantly I'm wondering if they destroyed anything of importance along the way. I know an ODOT document promised to leave the 19th C wagon road untouched, so that's good. That was my primary concern.

I'm itching to go check it out, but this will go on my bad-weather list. I certainly won't waste a lovely summer day walking parallel to an interstate highway.

pablo
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Re: grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

Post by pablo » August 4th, 2019, 8:49 pm

I consider this to be a ridiculous frivolous squandering of resources
We will agree to disagree on this point. I think it will be popular and over the years prove to be a good investment. The Mitchell Pt segment is all that remains.

I was out there today doing the Shellrock Ridge Lindsey Ridge loop and this new section of the HCRH came in handy.

A piece of the old retaining wall that ran alongside the HCRH:

ImageRetainingWallHCRH by pauljess999, on Flickr

The 1860s wagon road section I saw is well above the new construction so I suspect all the remnants survived intact. How to actually get there is a problem to solve as there is industrial strength rock fall protection that runs pretty much the length of the Shellrock section (you can see the fencing clearly in the photo above). I was late and did not have time to poke around - I also did not check for access to the trail that switchbacks its way up the north face. Towards Lindsey Creek there is an access road for the powerlines. so you can get there, just a bit of work involved. Also the powerline trail is now accessible and that would work too.

Image1860WagonRd by pauljess999, on Flickr
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retired jerry
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Re: grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

Post by retired jerry » August 13th, 2019, 6:00 am

does it also protect the freeway from rock slides?

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Bosterson
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Re: grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

Post by Bosterson » August 16th, 2019, 8:49 pm

pablo wrote:
August 4th, 2019, 8:49 pm
I think it will be popular and over the years prove to be a good investment.
Do they have plans to add additional parking, or designate parking areas, for all the additional people this will presumably bring? Case in point: on my way driving out to the Wallowas this past Sunday, I stopped at Starvation to use the bathroom. Starvation seems to be a bit more crowded, even earlier in the morning, than I recall in years past, and I certainly am not generally in the habit of arriving at noon, but this time not only were all the available parking spaces taken (even the "spaces" on the side of the highway onramp), but there was an additional row of cars parked straight down the middle of the parking lot! I had to double park against the middle row in order to quickly run in just to use the bathroom for a minute.

If lots of additional walkers and bikers are going to be showing up to use the new path, it seems like the additional tourist traffic (meaning people who want pavement, not trails) will quickly overload all the parking areas, to the detriment of the hiking community, and another step closer to turning the entire Gorge into an unbearable Multnomah/Wahkeena type area...?
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Re: grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

Post by adamschneider » August 16th, 2019, 11:48 pm

Bosterson wrote:
August 16th, 2019, 8:49 pm
there was an additional row of cars parked straight down the middle of the parking lot!
That unmarked middle row was there last time I was at Starvation Creek, on a weekend in May. Interesting that it keeps reappearing.

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Charley
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Re: grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

Post by Charley » August 17th, 2019, 11:11 am

Bosterson wrote:
August 16th, 2019, 8:49 pm
Do they have plans to add additional parking, or designate parking areas, for all the additional people this will presumably bring?
...
If lots of additional walkers and bikers are going to be showing up to use the new path, it seems like the additional tourist traffic (meaning people who want pavement, not trails) will quickly overload all the parking areas, to the detriment of the hiking community, and another step closer to turning the entire Gorge into an unbearable Multnomah/Wahkeena type area...?
I'm all for new trails (or rehabbed highways that behave as such). In the long run, building more trails makes for more places to spread out new Portlanders (like myself, my brother, and his family). If we didn't build those new trails, we'd be cramming more people into existing trails. Trailheads, too.

It's either that or build a wall to keep out immigrants like me!
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

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Re: grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

Post by Bosterson » August 17th, 2019, 11:52 am

Charley wrote:
August 17th, 2019, 11:11 am
I'm all for new trails (or rehabbed highways that behave as such). In the long run, building more trails makes for more places to spread out new Portlanders (like myself, my brother, and his family). If we didn't build those new trails, we'd be cramming more people into existing trails. Trailheads, too.
If this wasn't clear, I have no issue with the HCRH rehab itself; my question is, in the absence of a public transportation option, and in a culture where everyone owns a car and drives, where are all these additional cars going to go? Note that the ODOT solution to the absolute clusterfuck that is the Multnomah/Wahkeena parking is to institute parking meters and time limits, as if you were downtown. I don't think anyone wants to have to pay $15 to park for a day to go hiking, on every day you hike? There is no conceivable outcome where the addition of non-hiking crowds doesn't overload the already limited parking in the Gorge. And this is a function of the existing Portland population, without any consideration to the presumable influx of new people moving here, which I wasn't even making reference to. But before you knee-jerk (wall-jerk?), my question is actually practical - I don't know much about the HCRH project, so does anyone know where they plan to put the cars? Or is this one of those things that was "outside the scope" of the project and they'll worry about later?
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retired jerry
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Re: grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

Post by retired jerry » August 17th, 2019, 11:58 am

they can go to central oregon wilderness areas instead

no, wait, those are being restricted too

maybe stay at home and use your electronic device?

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Charley
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Re: grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

Post by Charley » August 21st, 2019, 10:18 am

Bosterson wrote:
August 17th, 2019, 11:52 am
If this wasn't clear, I have no issue with the HCRH rehab itself; my question is, in the absence of a public transportation option, and in a culture where everyone owns a car and drives, where are all these additional cars going to go? Note that the ODOT solution to the absolute clusterfuck that is the Multnomah/Wahkeena parking is to institute parking meters and time limits, as if you were downtown. I don't think anyone wants to have to pay $15 to park for a day to go hiking, on every day you hike? There is no conceivable outcome where the addition of non-hiking crowds doesn't overload the already limited parking in the Gorge. And this is a function of the existing Portland population, without any consideration to the presumable influx of new people moving here, which I wasn't even making reference to. But before you knee-jerk (wall-jerk?), my question is actually practical - I don't know much about the HCRH project, so does anyone know where they plan to put the cars? Or is this one of those things that was "outside the scope" of the project and they'll worry about later?
I'm sorry I knee jerked at you. You asked a really good question.

I think a public transportation option is the answer. I used the buses at Zion this year and found it quite enjoyable. It takes a little time, compared to driving in and parking at your desired trailhead, but I think it's a more efficient use of space for a popular, restricted growth area. Some kind of big parking lot in Troutdale, and cheap two way fares? Maybe start on weekends?
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

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Re: grand opening: Shellrock portion of HCRH

Post by MarkW » August 29th, 2019, 8:16 am

There is a beginning of a public transportation solution for the gorge, with the Columbia Gorge Express ( https://columbiagorgeexpress.com/ ), which goes from Gateway MAX station to Rooster Rock, Multnomah Falls, Cascade Locks, and Hood River. The major difficulty with making this available to many trailheads is that the historic highway is too narrow for the big buses. They wouldn't be able to use it unless they made the existing old highway one-way. Since people live on the highway, that is probably not going to happen.

I imagine a smaller van going along the old highway, and you could transfer from it to the bus at Multnomah falls.

All of this, including the existing bus, requires a subsidy from ODOT. It is an expensive service to provide.

I have done the Multnomah - Wahkeena loop, and even did an overnight backpack trip up there before the fire, using the bus. Expanding this service would be fantastic.

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