Ochoco National Forest
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Court Shoots Down OHV Trails in the Ochocos

Environmental groups call it a big win for elk and other habitat
Chris Miller

The fight over a proposed off-road vehicle route system in the Ochoco Mountains looks like it’s at an end, after U.S. District Court Judge Marco Hernandez ruled the U.S. Forest Service failed to satisfy its legal obligation to study wildlife impacts. Central Oregon LandWatch brought a legal challenge in federal court over the proposed 137-mile […]

Posted inOutside

Top 10 Gravel Rides in Central Oregon

Stellar fall weather is holding throughout the region. Check out these gravel rides, for as long as the season lasts
Linda English

There’s lots of buzz in the cycling community about gravel riding. With new bikes that are a mashup between mountain bikes and road bikes, this is a new type of cycling for a lot of riders, with routes that are both challenging and scenic. And with the forecast offering plenty of sunny days and highs […]

Posted inOutside

Crowds in the Backcountry

As national forest leaders consider quotas for local wilderness areas, some local wilderness advocates weigh in
Brian Jennings

Sarah Cuddy coordinates conservation efforts in the Ochoco National Forest for Oregon Wild. She’s worried about increased foot traffic in the woods. “With our population increase we’re seeing an increase in recreation. The sheer volume of people on the trails now is way more than we’ve experienced in the past.” Central Oregon’s population growth bears […]

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Rainbow Family Gathering on Santiam Pass

Chris Miller

In 1997, the Rainbow Family held its annual event in the Ochoco National Forest, and an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people attended. According to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, the event resulted in substantial impacts to the forest, forest roads, state highways and the nearby communities, in addition to the increased pressure on law enforcement, […]

Posted inOutside

Fight for the Ochocos

Objections arise as new trail system is proposed
Russ Axon

Northeast of the city of Prineville lies the Ochoco National Forest—a much-loved area more than 845,000 acres in size. Inside its borders are three Congressionally-designated wilderness areas, more than 375 species of wildlife and countless firs and pines. Then there's the current controversy about who can use the lands and when. Last month, the U.S. […]

Posted inNews

Crossroads in the Ochoco National Forest

The Ochoco Summit Trail proposal
Brian Jennings

Few things stir more controversy than proposing a new trail system for off-highway vehicle (OHV) travel in a national forest. The proposed 130-mile Summit Trail in the 850,000-acre Ochoco National Forest, an hour’s drive east of Bend, is one such proposal that has met mixed response. The arguments for and against the proposed trail for […]

Posted inOutside

Mountain Biking and Road Cycling Have a Baby!

Gravel biking now has an official race in Central Oregon
Allison Miles

The Ochoco National Forest, northeast of Prineville, is a diversely magical place, chock full of towering old growth trees, rough-cut canyons, and sprawling hard-scrabbled dirt and desert. Next weekend it will also host the Ochoco Gravel Roubaix, Central Oregon’s first gravel bicycle race. Its European namesake, the ultra classic Paris-Roubaix, is known for rough terrain, […]

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