Banks-Vernonia Trail

Last month, your board allocated more than $12,000 to various causes and organizations around the area. Among them were a couple that are dear to my heart – the Community Cycling Center and Friends of Stub Stewart State Park. I mention the CCC because I volunteered there for about 20 years. But my real emphasis this last year was on the Banks-Vernonia Trail. You may recall that I scheduled several rides on it last summer: “Lunch in Vernonia” a couple of times and “Dinner in Vernonia” twice. I live just outside Portland’s western boundary, so getting to Banks is a nice, easy, open-country and pretty flat ride. But once I’m there, well, why not hop over the hill to Vernonia for lunch? So, the BVT is a favorite of mine, as it is with lots of club members, other riders, walkers, and even horseback riders.  ✎

As anyone who has traveled the 21.02 (but who’s counting?) miles of the trail knows, a lot of the trail is in disrepair. There are lots of potholes, and the edges of the trail are crumbling in spots. Between miles 4 and 5 from Banks, the trail crosses a big meadow that is also a flood plain, and the trail in that area is badly degraded.

Some of the bridges really need some help as well. I am thinking especially of the second bridge you come to on the north half of the trail, as well as the second one from the Banks Trailhead. The club’s donation of $5,000, according to Aaron Raines, the Stub Stewart Park manager, should be enough to repair those two bridges.

They can’t really begin to work on the bridges while the weather is so cold and wet, but in late February or early March, when things begin to warm up a bit, Mark Barnes and I are planning a club ride up to the Stub Stewart visitor center to present the check. I’d like to see this ride rival the STP for numbers!

Also, Marsha Kirk, president of Friends of Stub Stewart Park, and a representative from the Park will be the guest speakers at our March 3 club member meeting to give an outline of what our donations will cover, what current repair and maintenance plans are in the works, and possibilities for labor parties to patch potholes. They have most of the material for pothole repair, but they need crews to help. If you would like to participate in this worthwhile endeavor, please email me at [email protected].

Dave McQuery, Member at Large