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OUTDOOR NOTEBOOK Scenic bikeway status considered for Klamath-Crater Lake area Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News The rating subcommittee of the State Scenic Bikeway Committee will meet in Klamath Falls Sept. 23-24 to test-ride the proposed Volcanic Legacy Proposed Bikeway proposed to run from Klamath Falls to the Crater Lake rim. This so-called "rating trip" is one of the initial hurdles toward possible designation as a state scenic bikeway, which helps draw attention to the route and helps publicize it to road cyclists looking for ground-truthed routes to ride. The Volcanic Legacy proposed route covers a 46.3-mile stretch from the Pelican Guard Station near Klamath Falls to the Crater Lake rim, according to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, which runs the program. The route includes climbs of nearly 4,000 feet in elevation plus a 75-foot drop in elevation, according to the proposal. If it become a scenic bikeway, it won't be the highest climb in the crop, says Alex Phillips, bicycle recreation specialist for the state parks department. "The steepest climb is the Blue Mountain Century (bikeway), which has 8,000 feet of climbing," Phillips says. "So if you want some serious climbing, you have to go all the way to Heppner. "But it would be the only one involving a national park, since Crater Lake is Oregon's only national park," she says. The committee will first meet from 3 to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at the Discover Klamath Conference room in the South Portal Building, 205 Riverside Drive, in Klamath Falls, to answer questions and take comments on the proposed trail. The subcommittee will then field-rate the proposed bikeway route by peddling it themselves on Saturday Sept. 24. Proposed trails are graded based on a variety of factors, including scenic value, strength of the local proponent group and support of governing bodies for all road jurisdictions. The route is open to the public, and members of the public can ride along, according to Phillips. However, ride support will be provided for subcommittee members and state parks staff, so members of the public will have to arrange for their own return transportation and carry their own supplies. Also, no public comments will be taken during the ride, Phillips says. A map of the proposed bikeway can be found at http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7276033 . If adopted, the proposed bikeway would become the 15th designated bikeway in Oregon, a list that includes the 55-mile Cascade-Siskiyou Scenic Bikeway that starts and begins in Ashland while looking through the Dead Indian Plateau via Highway 66 and Dead Indian Memorial Highway. That route and a similar 60-mile loop around Port Orford were adopted in June by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission and the first ones in Southern Oregon since the program began 14 years ago. Bigfoot Trail talk set for Thursday in Ashland The unique floral aspects of the Bigfoot Trail through the Klamath Mountains will be highlighted during a presentation next week in Ashland by the trail's originator. Author and researcher Michael Kauffmann crafted the trail largely by mapping and connecting existing trails in Northern California and a sliver of Southern Oregon. Kauffmann, of Kneeland, Calif., will be featured presentation of the Siskiyou Chapter of the Native Plant Society at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Stevenson Union, Room 330, on the campus of Southern Oregon University in Ashland. The Bigfoot Trail travels 360 miles across the Klamath Mountains from the sub-alpine slopes of the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness Area to the temperate rainforest just outside of Crescent City, Calif. Kauffmann will offer a photographic journey along the trail and highlight both the common and rare plants along the way. That includes 32 species of conifers. Kauffmann also has written three books, "Conifer Country, "Conifers of the Pacific Slope" and the newly released "Field Guide to Manzanitas." The books will be available after his presentation. The meeting begins with refreshments at 6:45 p.m. For more information, email Kristi Mergenthaler at [email protected]. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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