The trails in the hills immediately above Ashland, Oregon are immensely popular. On most weekends, you will see bikers, runners, walkers, people strolling with their dogs, photographers, nature enthusiasts, and the occasional equestrian. Locals love their trails and increasingly, others do too. Outside Magazine's August 2010 issue named Ashland the top city for trail running in the nation. Outside Magazine had previously named Ashland one of the top ten small towns in the U.S. saying: "you can bike or trail-run right from town". Ashland appears at or near the top of many mountain bike lists of trails to ride (example). Trail counters have documented the growing popularity of Ashland trails.

A dramatic increase in trail use and the rapid creation of new, illegal trails has accompanied that popularity. This has raised concerns about trail user conflict, erosion, fire danger, and habitat encroachment (see August 16 Tidings article).  This has been the motivation for developing a comprehensive trail plan for the area--an Ashland Woodlands Trails Master Plan. The first version of the plan is now available here (pdf 124MB)
    
The Ashland Woodland & Trails Association is the umbrella group spearheading this effort. A coalition of non-motorized user groups based in Southern Oregon, AWTA has worked under the guidance of the US Forest Service, Ashland Parks and Recreation and the Pacific Crest Trail Association to create and maintain a variety of trails used by hikers, runners, bikers, dog walkers, equestrians and other users.

The goal of this association is to develop and help implement a comprehensive trail plan within and near the Ashland woodlands. The area under consideration is, broadly speaking, the Ashland watershed, but also includes some adjacent areas outside the watershed. More specifically, the area includes from Ashland in the north to Mt Ashland in the south, from the East View Trail in the east to Wagner Butte to the west.

We welcome your participation and input. Please answer this quick survey. You can see what others have written in the comments section. Or, if you want to contribute financially, you can donate now.