How many trails are still closed from ice storm damage in Eugene and Springfield?

The historic ice storm in January left much of the Eugene and Springfield area full of downed trees and debris.

Hiking and biking trails suffered and crews were left with months of work to make some of the area’s most popular spots safe for use again.

Heading into the warmer months, hiking trails have reopened while some are still being repaired and mountain bike trails continue to face closures for damages.

Eugene: Trails open but hazards remain

In Eugene, many parks and trails faced damages with months of cleanup required. After reducing and removing the worst hazards, all trails are now open. Despite being open, some trails will undergo necessary repairs.

On the Ridgeline Trail, a network of 12 miles of trail across the city, there are about two dozen trail repairs to complete, said Eugene Natural Area Operations Supervisor Jesse Cary-Hobbs.

Repairs include damages to the trail tread and large trees left across the trails caused by torn out root balls. The repair work will take place throughout the summer and the crews hope to be done by October.

Trail closures should not be necessary and visitors can expect open trails where trail hazards have been reduced making trails passable.

“We are usually able to avoid hard closures and can work with users at the repair site to safely get them through the repair area,” Cary-Hobbs said.

Some hiking trails remain closed in Springfield

The ice storm hit the Springfield area the hardest, leaving crews with months of cleanup work to fully reopen. Despite best efforts, various natural areas and trails still remain closed in the Willamalane Parks and Recreation District.

"We prioritized our clean-up and restoration efforts by mitigating immediate public hazards from fallen trees and other downed debris," Whitney Hoshaw, communications manager from Willamalane Parks and Recreation District, said. "We then focused on debris removal to re-establish public access, followed by repair of damage to trails and multi-use paths."

The four remaining areas of Willamalane that remain closed from the ice storm include: Harvest Landing Natural Area, Dorris Ranch, Jasper Meadows and Thurston Hills Natural Area seasonal mountain bike trails.

The Dorris Ranch Park is open, but many nature paths and the filbert orchards are currently closed due to extensive damage.

Thurston Hills mountain biking trails still closed

The Thurston Hills Natural Area hosts four trails dedicated to mountain bike use. These trails are seasonal and stay closed during the rainy months in order to preserve the conditions. The four trails are Acer Spades, Super Maple, Yew Haw, and Chinquapin Chutes and typically open in the late spring and early summer. Due to storm damage delays, the reopening of these trails is unknown at this time.

The storm brought down an estimated 100 trees on the mountain bike trails, according to Hoshaw.

The wet conditions the area has recently faced have made restoration difficult without causing further damage. Willamalane crews and volunteers from the Disciples of Dirt have been working to remove down trees and debris that is blocking trails. Willamalane officials expect it to be several weeks before the conditions are dry enough to reopen and debris is cleared.

The damage to trees that suffered significant limb loss and other hazards in the area is still unknown and will need to be assessed before these trails can be reopened for the season.

Willamalane officials suggest visitors pay attention to park signs and trail conditions while avoiding trail closures until the work is completed. Updates can be found at willamalane.org/alerts

Emma Logan is an outdoors journalism intern for the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at elogan@salem.gannett.com or on X @emmmalogan

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: How many trails are still closed from ice storm damage in Eugene and Springfield?