- OC&E Woods Line State Trail
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OC&E Woods Line State Trail
OC&E Trail through Klamath Falls at Wiard Park.Type Public, state Location Klamath and Lake counties, Oregon Nearest city Klamath Falls Coordinates 42°12′27″N 121°45′07″W / 42.20749°N 121.7519°WCoordinates: 42°12′27″N 121°45′07″W / 42.20749°N 121.7519°W Operated by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Open Year round Status Day use, fee-free The OC&E Woods Line State Trail is a rail trail in Klamath and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is Oregon's longest state park. The trail follows the old OC&E (Oregon, California and Eastern) and Weyerhaeuser railroads from Klamath Falls to Thompson Reservoir. Along its 105-mile (169 km) length it passes through the communities of Olene, Sprague River, Dairy, Beatty, and Bly.
The OC&E Woods Line State Trail is paved from Klamath Falls to the community of Olene, apporximately 8 miles.[1] Beyond Olene, the trail surface is graded and compacted, which attracts mountain bikers, hikers, anglers, equestrian users, and wildlife watchers. Additionally, the trail has a gentle 2% slope grade.
Contents
History
Construction on the OC&E Railroad (also known as the Klamath Municipal Railway) began in the summer of 1917 as part of a grand scheme to connect Central and Eastern Oregon with rail lines and take advantage of timber opportunities. Initial development efforts involved bonds sold by the city of Klamath Falls. Logging camps with spur railroads sprang up almost overnight, and by 1919, four lumber mills were located on the main line.[2] After several delays, the OC&E was declared open in the fall of 1923, and in 1927 was extended to Bly.
Southern Pacific and Burlington Northern operated the line jointly from 1925 until 1974, when it was purchased by Weyerhaeuser, who solely operated the entire railroad in support of its timber operations. At peak production in the late 1970s, the OC&E was reported to be transporting 35,000 loads of wood products a year.
In the early 1980s, the OC&E had a decline in traffic, and when it was no longer cost effective to move logs by rail, Weyerhaeuser railbanked the line, and deeded it to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department in 1992.[2] The last logging train entered Klamath Falls on April 29, 1990.
Uses
The OC&E Woods Line State Trail is a conversion of the OC&E Railroad disused railway easement into a non-motorized path used for walking, cycling, jogging and horse riding. The now paved flat trails stretch through agricultural and forest areas appealing for recreational development. The OC&E linear park is used by over 130,000 visitors every year. For example, from Olene, an unpaved section of the trail passes ranch lands, rivers and forests.
The trail provides connections to eight communities, five schools, and several suburban areas within Klamath Falls. Along each section, the trail passes through 13 interpretive signs highlighting historical interest points along the trails, recalling its old railroad years, including the historic 1898 steel bridge spanning the A Canal, all sites available for park visitors. Past the steel bridge sits a restored caboose, the last one used to run the rails to Klamath Falls.
Major trailheads are located along the trail identified by an OC&E State Trail railroad sign, including Crosby Street in Klamath Falls, Wiard Park, Highway 39, Reeder Road, Switchbacks, Bly and Horse Glades.
Trailhead activities
The trail from Klamath Falls to Olene is paved, crosses the A Canal bike path and over the Canal through the 1898 steel railroad bridge shortly after running along Wiard Park. From Olene to Dairy the trail runs by the scenic Lost River, ranchlands, Sweede's Cut and Dairy Y Siding. From Dairy to the Sprague River, it becomes a gravel trail through the Winema National Forest, Devils Garden and Double Switchbacks built around the hills, which have camping areas, shortly before Bliss Road meets the Sprague River Highway.[2] From Sprague River to Beatty the trail gives chance for fishing off the Sprague River, as well as Wildlife viewing and the Buttes of the Gods next to Bly Mountain. The same activities are presented from Beatty to Bly along several trestles and the cutoff of the Woods Line Trail.
Woods trail
The Woods Line is a trail that branches off the OC&E State Trail near Beatty outside of Klamath Falls and heads northward. The trail crosses over the Sprague River and next to the Sycan Shops. The trail meets Five Mile Creak after 10 miles and runs along as its companion for 6 miles crossing over it several times. The Horse Glades trail takes off after mile 19 of the Woods Line, an area provided with restrooms and camping areas.[2] The most notable structure of the Woods Line is the Merritt Creek Trestle, running 400 feet long and 50 feet high. The Woods Trail ends seven miles north of the trestle at a point called Sycan Marsh at the north end of Ferguson Mountain, an attraction for birdwatchers.[1] Ivory Pine Road runs from Highway 140 up to the Horse Glades trail.
See also
- List of rail trails
- List of Oregon state parks
- List of parks in Klamath Falls, Oregon
References
- ^ a b "OC&E Woods Line State Trail". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_230.php. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
- ^ a b c d "OC&E Woods Line State Trail" (brochure). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. http://www.oregonstateparks.org/images/pdf/oce_woodsline.pdf. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
Protected Areas of Oregon Federal State Arcadia Beach • Bob Straub • Bradley • Cape Kiwanda • Cape Lookout • Cape Meares • Clay Myers at Whalen Island • Del Rey Beach • Ecola • Elmer Feldenheimer • Fishing Rock • Fort Stevens • Gearhart Ocean • Haystack Hill • Hug Point • John Yeon • Manhattan Beach • Munson Creek Falls • Neahkahnie–Manzanita • Nehalem Bay • Oceanside Beach • Oswald West • Rockaway Beach • Sunset Beach • Sunset Highway Forest • Symons • Tolovana Beach • Tolovana Beach • Twin Rocks • Wilson River Highway Forest
Agate Beach • Alsea Bay • Beachside • Beaver Creek • Beverly Beach • Boiler Bay • Carl G. Washburne • Collins Creek • D River • Darlingtonia • Devils Lake • Devils Punch Bowl • Driftwood Beach • Ellmaker • Fogarty Creek • Gleneden Beach • Governor Patterson • H.B. Van Duzer • Heceta Head Lighthouse • Jessie M. Honeyman • Joaquin Miller Forest • L. Presley & Vera C. Gill • Lost Creek • Muriel O. Ponsler • Neptune • Neskowin Beach • Ona Beach • Otter Crest • Pritchard • Roads End • Rocky Creek • San Marine • Seal Rock • Smelt Sands • South Beach • Stonefield Beach • Tokatee Klootchman • W. B. Nelson • Whale Watching • Yachats • Yachats Ocean Road • Yaquina Bay
Albert H. Powers • Alfred A. Loeb • Arizona Beach • Bandon • Bolon Island Tideways • Bullards Beach • Cape Arago • Cape Blanco • Cape Sebastian • Conde B. McCullough • Coquille Myrtle Grove • Crissey Field • Elk Creek Tunnel Forest • Face Rock • Floras Lake • Geisel Monument • Golden and Silver Falls • Harris Beach • Hoffman • Humbug Mountain • Hutchinson • Maria C. Jackson • McVay Rock • Ophir • Otter Point • Paradise Point • Pistol River • Port Orford Cedar Forest • Port Orford Heads • Samuel H. Boardman • Seven Devils • Shore Acres • Sisters Rock • Sunset Bay • Sweet Myrtle • Umpqua • Umpqua Lighthouse • Umpqua Myrtle • William M. Tugman • Winchuck • Yoakam Point
Banks–Vernonia • Bonnie Lure • Government Island • L. L. "Stub" Stewart • Mary S. Young • Milo McIver • Tryon Creek • Willamette Stone
Ainsworth • Benson • Bonneville • Bridal Veil Falls • Crown Point • Dabney • Dalton Point • George W. Joseph • Guy W. Talbot • Historic Columbia River Highway • John B. Yeon • Koberg Beach • Lang Forest • Lewis and Clark • Lindsey Creek • Mayer • McLoughlin • Memaloose • Multnomah Falls • Portland Women's Forum • Rocky Butte • Rooster Rock • Seneca Fouts • Shepperd's Dell • Sheridan • Starvation Creek • Viento • Vinzenz Lausmann • Wyeth • Wygant
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Ben Hur Lampman • Canyon Creek Forest • Casey • Collier Memorial • Illinois River Forks • Jackson F. Kimball • Joseph H. Stewart • Klamath Falls – Lakeview Forest • OC&E Woods Line • Prospect • Rough and Ready Forest • Stage Coach Forest • TouVelle • Tub Springs • Valley of the Rogue • Wolf Creek Inn
Cline Falls • Deschutes River • Dyer • Elliott Corbett • La Pine • Ochoco • Peter Skene Ogden • Pilot Butte • Prineville Reservoir • Redmond–Bend Juniper • Sisters • Smith Rock • The Cove Palisades • Tumalo • White River Falls
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Bridge Creek • Dean Creek • Denman • E.E. Wilson • Elkhorn • Fern Ridge • Irrigon • Jewell Meadows • Klamath • Ladd Marsh • Lower Deschutes • Phillip W. Schneider • Prineville • Riverside • Sauvie Island • Snake River Islands • Summer Lake • Wenaha • White River • Willow Creek
Regions Portland metroBlue Lake • Cooper Mountain • Glendoveer • Howell • Oregon Zoo • Oxbow • Smith and Bybee • Mount Talbert
Cities PortlandForest Park • Washington Park
Categories:- Parks in Klamath County, Oregon
- Parks in Lake County, Oregon
- Oregon state parks
- Long-distance trails in the United States
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