What’s in store for 2024? With your help, we will:
Maintain 600 miles of singletrack.
Maintaining trails is COTA’s raison d’etre, our bread and butter, our whole enchilada. The majority of COTA’s time and money goes to the never-ending work of maintaining SIX HUNDRED MILES of trails. We’re out there cutting back brush; fixing brake bumps; preventing erosion; improving signage; and maintaining jumps, berms, and rock and wood features so you can have a blast riding the trails!
In particular, flow trails like Tiddlywinks, Tyler’s, Royal Flush, and Lower Whoops (to name a few) get hammered and need a TON of maintenance. In 2023, 3,650 hours went into maintaining flow trails--that’s almost the equivalent of 2 full time staff (which we do not have--thank you volunteers!!). Tiddlywinks is on deck for a major spruce up in 2024 thanks to a grant!
2024 funding needed: $400,000
Maintaining trails is COTA’s raison d’etre, our bread and butter, our whole enchilada. The majority of COTA’s time and money goes to the never-ending work of maintaining SIX HUNDRED MILES of trails. We’re out there cutting back brush; fixing brake bumps; preventing erosion; improving signage; and maintaining jumps, berms, and rock and wood features so you can have a blast riding the trails!
In particular, flow trails like Tiddlywinks, Tyler’s, Royal Flush, and Lower Whoops (to name a few) get hammered and need a TON of maintenance. In 2023, 3,650 hours went into maintaining flow trails--that’s almost the equivalent of 2 full time staff (which we do not have--thank you volunteers!!). Tiddlywinks is on deck for a major spruce up in 2024 thanks to a grant!
2024 funding needed: $400,000
Maintain 5 bike parks.
COTA maintains 5 bike parks: The Lair, Phil’s Skills, Bike Park 242, the Waoga Infield, and the Prineville Bike Park. With our region’s dry and loose soil, these areas need constant maintenance, both using large machinery (read: expensive!) and by hand. It takes hundreds of hours of practice to get good at building jumps and berms that have the right flow. COTA is working hard to build our Send Squad: a group of COTA staff and volunteers that have these skills and work incredibly hard to keep our bike parks and flow trails riding well.
2024 funding needed: $70,000
COTA maintains 5 bike parks: The Lair, Phil’s Skills, Bike Park 242, the Waoga Infield, and the Prineville Bike Park. With our region’s dry and loose soil, these areas need constant maintenance, both using large machinery (read: expensive!) and by hand. It takes hundreds of hours of practice to get good at building jumps and berms that have the right flow. COTA is working hard to build our Send Squad: a group of COTA staff and volunteers that have these skills and work incredibly hard to keep our bike parks and flow trails riding well.
2024 funding needed: $70,000
Build new trails at Cline Buttes Recreation Area.
The Bureau of Land Management recently completed their planning effort to improve the Cline Butte and Cascade View trail systems between Bend and Redmond. COTA is partnering with BLM to build the new mountain bike trails envisioned in the plan, reroute existing trails that extend onto private property, install signage throughout the Cline Butte trail system, and help fund trailhead improvements including a vault toilet. The full plan includes improvements for hikers and horseback riders too; check it out.
2024 funding needed: $230,000
The Bureau of Land Management recently completed their planning effort to improve the Cline Butte and Cascade View trail systems between Bend and Redmond. COTA is partnering with BLM to build the new mountain bike trails envisioned in the plan, reroute existing trails that extend onto private property, install signage throughout the Cline Butte trail system, and help fund trailhead improvements including a vault toilet. The full plan includes improvements for hikers and horseback riders too; check it out.
2024 funding needed: $230,000
Tiddlywinks Flow Upgrade.
COTA has contracted Dirt Mechanics for a major upgrade of Tiddlywinks. The trail has severely deteriorated to the point that significant work is needed to bring it back to a consistent riding condition. The upgrade will optimize the flow of the trail by making adjustments to existing elements. Additionally, the trail will offer enhanced progression, catering to intermediate riders while incorporating advanced options at nearly every feature. Currently, the mainline is a mix of easy/intermediate AND advanced features, which is why people are crashing.
2024 funding needed: $50,000
COTA has contracted Dirt Mechanics for a major upgrade of Tiddlywinks. The trail has severely deteriorated to the point that significant work is needed to bring it back to a consistent riding condition. The upgrade will optimize the flow of the trail by making adjustments to existing elements. Additionally, the trail will offer enhanced progression, catering to intermediate riders while incorporating advanced options at nearly every feature. Currently, the mainline is a mix of easy/intermediate AND advanced features, which is why people are crashing.
2024 funding needed: $50,000
Rural Signage Upgrade
This project aims to attract locals and visitors to Central Oregon's lesser-known trails by improving signage and trip planning information. To accomplish this, COTA plans to upgrade trailhead and on-trail signage, and improve publicity of available trip planning information. There will be tri-fold brochures available at local bike shops, chamber of commerce, breweries, outdoor shops, and more!
2024 funding needed: $65k
This project aims to attract locals and visitors to Central Oregon's lesser-known trails by improving signage and trip planning information. To accomplish this, COTA plans to upgrade trailhead and on-trail signage, and improve publicity of available trip planning information. There will be tri-fold brochures available at local bike shops, chamber of commerce, breweries, outdoor shops, and more!
2024 funding needed: $65k
Clear 1,500 downed trees - so you don’t have to huck your bike over them!
Did you know 1,500+ trees fall across the trails each year? Probably not, because our Sawyer Team clears them out so fast that it’s rare to encounter a trail in Central Oregon that’s covered in downed trees. They’ll pack their chainsaws all over Central Oregon when the snow is just melting and the mosquitoes are at their worst so you’ll have a smooth ride.
2024 funding needed: $15,000
Did you know 1,500+ trees fall across the trails each year? Probably not, because our Sawyer Team clears them out so fast that it’s rare to encounter a trail in Central Oregon that’s covered in downed trees. They’ll pack their chainsaws all over Central Oregon when the snow is just melting and the mosquitoes are at their worst so you’ll have a smooth ride.
2024 funding needed: $15,000
Groom winter fat bike trails.
COTA’s Winter Trail Stewards groom 9 miles of fat bike trails at Wanoga Sno-Park each winter. It’s cold, physically demanding, and equipment-intensive work, and the result is a great place to ride your fat bike on the sparkling snow! The inner loop is groomed to a width appropriate for riders with disabilities and the trails are popular with cross-country skiers and snowshoers as well as fat bikers.
2024 funding needed: $15,000
COTA’s Winter Trail Stewards groom 9 miles of fat bike trails at Wanoga Sno-Park each winter. It’s cold, physically demanding, and equipment-intensive work, and the result is a great place to ride your fat bike on the sparkling snow! The inner loop is groomed to a width appropriate for riders with disabilities and the trails are popular with cross-country skiers and snowshoers as well as fat bikers.
2024 funding needed: $15,000
Educate riders on trail etiquette.
We want EVERYONE to try mountain biking because it is exhilarating! And we want everyone to treat each other with respect out on the trail so we all have a good time. Funding and expanding our rider Education Program is how we achieve this goal.
2024 funding needed: $30,000
We want EVERYONE to try mountain biking because it is exhilarating! And we want everyone to treat each other with respect out on the trail so we all have a good time. Funding and expanding our rider Education Program is how we achieve this goal.
2024 funding needed: $30,000
Advocate for more sustainable riding opportunities.
COTA has multiple proposals in the works to expand the riding opportunities in Central Oregon. Examples include expanding the Radlands in Redmond and adding more advanced/expert downhill-focused trails at Wanoga Sno-Park. It takes YEARS to advocate for these projects, work with land managers to ensure they can be done in a sustainable way that preserves natural and cultural resources, and ultimately get land manager approval.
2024 funding needed: $50,000
COTA has multiple proposals in the works to expand the riding opportunities in Central Oregon. Examples include expanding the Radlands in Redmond and adding more advanced/expert downhill-focused trails at Wanoga Sno-Park. It takes YEARS to advocate for these projects, work with land managers to ensure they can be done in a sustainable way that preserves natural and cultural resources, and ultimately get land manager approval.
2024 funding needed: $50,000
