The “only mountain biking trail” in Eugene, Oregon, has been vandalized multiple times by an unknown person or persons placing logs across the trail, KEZI 9 News reports. Technically, Eugene is home to several multi-use trails, but Pipedream, located in the Ridgeline trail system, is the sole mountain bike-only, downhill-only trail in the region.
On Thursday, February 27th, and Friday, February 28th, local riders discovered that logs and other debris had been deliberately placed to block the trail. Trail signs indicating that this is a mountain bike-only trail have also been damaged and removed. Local riders have been quick to identify and remove the obstacles, but the repeated nature of the trail vandalism means that any rider going down the trail could encounter unexpected trail vandalism.
Since this is a bike-specific downhill trail, the trail vandalism is all the more dangerous. Riders are allowed — and encouraged — to rip down this trail at high speeds since no hikers are permitted and there’s no uphill traffic to worry about. Consequently, logs placed in blind or high-speed corners could cause serious injury… or worse.
“This trail represents something special in our community,” wrote the City of Eugene Parks and Open Space in a Facebook post. “It’s the first and only dedicated mountain bike trail in the Eugene park system, built largely by volunteers and maintained through their continued dedication. We’re fortunate to have such a passionate community supporting these recreation spaces.”
Local riders have been sharing trail updates to stay abreast of the latest developments. According to a post in Eugene Mountain Bike Group on Friday, February 28th, local rider Micah Sardell had to clear several logs from the trails. “Cleared everything from ‘Pipedream,’ ‘Real Ridgeline,’ and the short connector to the lower Ridgeline loop from the upper,” Sardell wrote. “Skidders was free of logs and branches. Go get it!”
If you’re a local Eugene rider, proceed cautiously when dropping into Pipedream, as more obstacles could be placed on the trail.
If you have any information about the trail damage in Eugene, please reach out to the Eugene Police Department.
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