Wednesday, July 29, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Fire near Tollgate...
PHOTO BY JEFF OMODT
Walking his dog in the woods near Tollgate on July 24, Sisters
resident Jeff Omodt came upon a fire. He called it in to 911
and a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to
the scene, along with Sisters firefighters and firefighters from
the Oregon Department of Forestry. The fire was contained at
about an acre.
New Peterson Ridge
trailhead to open
This
We d n e s d a y,
the Deschutes National
Forest, City of Sisters, the
Recreational Trails Program
and Sisters Trails Alliance
will celebrate the opening of
a new trailhead to access the
popular Peterson Ridge Trail
System with a ceremonial
ribbon cutting.
The ribbon cutting will
be done the morning of July
29, with a small group of
invitees due to COVID-19.
Following the ceremony, the
trailhead, located just east
of Forest Road 16 near the
existing trail access point
at the intersection of Tyee
Drive and Forest Road 16,
will be open to the public.
The old trailhead will be
decommissioned, and users
will need to use the new
trailhead.
The trailhead will pro-
vide restroom facilities
and a parking area for 25
cars. A new Forest Service
trail connects the new trail-
head to existing Peterson
Ridge trails to the east and
west. In coordination with
the Forest Service, Sisters
Trail Alliance is donat-
ing an informational kiosk
to be installed at the trail-
head later this year to help
visitors.
<The City of Sisters is
extremely pleased to have
the new Peterson Ridge trail-
head opening this July. This
trail system is world class
and is a very important part
of what Sisters offers regard-
ing outdoor activities for our
Sisters Country residents,
neighboring communities,
and tourists. Our local busi-
nesses also understand the
strong connection between
having this outdoor rec-
reation capacity and the
business that it brings to
our downtown corridor,=
said Chuck Ryan, mayor of
Sisters.
The Peterson Ridge Trail
is one of the most heav-
ily used trail systems in the
Sisters area. The trails are
easily accessible from the
town of Sisters and offer
multiple loop options.
<The Peterson trail sys-
tem has grown in usage and
the new trailhead will pro-
vide much-needed parking
capacity and alleviate con-
gestion in nearby neighbor-
hoods,= said Mayor Ryan.
<This trailhead, along with
the recent Whychus Creek
Overlook trail enhancement,
are simply outdoor gems
for our community espe-
cially in these challenging
times.=
<We are so fortunate to
have these relationships
with the City of Sisters,
Sisters Trails Alliance, the
Recreational Trails Program
and local contractors to col-
laboratively help us meet
the needs of local residents
and visitors,= said Sara
Baughman, recreation team
leader for the Sisters Ranger
District.
The new Peterson
Ridge trailhead was funded
through the Recreational
Trails Program, a Federal
Highway Administration
program administered by
Oregon State Parks and
Recreation, which funds the
development and mainte-
nance of recreational trails
and facilities.
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