Sisters Community
Trails Plan

Surrounded by deep forests, snow-dappled mountains, lakes and rivers, Sisters-area residents have found a healthy balance between the community and the landscape that defines this place. The community’s many amenities, along with its scenic, recreational and wholesome character, can only be enhanced by the development of a trail network throughout the area.

The Trails Committee’s first step was to create a plan to involve the public through several open meetings, beginning with an open house on February 27, 2002 at the Sisters Athletic Club. More than 80 people attended.

The next public meeting was a Trails Planning Workshop held two months later on April 3, 2002. This meeting was held at the Sisters High School and was attended by more than 100 people. This was a hands-on work session that allowed folks to draw potential trail routes on maps, complete the trail survey and talk with members of the Trails Committee.

With many successful opportunities for collecting information from the community, the next step for the Trails Committee was to go out on the ground and inventory both existing and proposed trail routes. This large task was given a boost from the Sisters High School Integrated Environmental Expedition Class (IEE), who worked with the U.S. Forest Service to inventory trails within and around the new high school campus and in the vicinity of Crossroads and Tollgate subdivisions. The students then made a formal presentation of their findings to the Trails Committee.

The next step in the public planning process was development of a draft trails plan with trail locations and recommendations for implementation and maintenance. Trail Committee members met with city, county, state and federal officials to present information about the trail system and get their support. After public review and comment of the draft trail plan in spring of 2003, the final Community Trails Plan was completed and distributed to city, county and federal agencies and other interested parties.

The Trails Committee over saw the initial planning stages of the Sisters Community Trails and worked to develop a plan to put the trails in place. But as the Sisters Community Trails network grows, a formal and organized structure is required for its management, maintenance and expansion. The Trails Committee explored a number of ideas, finally deciding that working under the umbrella of Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation (SOAR) was the best option.

SOAR is a non-profit organization that provides a variety of recreational and educational opportunities for local youth, operating effectively as the local recreation district. The Trails Committee made a presentation to the SOAR Board of Directors in August 2003 requesting that SOAR become the administrative entity for the Sisters Community Trails. The Board agreed on the condition that the Trails Committee remain in existence and its members continue their commitment to developing the trails system. An agreement to this effect was drawn up and signed in September 2003.

Funding is critical to the success of the Sisters Community Trails. It is the specific goal of the Trails Community to secure trail funds through means other than local taxes or fees. There are a variety of funding sources available for projects of this type at the local, state and federal levels, as well as from private foundations and other grant-making organizations. Grant programs that focus on community development and transportation infrastructure, and health and fitness, will be of particular value. Local businesses and organizations will also be approached to contribute to the effort, either with funds or in-kind labor and materials.

Ongoing support and participation by the citizens of Sisters and the surrounding area is critical to the success and vitality of the Sisters Community Trails. To keep the public fully involved, public meetings and other events and activities will be held to provide local citizens with more information about the trails network, as well as to present them with opportunities to participate in its development and maintenance.

The Sisters Community Trails will offer many opportunities to involve residents and visitors in cultural and educational activities. There are many possibilities. Some include: running, walking and bicycling events designed to promote health education and healthy lifestyles; guided educational walks to observe and study area wildlife, plants and ecosystem functions; the opportunity to obtain art objects for placement along trails either through commissions or contests; community events using the trail system as a venue; and using the trail system to access the surrounding national forest for wilderness camping skills classes.