Hikers and mountain bikers will soon have another mountain to conquer as the city of Grants Pass continues efforts to establish 12 miles of new trails at Dollar Mountain.

A $350,000 grant awarded to the city by the Oregon State Parks Commission in September will benefit the project’, which is expected to be finished in 2024.

The city of Grants Pass purchased 446 acres of Dollar Mountain in 2019 for roughly $1 million, and the municipality is awaiting a notice to proceed from the state before breaking ground. The mountain is northwest of the city.

“We are working on finalizing our documents in preparation for submitting our development permit to Josephine County,” said Josh Hopkins, parks superintendent with the city of Grants Pass. “Once we have both, we are planning to publish a request for proposal with anticipated construction to start in 2024.”

“Overall timing depends on how soon we receive the notice to proceed from the state, final permitting timelines and how close we are to fire season when all our ducks are in a row,” Hopkins added.

Once the city gains approval from the state and a constructing group is selected, developers will begin installing 12 miles of natural-surface trail using decomposed granite from onsite.

The city previously completed a parking lot at the site’s existing 1.9-mile Dollar Mountain Trailhead in November 2022, adding 11 parking spaces and solar-powered lights to the trail’s start. Hikers previously had to park streetside. During the second phase of the project, another parking lot will be installed on the Hieglen Loop side of the mountain, on the northeastern end, likely in 2024.

For the $350,000 grant, the Oregon State Parks Local Government Grant Program required a 50% match from Grants Pass. The city sold the 230-acre River Road Reserve off Upper Applegate Road in 2020 to aid the trail project’s financing, Hopkins said.

Through the city’s Firewise program, fuel-reduction efforts were completed along the mountain to lower wildfire risk after buying the 446-acre parcel of land.

“One of the first steps the city took after purchasing the property was to carry out fuel-reduction work to lower the risk for our community,” Hopkins said. “To date, 250 acres of fuel-reduction work has been completed.”

The city and partner agencies are working to boost tourism and the economy in Grants Pass, and the new trails are designed to attract mountain bikers and hikers to the area.

“As we continue to expand and enhance our niche audience, this allows for a broader audience to market to,” said Tori Middelstadt, executive director of Visit Grants Pass. “It’s important to diversify the experiences available here.”

“A good rider could come down and ride a new set of trails every day for a week here if they wanted to,” Middelstadt added, regarding the ample mountain-biking trails in the Grants Pass area.

“This will result in more visitors spending dollars in shops and hotels and boost the community goals of being an eco-tourism destination while also expanding the recreational opportunities for local community members,” Hopkins said.

According to Hopkins, the project is popular among Grants Pass residents.

“In 2020, a conceptual plan was developed, and the public survey showed 78% of the respondents indicated they wanted Dollar Mountain to be developed for hiking and mountain biking,” he said. “The Grants Pass community loves the outdoor opportunities the Southern Oregon region offers, and this project expands the options.”

The Dollar Mountain biking trails will be developed to be inclusive to riders who cannot ride standard mountain bikes and require adapted equipment.

“This trail system is designed with Adaptive Mountain Biking (aMTB) guidelines in mind to provide a riding space wide enough to accommodate many types of aMTB vehicles,” Hopkins said, adding that the trails will “provide a new recreational avenue for mobility-impaired individuals looking for a new challenge.”

The new trails are designed with safety measures to prevent collisions or close calls between riders and hikers.

“Some of the more technical trail sections will be listed as descent-only and mountain bike-only areas to keep a consistent flow and limit potential impacts between riders and the hiking community,” Hopkins said. “Our trail design incorporates several loop sections that allow for a lot of flexibility in routes so people can enjoy the system for a short trip or a full day.”

For more information about the Dollar Mountain trail system project, visit www.grantspassoregon.gov/1668/Dollar-Mountain.