Popular Oregon Coast Range Park Begins Rolling Trail Closures: LL Stub Stewart Tree Work

Published 11/09/23 a 4:45 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Buxton, OR) – Rolling trail closures at an Oregon Coast Range favorite will mean a lack of access periodically, as L.L. Stub Stewart State Park gets a little bit of sprucing up in the coming year. (Photos courtesy OPRD)

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) announced this week that the northeastern section of Stub Stewart needs tree thinning to improve the health of the 164-acre park in general. Some trails or trail section will be closed for a time, and then reopen as others close for a small period as the work is done. The rolling closures will continue at the Oregon Coast Range attraction throughout the year, scheduled to stop on December 31, 2024.

Park Manager Aaron Raines said that not all trails will be shuttered at the same time during the project's run.

“The rolling trail closures allow us to close a trail and then reopen when crews have completed work and are moving to another section,” he said.

Long-term closures for the north end of Hares Canyon Trail between the Peavey Hook Bridleway junction and the junction of Unfit Settlement Trail also will be in place through December 2024.

Raines encourages everyone to visit the park web page alerts to see the latest closure updates, as well as to look for signs posted at the park. He adds that this is a great time to explore other park trails. Stub Stewart has nearly 30 miles of multi-use trails and the 21-mile Banks-Vernonia State Trail that also passes through the park. Trails in the southern and western portions of the park will remain open.

The thinning project is in dense stands of 35- to 40-year-old Douglas-fir. The work will remove weaker trees to prevent die-off, as well as improve habitat for the remaining healthy trees to mature. Less dense forests also allow other native trees and shrubs to establish an understory beneath the healthy trees. Park staff will monitor the area in the future to stop the spread of invasive, non-native plants.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department manages the 1,800-acre L.L. Stub Stewart State Park to create a healthy, self-sustaining, diverse forest environment where people can enjoy the outdoors.

L.L. Stub Stewart State Park is near Highway 26, about a third of the way to the Oregon coast from Portland. Park website

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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