Alpine Cloverpatch Connection
The Cloverpatch Connection is a new segment of trail connecting the Tire Mountain route from the Alpine trail at Windy Pass, to Cloverpatch trail, eliminating a 3-mile road climb in exchange for a 4.5 mile singletrack corridor, and completing a contiguous 30 mile singletrack adventure on the north side of Westfir and the North Fork Willamette. In the last two years, volunteers have provided over 3,000 hours in labor to dig in new and finished tread, building switchbacks, cribwalls, bridges, and moving countless rocks. In 2023, Oakridge Trails Alliance was able to hire a volunteer coordinator to help accelerate these efforts, thanks in part to a grant provided by the Oregon Tourism Commission and the Oregon Trails Coalition.
In 2024, the Oregon Legislature received a congressional appropriation to support Oregon Signature Trails Designations across the state. This designation, championed by the Oregon Trails Coalition with advocacy support from Oakridge Trails Alliance and other various partners, includes just over $500k in appropriation funding for the Oakridge MTB Ride Center. More specifically, about half of this funding will be used to expedite the completion of the Alpine Cloverpatch Connection with a paid trail crew starting this fall.
Volunteer build days for this project will continue throughout 2024, and beyond, and typically happen twice a month on Sundays. Please check our Events Calendar for dates and meet up times. We encourage and welcome everyone and all volunteer groups working in the Willamette Forest to take part in this phenomenal project, as there are many jobs to be done!
2025 Project Update: Cloverpatch Connection – Winter/Spring Progress
This past November, our trail crew kicked off work on the original Cloverpatch Trail, completing a full corridor cleanup. This included widening the trail for horseback riders, re-benching and re-treading sections that had narrowed over time, opening up switchbacks for motorcycle access, and installing dozens of new drains to improve long-term sustainability.
With that restoration complete, the crew moved on to building the final 1.8 mile segment of the Cloverpatch Connection. The first section offered relatively straightforward tread, perfect warm up terrain before the real challenges began: vine maple mazes, root armoring, Roman-road-style rock gardens, and some of the most technical hand built trail features in the region!
Under the guidance of OTA Trail Crew Lead: Derrick Bell, the crew has been crafting what may become one of the most beautifully built trails in all of Oregon. With over a mile already complete, we’re well on track to have the full connection open by summertime 2026. We cannot wait for you all to experience it!
We invite you to be part of the Cloverpatch legacy, join us for a trail work party every third Saturday of the month (refer to event calendar as trail work parties are subject to change) or support the project through a donation. Every volunteer hour and every contribution brings this historic trail corridor one step closer to completion!