Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District Awarded ODOT Grant to Complete the Missing Link of the Indian Creek Trail

Hood River, OR – Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District (District) was chosen as one of 25 projects to receive federal funding from the Oregon Transportation Commission for the Oregon Community Paths (OCP) Grant Program. The OCP program is dedicated to helping communities create and maintain connections through multi-use paths. This grant money will go towards completing one of the District’s main goals for over 20 years: to complete the final, missing link on the Indian Creek Trail.

In early winter of 2022, the District entered an exclusive option to purchase the Campbell property, which is two parcels, totaling about 10 acres. The property is located on Brookside Drive between Providence Brookside Manor and Broken Tee Drive. Grant funding will go towards purchasing the property and connecting the 1800-foot gap in the Indian Creek Trail with an elevated boardwalk. The completed link will connect the Indian Creek Trail from Barrett Drive to downtown Hood River.

The District received $5,985,148 in grant funding for this federally funded project. It is the largest grant the District has received to date.

“We are thrilled to receive this grant,” said board President Nan Noteboom. “Completing this trail has been a major goal for the District for years.”

The OCP program, created by the historic transportation funding HB 2017, is a competitive program that provides federal and state grants in biking and walking systems that are “off system,” meaning facilities that are not along a roadway. The District will enter into an agreement with ODOT in the fall, after which time the District and ODOT will be able to move forward with the final planning phases of the project with construction to start sometime in the next two years.

“This project will connect the rural and urban communities to needed services in the community and give students a safe, mostly off-road route to the high school and the Columbia Gorge Community College,” said Executive Director Mark Hickok.

Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation Districts mission is to provide recreational opportunities to the citizens of the Parks District, with a focus on the youth of our community. For more information about Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District and its programs, visit www.hoodriverparksandrec.org.

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