Trail Talk – August 2018

With a rebuilt bridge in the Beekman Arboretum, visitors to Jacksonville’s trails system are having more first-hand encounters with these utilitarian, but elegant structures. And soon, the wobbly Rails to Trails bridge near Pheasant Meadows will be replaced.

With that in mind, let’s take a tour of these engineering delights. The basic design is from the Oregon Department of Forestry. Simple in layout; the strength is reliant on heavy laminated beams spanning the waterway. The deck is added, with buttressed railing providing safety from falls. Built with pressure-treated lumber, bolts, and heavy screws, these bridges should last a generation or more.

Besides the Arboretum Bridge, a walkway was rebuilt at the Emil Britt Sequoia in the Britt Grounds. The old walkway was not up to ADA standards, and with a slight grade and a gentle turn, the new walkway allows easy access to the Zigler Trail. Farther along the Zigler Trail are the Twin Bridges, spanning Jackson Creek and sandwiching the parking area along Hwy 238. These long spans are constructed high above the stream bed to withstand most flooding events.

Heading up Reservoir Road to Forest Park, we find a series of bridges allowing user access to the trails in the headwaters of East Fork Jackson Creek. The lowest bridge is Rail Bridge, connecting parking area P1 to Rail Trail along the old Bullis Railroad grade. The bridge boasts historic rails in its structure.

Next upstream, above the Jackson Creek Wetlands, is Eagle Bridge, so named because it was the first bridge constructed as an Eagle Scout project by Reed Hungerford. It utilizes some re-purposed decking from the upper Twin Bridge when it was rebuilt.

Farther up Norling Trail, is Norling Bridge, allowing hiker access from parking area P2 to the east-side trails. A wooden ramp instead of steps connects the deck of the bridge, and a comfortable bench sits nearby in a shady spot beneath a big-leafed maple along the babbling stream.

Farther along is Narrows Bridge, where the canyon closes in. Here is the terminus of a fork of Rail Trail and access to trails on the west side of the park. Then comes Confluence Bridge, an Eagle Scout project by Skyler Allen, also with re-purposed decking. It sits at the confluence of Cantrall and Jackson Creeks.

On up Cantrall Creek is Water Tunnel Bridge, sited at the location of a water tunnel blasted through a diorite dike to provide fresh water to old-time Jacksonville. It joins parking area P4 to the west side trails. And up Jackson Creek from the confluence, one finds Canyon Falls Bridge, allowing access from parking area P3 to the southern trails.

Ten bridges… soon to be 11, and one walkway—structures elegant in their own right, and in truly magnificent settings. One must get out and explore.

Featured image: Skyler Allen on Confluence Bridge