With a goal of filling “an important part of our economic development strategy,” Coos Co. Commissioners Melissa Cribbins has announced the obtaining of $150,000 in grants to develop more recreational bike trails within the Coos Co. Forest. The county opened the first ten-miles of the Whiskey Run Mountain Biking Trail in 2018. One hundred people attended the opening, and County Forester Lance Morgan says “There are cars at the trailhead every day. I’ve seen license plates from Arizona, Utah, and all over.” The county was awarded a $100,000 grant from Travel Oregon and an additional $50,000 from Travel Southern Oregon Coast. Cribbins says the funds will be used to build 30-miles of a world class single track. Outdoor recreation and tourism is a growing sector on the Southern Oregon Coast. According to the Oregon Travel Impacts Study, visitors spent over $271 million in Coos County in 2017. Tourism directly employs 3,300 people in the county.
