Modern Luxuries for Hikers & Bikers at Bullards Beach, Aug. 13

Major improvements at hiker/biker areas in Milo McIver State Park, Champoeg State Heritage Area and Bullards Beach State Park, north of Bandon on Hwy. 101, are making life easier for people bicycle touring. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department recently added gear and food Storage lockers, phone charging stations, bicycle fix-it stations and group shelters to the three parks. A hiker/biker site is a camping area for people that are traveling by bicycle or foot without a support vehicle. Cyclists can set their tents anywhere in the area, and share communal picnic tables and fire pits. Reservations are not accepted or needed. The Bullards and Milo McIver hiker/biker sites were re-located to better spots. Solar powered phone charging stations and fix-it stations were added in the move. The Champoeg fix-it station is located in the main campground so all park visitors have easy access to it. Fix-it stations have a bike stand, basic bike tools and a floor pump. Most of the improvements at Milo McIver were made possible by a grant from Clackamas County Tourism. Scout Troup 107 volunteered hours to help build the new site. TE Connectivity through its work with the Oregon State Parks Foundation contributed funding and volunteer hours for the improvements at Champoeg State Heritage Site. Cycle Oregon’s grant program contributed funds for improvements at Bullards Beach State Park. Milo McIver State Park is just outside of Estacada and adjacent to the Cascading Rivers Scenic Bikeway. Champoeg State Heritage Area is 30 miles north of Salem and the northern terminus of the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway. Bullards Beach State Park is located on the southern Oregon coast near Bandon just off of U.S. 101. There are a total of 31 hiker/biker campsites within the 52 State Parks that have campgrounds. For a complete list of hiker/biker sites go to http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=visit.dsp_find and click the box for hiker/bikers then click “find”.