KTA Reopens Lake of the Woods Trail Connector
The 600-foot High-Rye Connector links the High Lakes Trail with the Rye Spur Trail and Billie Creek Nature Loop near Highway 140.
LAKE OF THE WOODS, Ore. – A short but useful trail connection near Lake of the Woods is open again after volunteer work by the Klamath Trails Alliance in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service Fremont-Winema National Forest.
KTA announced that volunteers reopened the 600-foot connector trail between the High Lakes Trail and the Rye Spur Trail/Billie Creek Nature Loop. The trail, known on the shared map as the “High-Rye Connector,” is located near the upper end of Lake of the Woods, close to Billie Creek Bridge and Highway 140.
The connector had previously existed but had become overgrown.
“It got quite overgrown and KTA worked with the Forest Service to get the okay to open this back up,” Heather with KTA said in a video announcement from the trail.
The reopened route gives trail users another way to connect between the High Lakes Trail and the Rye Spur/Billie Creek area. It also provides a more direct link for people walking near Lake of the Woods, cabin owners looking for a longer walking route, and visitors who want to access the Billie Creek Nature Loop.
According to KTA, the connector reaches Highway 140 directly across from the Rye Spur trailhead. Trail users are urged to use caution when crossing the highway.
KTA said the trail is open, but still needs additional use to improve the tread.
“It still needs some work, but it’s definitely scratched in,” Heather said. “Now what it needs is people to use it to get this tread compacted in and looking really good.”
Heather also thanked the volunteers who helped with the project, along with Forest Service partners Ian and Melanie, noting the value of the partnership between KTA and the Forest Service on public lands trails.
The reopened connector adds another small but meaningful link to the Lake of the Woods trail network, improving access between nearby walking and hiking routes around the lake and Highway 140.
Cover image: A trail sign marks the Billie Creek Nature Loop and Rye Spur Trail near Lake of the Woods. Klamath Trails Alliance volunteers recently reopened a nearby 600-foot connector linking the area with the High Lakes Trail. Image captured from KTA video.
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