They contracted with trail solutions coordinator Chris Bernhardt, of the International Mountain Biking Association, for the study.

“It’s very exciting to be involved in a project like this; that the port and city are forward-thinking enough to diversify their tourism base,” Bernhardt said.

Cascade Locks is bordered on one side by the Columbia River and surrounded on the other sides by the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. The area is administered by the U.S. Forest Service. While many miles of trails are available in the area, most are for hikers or equestrians.

Bernhardt said that the proximity of the town to Portland and the fact that mountain biking enthusiasts are passing the town by on their way to Hood River represents an untapped resource.

The study looked at two markets: the Portland metropolitan area and tourists headed to a destination vacation spot.

Bernhardt presented the study Nov. 1 to port commissioners. He cited that most mountain biking enthusiasts traveling from out of the area included parties of more than one person.

“Typically it’s four to six people traveling for a week; coming in from all over the nation,” he said. “They will spend money on services, fuel and lodging.”

Currently 35,000 members belong to the International Mountain Biking Association. Most bicyclists are aged 25-50, have families, earn incomes in the upper-to-middle range and take one week of vacation each year to travel to destination mountain bicycle areas.

Bernhardt explained that part of Oregon’s appeal, including being ranked as the best state for the sport by bikers, is the variety of experiences offered.

“We have in this state amazing trails for mountain biking, a large number of them, diverse in experience to climate,” he said. “You could come in March, ride in Bend; in July, ride at Flat Rock (Falls City) and November in Hood River.”

He said the geographic locales offer in turn, mountains, free-riding and valley trail experiences.

Currently in Cascade Locks, the only nearby trails open to mountain bicyclists are two portions of Gorge Trail No. 440. Each is fairly short by destination mountain biking standards; an eastern segment totaling 3.1 miles and western portion at 1.7 miles.

Bernhardt said to draw the destination biker; Cascade Locks would have to consider building an 18- 22-mile loop of biking trails.

The cost to design and build a 20-mile system is estimated at approximately $400,000 to $700,000.

The study concentrated on looking at the feasibility of locating such a development in the Wyeth Bench area. Part of the reason was because of its proximity already to the existing 440 trails and also to not compete with users on the Pacific Crest Trail that enters the town’s western boundaries.

The study states the ideal situation would be to locate the origin of the trail system in Cascade Locks so that bicyclists would increase use of tourist services.

Of course, all of this is speculative because the proposal involves lands the city does not own. The U.S. Forest Service owns the majority of the land where the study proposes the trail and also Orinda International Inc.

While Bernhardt said initial consultation had been done with the Forest Service, any more work would require additional discussion. He recommended a conceptual trail design as the next step for the port and city to take.

Port Commissioner JoeInne Caldwell was concerned about the wait in giving the town an economic boost.