Support the Applegate Trails Association Kickstarter Film

A view from the Applegate Ridge Trail into the Wellington Butte Roadless Area.

The Applegate Trails Association (ATA) is a non-motorized trail organization dedicated to creating and preserving non-motorized trails in the Applegate Valley, while encouraging respect for our natural environment. Having started five years ago today, on April 23, 2011, the group has become a strong local voice promoting non-motorized recreation and advocating for protection of the Wellington Butte Roadless Area. In 2013 the BLM designated the Wellington Butte Roadless Area as "Lands with Wilderness Characteristics." This designation can largely be attributed to ATA's unrelenting advocacy for the Wellington Butte Roadless Area. 

ATA's largest project is the creation of the Applegate Ridge Trail (ART). The ART is a 40-mile-long, non-motorized trail proposed to extend from Jacksonville, Oregon to Grants Pass, Oregon. Numerous miles of the trail would skirt the edge of the Wellington Butte Roadless Area. On Sterling Creek Road, the ART would join the Jack-Ash Trail. The Jack-Ash Trail would extend across the foothills of the Little Applegate Valley, across the arid face of Anderson Butte, through the Dakubetede Roadless Area and over the 7,253 foot summit of Wagner Butte, and into downtown Ashland, Oregon.

Currently the trails exist only in theory. Although some existing trails would be incorporated into the route, much of the "trail" is currently undefined and non-existent. 

This spring two ATA board members (Josh Weber and myself) intend to be the first to thru-hike both trails from downtown Ashland to Grants Pass, Oregon. We will turn the adventure into a documentary film, promoting the trail, documenting its beauty and the many benefits it will bring to surrounding communities. We are raising funds to hire a professional filmmaker to create a high quality documentary film promoting and supporting the ART. We have initiated a Kickstarter campaign to fund the project.

In celebration of Earth Day and ATA's 5th birthday, please consider supporting this project. For more information or to make a donation follow this link: ATA Thru-Hike Kickstarter

A view into the Dakubetede Roadless Area and the Little Applegate River Canyon from the proposed Jack-Ash Trail.