County tourism grants fund Lake Oswego, Little Crater Lake trails

Lake Oswego will receive $80,000 to complete a paved trail connecting George Rogers Park and Roehr Park along the Willamette River Greenway. The grant is one of five Clackamas County tourism awards totaling $455,873.

The Clackamas County Office of Tourism announced the 2026 Strategic Investment Program awards on Feb. 25, according to a county tourism office press release.

All five projects are expected to be completed within 18 months. The program is funded by the county's Transient Lodging Tax (TLT), paid by visitors who stay in local lodging.

Lizzie Keenan, executive director of the Clackamas County Office of Tourism, said in the announcement that the investments aim to enhance safety, accessibility and infrastructure across the county.

The largest single award, $146,089, went to AntFarm Youth Services for the reconstruction of the Little Crater Lake Trail in the Mount Hood National Forest.

That project replaced 1,500 feet of boardwalk and trail structures with ADA-accessible improvements and interpretive signage, according to the press release.

The rebuilt 0.3-mile trail opened in late October, The Oregonian reported. Kathleen Walker, mayor of Sandy and a retired forest recreation manager, volunteered as project manager and estimated the total project value at more than $800,000, including donated labor and materials.

"It was pretty bad and dangerous," Walker told The Oregonian. "There were holes in the boardwalk that you could drop a puppy through."

The trail leads to a 45-foot-deep lake fed by an artesian spring about 18 miles south of Government Camp. Boardwalk lumber came from old-growth cedar salvaged after the 2020 Riverside Fire, which burned through Clackamas County. The area closes seasonally starting Dec. 1.

The Lake Oswego trail grant will fund a segment of the Willamette River Greenway, a multi-use path along the river.

Residents can find more details about the tourism program through Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory, the county tourism office's public-facing brand.

Upcoming: The Little Crater Lake area closes for winter Dec. 1.