Trip Report: Stewarding and Advocating for Washington’s Trails with Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance

All photos by Tom Vogl, the Mountaineers

Outdoor Alliance Washington (OAW) partners recently participated in Kettle Fest, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance’s annual Kettle Fest. Learn how OAW is building connections in Eastern Washington to support stewardship and advocacy to protect public lands and the outdoor experience. This blog was originally published by The Mountaineers.

Northeast Washington’s Kettle Crest area draws outdoor enthusiasts in all seasons to experience a remote corner of the state through outdoor recreation, with mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding among the region’s most popular outdoor pursuits. 

The largely undeveloped lodgepole and ponderosa pine forests of the Kettle River Range are home to some of the region’s most wild and rugged mountain bike trails, as well as Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance’s (Evergreen) annual Kettle Fest event. Each summer, Evergreen’s statewide staff and East chapter volunteers converge on the Jungle Hill Campground for five days of epic riding, camping, and stewardship on the Colville National Forest. This annual trail stewardship event has become a beloved, more than 20-year tradition in Washington’s mountain biking community where volunteers and staff log hundreds of hours to clear and maintain trails for all users of the Kettle Crest area trails.

Participating in Kettle Fest 2026 allowed partners to support our partners and continue to leverage the impact of the Outdoor Alliance Washington network in Central and Eastern Washington. Mountaineers CEO Tom Vogl and Conservation & Advocacy Director Betsy Robblee spent two days on the Colville National Forest giving back to our public lands through stewardship, discussing the importance of outdoor recreation and rural economic development with congressional staff, and fostering a new relationship with the Colville Confederated Tribes.

Partnering With Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance

When we come together as Outdoor Alliance Washington (OAW) with partners like Washington Trails Association, American Whitewater, the Surfrider Foundation, and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, we can make a greater impact through our collective engagement with lawmakers and land managers. 

It’s no surprise that stewardship and advocacy go hand in hand. Many of Outdoor Alliance Washington’s member groups, including Evergreen, play a critical role in stewarding our public lands. With a significantly reduced federal land manager workforce, agencies like the Forest Service are increasingly relying on nonprofits and their volunteer communities for support. 

Evergreen’s mission is to create, maintain, and protect sustainable mountain biking opportunities in Washington for all riders. By working with land managers and partner organizations, their network of 9,000 members across 10 regional chapters work with land managers and partners organizations to contribute 29,000 hours of trail building and maintenance each year. This work benefits various  types of recreational users, and The Mountaineers is proud to partner with Evergreen on stewardship and advocacy to make  a deeper impact for Washington’s public lands.

The value of volunteer-powered stewardship was on full display during the Kettle Fest work parties. The work party focused on tread repair, maintenance, and brushing on the Old Stage and Midnight trails on the Colville National Forest. Around 20 Evergreen volunteers, including both local riders and folks from as far away as Seattle and Idaho, joined for the day of trail maintenance.

Mountain Bike Advocacy
Kettle Fest provided a unique opportunity for human-powered outdoor advocacy: Outdoor Alliance Washington’s first mountain bike ride with a congressional staffer! OAW partners from The Mountaineers and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance engaged Steve Bruchman from Congressman Michael Baumgartner’s (WA-05) around the role that outdoor recreation, public lands, and trail stewardship play in economic development for rural Eastern Washington communities. Steve was excited about outdoor recreation and the work Evergreen has been doing in Kettle Crest and keen to go for a mountain bike ride. 

Steve shared the importance of the outdoors to the Congressman (a Boy Scout leader) and emphasized his opposition to last year’s public lands sell-off proposal. Advocates also discussed the importance of reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund and Roadless Rule protections. Following the conversation, the group went for a short mountain bike ride on a trail that had been cleared of downed trees by volunteers the previous day. 

“Evergreen’s ongoing stewardship of the Kettle Crest is an example of what’s possible when mountain bikers come together to preserve access and ensure a sustainable future for the places and outdoor experiences we love,” shared Jesse Cunningham, Evergreen’s Advocacy and Trail Program Manager. “That stewardship extends to grassroots advocacy by our community to protect the Kettle Crest by defending the Roadless Rule.”

Outdoor Alliance Washington partners ready to ride the Sherman Pass Tie Trail with Rep. Baumgartner’s Director of Field Operations.

Building Relationships with Tribes and Local Partners

After the ride, OAW partners traveled to Curlew, Washington to walk the Ferry County Rail Trail with Cindy Marchand, the new Chairperson for the Colville Confederated Tribes. Our coalition engages with Tribal governments to better understand their conservation and natural resource priorities and serve as allies at the intersection of Tribal rights, Indigenous cultural lifeways, and public lands. We look forward to deepening this new relationship with the Colville Tribe and finding ways to support their efforts. We also had an opportunity to meet Teresa Jenkins, a Ferry County Commissioner.

Shortly after our meeting, a devastating wildfire exploded in size near the town of Nespelem, in the heart of the Colville Reservation. The Kaiser Canyon Fire has had a profound and heartbreaking impact on the Colville community. We invite the recreation community to consider supporting the people who have been impacted by this wildfire by donating to the Cedar Fund of the Colville Indian Reservation. 

Protecting and adequately funding our public lands while managing them for sustainable outdoor access creates a win-win for thriving landscapes, local communities - including Tribal communities - and the recreation community. We appreciate the work and dedication of Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance to steward the Kettle Crest and connect mountain bikers from across Washington to outdoor experiences, community, and stewardship opportunities.