EDITOR’S NOTE: I drive Miami Foley Road a lot – it’s my main route to Tillamook, so I noticed when the gate went in and the “no trespassing” signs went up. It was during the pandemic, so I didn’t really think much about it. But my local knowledge bank recalled that Don Best had said that some of the largest big-leaf maples in the state were up Miami Forest Road, and I was bummed that I hadn’t gotten up there to see them. Then my good friend Jayne Norvelle reached out with all of her research and that the road should not be gated, and the landowners took advantage of the state, the county and the local community to “claim it” as their own. Clearly from Jayne’s extensive research Miami Forest Road is a historic public access road. So many roads are now privately owned, gated and locked – this road accesses miles of country and many local hunters are now even more limited in their access. We need your help to get the county to take the gates down, or come up with another solution to RESTORE PUBLIC ACCESS TO MIAMI FOREST ROAD.
By Jayne Norvelle
If you’ve driven Miami Foley Road or recreated on our forest roads, you may have wondered how a gate was installed across the entrance to Miami Forest Road. Maybe you grew up here and spent time on this road. Did you know one of the largest Big Leaf Maples in the state is located on this road? Have you seen your GPS list it as Frank Crane Rd? Who was Frank Crane? Locals refer to the road as Prouty Road, why is that? Why is a gate blocking access to this road?
Photos by Jayne Norvelle
Here’s some background and answers to these questions. In 1893 Frank Crane among 7 other landowners gave up land to create a PUBLIC access road. Frank Crane was the largest land donation and the one to begin the petition to create the public access road. Prouty is the name of the creek that flows behind our home, running north to south, passing under the forest road to merge into the Miami River. The Miami Forest Road is a low flat road for approximately 6 miles, a rarity as an easy access road into the Tillamook Forest. Because of its lower elevation, it’s been a road easily traveled and enjoyed by many for decades. This road connects to other roads, but access to this lower road is only possible by way of East Foley Peak a 2260ft elevation, with washouts, that Oregon Department of Forestry acknowledges that is in need of repairs. By blocking Miami Forest Road approximately 10,000 acres of OUR forest land is inaccessible. My family has enjoyed this road and lived adjacent to it for 53 years, walking, horseback riding, biking, driving and camping.
In December of 2015, the culvert in Prouty Creek running under the road washed out. Leaving a gaping canyon and one landowner’s property stranded behind the wash out. Three and a half years passed before a bridge was installed by ODF using state and FEMA funds, totaling $700,000. During this time temporary barricades were placed on each side of the wash out, a cattle gate on the west end and barricades on the east end. We understood this was for safety until the bridge was completed. In Dec 2019, shortly after the bridge completion the Frantz estate sold, and sometime in 2022 the new owners paved about a third of a mile of the road and a very permanent gate was installed on the Miami Foley Road entrance west end and a gate with signage across the ODF state road east end. At this point, myself and several others assumed the property owners had purchased the road from the state. It wasn’t until this year that I discovered the property owner had “claimed” the new gate and the first approximately 350’ of this road. Now came questions. I knew the property owner had bought his property 20 years after my family and the road had been open before and after, so what had changed? The answer? Nothing changed. The property still shows the same exception on his deed for the surveyed portion of the road. Previous to the current ownership in 1989 then landowner, Eddings blocked the road. He was taken to court over the gating of the road, a judicial judgement upheld that this is a public road for public access. Eddings had to remove the gate, and shortly after sold to the current landowner. In a more recent document by County Counsel Joel Stevens on 5/9/24, in response to my inquiry County Counsel writes that this road is not considered a county road, but a “local access road” — a public road for public access.
At this time, I am asking the public to join me in asking the county to uphold the public’s right to access a public road that has been used for decades as such. We expect the county to honor the historical decisions of 1893, the court decision of 1989, as well as the recent decision of County Counsel agreeing that this is a public road for public access. In upholding these decisions, the county must notify Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office and the property owners that the gate will be removed and public access restored.
If the county chooses to reject the decisions and leave the gate, they have the option to build a road running alongside the adjoining property for 350’. In the meantime, we have the documents stating this is a public road for public access and the public will be exercising our right to recreate on public land by walking or riding around the gate(s).
Upon speaking with Oregon Department of Forestry THREE TIMES and being assured the crossing we have used for 53 years onto Miami Forest Rd was not owned by the current property owner and is state owned we have now been told by the property owner that we cannot cross. Because of this confrontation on crossing about a 20ft section, we again asked for ODF clarification. We had a meeting scheduled to further clarify this for the fourth time. Long story short, after meeting at ODF and another meeting on-site at the end of June, it was shown that there is absolutely no way of accessing the road without crossing the current property. In obtaining this road, the state left slivers of STATE (OUR) land in private hands ensuring the private landowners of no entry and allowing them to do whatever they want – which is deny access to Miami Forest Road.
They continue to gate a public road, whether locked or not, the east end of Miami Forest Road including signs posted across the road stating no entry, private property, etc.
The remedy for public access to public lands would be creating a trail alongside the south edge of 350’ property line from Miami Foley Road. A simple walking path would be a solution that would eliminate perceived fears of a homeless issue, and allow public access onto our public land again. The Norvelles blazed such a trail several weeks ago, and flagged it – only to have the property owners install a fence, leaving 6” between the state marker,
and completely blocking access to OUR PUBLIC ACCESS ROAD.
Please consider that an access trail onto Miami Forest Road would be beneficial to locals and allow the public access to miles of walking and non motorized riding on public land.
We’ve outlined the solutions – the most obvious one is to remove the gate(s) and restore all access. Another option (that would cost money), would be to move the access road entrance and build 350 feet of road to join to the state portion of the road. Or, work with the local community to put in an accessible trail.
For more information and all of Jayne’s research go to:
Facebook group – Restore Our Access Road – Miami Forest – ROAR/MF
If you are interested in learning more about how the public can reclaim access to Miami Forest Road, email to – accessmfr@gmail.com
