The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council has taken a meaningful step toward a potential new economic and infrastructure partnership, passing a unanimous resolution supporting a feasibility study to evaluate siting a new U.S. Highway 26 rest area on Warm Springs Reservation lands.

Background: An Aging Rest Area Nears the End of Its Life

The existing Highway 26 rest area near Government Camp, on the west slope of Mount Hood, was constructed in the 1950s and has long since outgrown its capacity. The Oregon Travel Information Council (OTIC), in partnership with tribal, local, state, and federal agencies, has been evaluating options since 2021 to replace the aging facility with something that better serves the tens of thousands of travelers who pass through the corridor annually.

As planners narrowed site options, a location on the Warm Springs Reservation emerged as one of the leading candidates — offering road access, available land, and the potential for a partnership that benefits both the traveling public and the Tribe.

What the Tribal Council Approved

According to reporting from KWSO 91.9, Warm Springs’ tribal radio station, the Tribal Council met with planning teams and passed a unanimous resolution to explore the feasibility of developing a new rest area at a site along Highway 26 on reservation land. The vote signals strong initial support, though it stops short of a final commitment — the feasibility process must run its course first.

Tribal leaders cited several reasons for supporting the study:

  • Highway safety improvements along a heavily traveled and sometimes dangerous corridor
  • Reduction of roadside litter and public sanitation issues associated with the current lack of adequate facilities
  • Economic development opportunity — the potential to incorporate small business space into the facility, creating tribal jobs and revenue
  • Sovereign partnership — positioning the Tribe as a key player in a major regional infrastructure decision

What Comes Next

Resource specialists are expected to begin field studies along the Highway 26 corridor during the 2027 field season. Findings will return to Tribal Council in fall 2027 before any final site selection is made. No construction timeline has been established — the project remains in the study phase, and several other site alternatives are still under evaluation.

Other options under consideration include the Skyline area near Skyline Sno-Park and a site at the Highway 216/Highway 26 junction near Warm Springs Junction. The Tribal Council’s resolution does not preclude those options from remaining in play, but it does signal clear Tribal support for exploring the reservation-based alternative.

A Long-Term Partnership in the Making

If the feasibility study ultimately supports a Warm Springs Reservation site, the project would represent one of the more significant tribal-state infrastructure partnerships in Central Oregon’s recent history. It would also put the Confederated Tribes in a visible, service-oriented role for the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that travel Highway 26 each year between Portland and Central Oregon.

For the Warm Springs community, which has long sought economic diversification beyond gaming revenue, a rest area with integrated small business space could represent a meaningful new income stream — one tied to the land and the highway that runs through it.

For more information on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, visit warmsprings-nsn.gov or tune in to KWSO 91.9 FM.