Backwoods airports are those smaller airports that may have some commercial traffic, but don't have daily flights to Chicago, New York or Los Angeles. They can be located near middle sized towns like Eugene or Salem, or they may be very small strips in the rugged mountain territories near places like Bend.
The Oregon department of aviation puts airports into five distinct categories. Category I includes the large commercial airports like Portland International, Salem McNary Field and Klamath Falls International to name a few. Category II airports are called urban general aviation airports. These service cities like Portland and smaller towns like Corvalis and even Bend in the mountains. Category III service small communities, have a paved runway, and only a small service building on the site. They service places such as Tillamook and Colombia Gorge.
The category I,II, and III airports cannot be considered backwoods airports. They are all near urban areas, all have paved runways, and all have some services available. The Category IV airports still service some urban areas, but while all of the other airports may handle large twin engine prop planes and small jets, Category IV handles only one engine propeller planes. They have short runways and require approach speeds of under 125 miles per hour.
Category V is the last step you will find in the Oregon Department of Aviation's system. These are the small emergency airports, they handle only smaller single engine planes and are often located in remote areas. Some of these airports still have paved runways but limit landing speeds to under 100 miles per hour. For example Monument Municipal Airport has a 2100 foot runway with asphalt rated in January 2011 as being in good condition. There are also private airports in this class. Sandy River airport in Sandy, Oregon while open to the public, is privately owned.
There are some truly backwoods airports with dirt runways appropriate for only very simple planes. The Owyhee Reservoir State airport has a short dirt runway which is rated in poor condition. The only navigational aid provided by the airport is a rather old wind sock. Another airport with a dirt runway is the Illinois Valley airport. It has become well known as the home of Oregon smoke jumpers; those men who have to fight forest fires in remote areas. The Oregon Department of Aviation has a complete list of all of the registered airports in the State.
