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| There is an abundance of recreational opportunities in the area. Whether you like to hike, mountain or road bike, kayak, fish, ski (water and snow), camp or backpack, you will find it here in the Willamette National Forest. The area features nearly 500 miles of trails and dozens of lakes and waterways. |
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| MT Biking and Hiking Trails |
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Alpine Trail (20-50 miles) – The Crown Jewel. – Smooth
and fast, with breathtaking panoramic views. To earn the thrill, you climb 8-12
miles on forest service roads. Once you hit the trail, there is a little work,
some minor technical, and then it’s all downhill for over three hours! Lots
of loops and offshoot options including; Tire Mt, Cloverpath, North Fork and more..
Larison Creek – Highly technical single-track, particularly
at the top. The ride starts from camp, up three miles of paved road, then ten
of gradually climbing fire road to the trailhead. The Creek ride is the perfect
test of skill and courage. Extreme switchbacks, exposed roots, and stream crossings
are a few of the challenges. About halfway down, it opens up and lets you ride,
almost continually. Around two hours on the trail then a couple miles of downhill
pavement back to camp.
Larison Rock – Fun, short, and quick, with patches of
technical. A five-mile paved climb from camp puts you at the trailhead. The
trail winds down the hills over camp. Although mostly smooth and fast, it slows
down for some steep narrows and tight spots. Plan for 2-3 hours, round-trip
from camp.
Heckle Tooth (20-50 miles) – The other epic ride –
An easy ride from camp puts you on the Salmon Creek Trail. Then it is up the
fire lane, how far is your choice – the higher, the harder. The 20-mile
loop climbs for six-miles before you enter the trail, a speed zone through the
rolling hills and generous switchbacks. The 35-mile loop adds elevation plus
climbing. It is only a steep climb in a couple of spots early and the reward
is that you ride down the edge of the mountains. The 50-miler is a rider’s
ride – tight, technical switchbacks and obstacles reward the extra climb.
Not for the weak!
Salmon Creek – A beautiful ride up the river to the
Salmon Creek Falls. This flat, groomed trail runs right through camp and includes
a variety of local points of interest along the ride. There are no hills or
obstacles. A straight round trip is about 12 miles. For a harder Option: Cross
the Salmon Creek Bridge for rolling hills with some technical patches. Gain
some vertical with a trip up Dead Mountain then back on the Flat Creek Trail.
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| Driving and Motorcycle Routes |
| A favorite paved route for road motorcycles from Café to Harleys is the
Oakridge/McKenzie/Bend/Cascade loop
This amazing ride includes rivers, waterfalls, lakes and much more and much
of the ride is on very low traffic roads.
The ride starts in Oakridge, from there head to Westfir (3 miles away) and
get on the Aufderheide Scenic Byway (Forest Service RD 19) ride on the Aufderheide
for 56 miles until you reach HWY 126 at McKenzie Bridge, follow 126 until you
reach HWY 242 The Old McKenzie HWY Pass, ride 242 into Sisters…ride from
Sisters to Bend, once in Bend get on Century Drive, Century becomes the Cascade
Lake HWY, follow it until it intersects with the Davis Lake cut off Rd, once
there head towards HWY 58 and then follow HWY 58 back to Oakridge.
Another low traffic route is the newly paved route between Oakridge and Cottage
Grove.
Take HWY 58 east and turn off on the Hill Creek Res exit, drive one mile and
turn onto Diamond Blv (Forest Service RD 21) drive a couple miles and then turn
onto Larison Rock RD (Forest Service RD 2102) follow the pavement…DO NOT
follow the signs to Cottage Grove, as they have not been changed for the new
paved route…just watch for pavement at junctions, there is only one paved
route. |
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