PNW Must Do Rides

[ridinshockgun]

I agree that you don't really need to add mileage to Angel's Staircase and I like a good 8-9k day once in a while. It is 100% singletrack with quite a bit of tech climbing and if you want a harder day just get after it and climb everything on the bike. If the weather is nice you'll want to linger at the passes and the lakes too. But yeah you can start at foggy dew and add another few k of vert. Since it is late season and it is a moto trail I wouldn't do it before significant fall precip at this point though but if you're coming up from Tahoe you may not mind moon dust.

What do you mean by adventure ride? You want sketchy alpine tech, bushwhacking, hike a bike, etc with amazing scenery (Icicle Ridge, Nason/Rock Mountain)? Or just long days in the mountains but still require high quality singletrack?

[riff]

For some interesting ideas regarding big adventure rides, check out cascadesingletrack.com.

Some of it is really a stretch to do on a bike but there’s some originality to the possibilities that I enjoy.


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[ridinshockgun]

For some interesting ideas regarding big adventure rides, check out cascadesingletrack.com.

Some of it is really a stretch to do on a bike but there’s some originality to the possibilities that I enjoy.


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Agree, some really cool ideas can be taken from that site. It seems to be kind of timeless as well

[xyz]

O’Leary Mountain Loop, starting up Ollalie, over to O’Leary, up Castle Rock, down King’s Castle is one of the best asskicking loops with rad descents in OR.
.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time riding in the PNW and this descent could be one of the best.

[Dromond]

Thanks for the tip on O’Leary - I’ll have to check that out someday.

Angel’s Staircase is the most backcountry-like ride I have done. I did not think the riding was that great, and we were devoured by horseflies - it wasn’t late enough in the season. It was gorgeous, though.

[Dromond]

Ape canyon to plains of Abraham (mt St Helens)

Raging river. Full lollipop or infinity loop.

Strawberry mtn in the Gifford pinchot natl forest

Suntop or any of the other 410 trails near crystal mtn/Rainier

Katchess

Are you looking for just XC?

Suntop was getting hammered when I rode it last year - still pretty fun though. Kachess has gotten much more rough and gnarly over the years but is beautiful for sure and has a lot of fun sections. The raging infinity loop is fantastic with 4,300’ of climbing, fun moderate tech downhills, and options for even longer if you want. I would say don’t miss this unless it’s wet. Curious about Strawberry mountain!

[SchralphMacchio]

I’ve spent quite a bit of time riding in the PNW and this descent could be one of the best.

Bottom TH of King’s is about an hour from my house [emoji869]

[ridinshockgun]

Thanks for the tip on O’Leary - I’ll have to check that out someday.

Angel’s Staircase is the most backcountry-like ride I have done. I did not think the riding was that great, and we were devoured by horseflies - it wasn’t late enough in the season. It was gorgeous, though.

Angel's Staircase is not for everyone and that is ok.

Personally I think it is a great day in the mountains on your bike and after a good fall precip the descent from Horsehead Pass to the car is absolutely amazing and leaves a grin on your face you can't wipe off for weeks. I also enjoy the techy off camber challenge of the staircase proper vs a purpose built bike trail with big corners and catch berms.

The climb to Cooney Lake and Horsehead Pass are both super fun rideable tech climbs.

I always go late Sep or early Oct after significant fall precip and hopefully just before the snow. This plan does not always result in a weekend day though and if you mess around you can can shut down with a big snow storm.

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[thefortrees]

What’s your definition of adventure ride? So many options... especially in Gifford Pinchot. A ride I haven’t seen mentioned is Falls Creek, not high on the tech factor but it’s such a fast and fun descent over 13 miles. It will get you in the 30 mi/5k range if you pedal from falls creek TH, up to McClellan meadows, loop back up to hit terminator, McClellan meadows again then falls creek back to the car. There’s some cool lava tubes and waterfalls along the trail.

[grubbers]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

What’s your definition of adventure ride?

Long loops in big mountains, lots of vert, some good technical sections, hike a bike is ok, great views. Basically I just want to do some 6+ hour rides in the mountains instead of just hot lapping Galbraith (as fun as that is) while I'm up in the PNW.

[xyz]

Devils Gulch south of Leavenworth is pretty legit too if not mentioned already.

[riff]

The stuff around basalt peak/chikamin ride up the chiwawa river might bear mention.


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[SchralphMacchio]

Long loops in big mountains, lots of vert, some good technical sections, hike a bike is ok, great views.

Everything I listed for Oregon matches this description- except Pyramids Loop probably exceeds this and is more like an Epic. The first part is supposedly endless HAB, then I’m sure when your legs give out after 7 or 8k vert there’s plenty of rideable HAB as well!

[MagnificentUnicorn]

The stuff around basalt peak/chikamin ride up the chiwawa river might bear mention.


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Nice but I think it will be closed until October or next spring because of the fire.


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[ridinshockgun]

Thanks for the advice everyone.


Long loops in big mountains, lots of vert, some good technical sections, hike a bike is ok, great views. Basically I just want to do some 6+ hour rides in the mountains instead of just hot lapping Galbraith (as fun as that is) while I'm up in the PNW.

Go do the Goat Mountain -> Tumwater -> Goat Creek -> Vanson -> Green River loop just northeast of Mt St Helens. One of the best backcountry epics in the country. You get the views and you get epic, extremely high quality singletrack descents, a really interesting technical climb in Goat Creek and you'll be on your bike for 6 hours +. Also two lakes to swim in as well. Do the loop CCW from the Goat Mountain TH.

I wouldn't personally recommend anything East of the Cascades (as a destination trip) for someone right now until there is significant fall precipitation.

[caulfield]

I wouldn't personally recommend anything East of the Cascades (as a destination trip) for someone right now until there is significant fall precipitation.

that's a good call

[Dromond]

Angel's Staircase is not for everyone and that is ok.

Personally I think it is a great day in the mountains on your bike and after a good fall precip the descent from Horsehead Pass to the car is absolutely amazing and leaves a grin on your face you can't wipe off for weeks. I also enjoy the techy off camber challenge of the staircase proper vs a purpose built bike trail with big corners and catch berms.

The climb to Cooney Lake and Horsehead Pass are both super fun rideable tech climbs.

I always go late Sep or early Oct after significant fall precip and hopefully just before the snow. This plan does not always result in a weekend day though and if you mess around you can can shut down with a big snow storm.

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That's good advice. That route just needs appropriate expectations for what it is and likely good timing. Definitely an adventure ride and very scenic.

[SchralphMacchio]

I wouldn't personally recommend anything East of the Cascades (as a destination trip) for someone right now until there is significant fall precipitation.

Or west of the Cascades, because of the fires and smoke!

King Castle looks likely roasted, MODIS and GOES data showed fire all over the west side of Castle Rock peak

Most Oregon trans cascade highways closed except for 58 over Willamette Pass ... 138, 126, 20, 22 (not sure about 242) all closed due to fire activity.

Silver Falls SP outside of Salem looked spared - fire got right into the park boundary.

I did a shitload of defensible space fuel clearing work at my house today - thank goodness for 3M P100 respirators!

[ShoNuff]

Lots of good info here. I'd second the Staircase, but it might be a bit dry right now. Still worth it I'd say. CW lollipop from crater, or the big CCW loop starting at Foggy Dew for a few K more and a 6000 foot descent. The Goat mountain loop in the Gifford mentioned above is stellar as well. Super scenic and ripping singletrack.

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[ridinshockgun]

Or west of the Cascades, because of the fires and smoke!
!

Yeah the situation kind of exploded pretty quick Monday. I was actually driving home from Goat Mountain and watched the smoke blow in over White Pass. Just made it through before the fires closed 167, etc.

Looks like our westerlies return Thursday so that should clear things out for the weekend and a chance of rain early next week. The lesser trafficked stuff west of the crest still riding pretty good even though the soil is quite dry and just a good marine layer for a night or two will get things running decent again.

[grubbers]

Or west of the Cascades, because of the fires and smoke!

I'm definitely keeping an eye on this. With the closures in California, I'm wondering if they're going to follow suit anywhere else.

[SchralphMacchio]

Hard to say.

Yeah all NF land closed in California now.

Oregon is scrambling for resources but we have moist air coming after the weekend. It would be unprecedented to close entire NFs in Oregon, but if Medford and White City continue to be threatened and parts of Springfield need to evacuate, it would be a massive resource strain to try to deal with new potential spotting due to all the dry fuel. I still think complete forest closures would be unlikely and Ranger District closures possible ... either way I could see closures in or of Willamette, Deschutes, Fremont Winema and Siskyou NFs being reasonable.

[SchralphMacchio]

Okay, we are starting to see ranger district closures up and down the state now ...

Rogue Siskyou - Siskyou Mountains Fistrict Closed
Willamette NF closed

Umpqua Deschutes and Fremont Winema appear to be open ... for now ...

But the state has no firefighters. Almost 100% of efforts statewide to date have been on rescue evac and structure protection - almost no containment activities. We have a million acres burned in 3 days. They are talking about emergency training of national guardsmen to become a firefighter, which takes 2 weeks before those crews can be allocated to active incidents. We have a 150000 acre (and growing) fire burning 13 miles down the road from here that only has 209 personnel and only got an incident commander yesterday. 2 days ago it had 39 personnel and was 100,000 acres.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see more outright ranger district closures.

[grubbers]

Thankfully it's looking like OR/WA will see some precip next week.

[SchralphMacchio]

BLM just closed too - that’s Alsea Falls and Black Rock Mountain Bike Areas