Road Trip Tahoe>Bend>Seattle
- Thread starter MrGreedom
- Start date
MrGreedom
Well-Known Member
Yup, we kept to the Paws on the Pavement guideline. And it was still a great day. We have our longboards so staying on the pavement was not a bad life. We were a huge attraction amongst the people with my 7mo 15lb mini Aussie striding along side our boards. We spent the day around the village, in the meadows, and Lower Falls. After Sunset went up to Glacier Point to look at the stars.Dog friendly trails in Yosemite?Paved bike path and sidewalks only.
Use the bear box. Food in the car overnight is asking for a trip-ending bear break-in in the valley proper.
On the way to Bend now. Driving through Redding the AQI is pretty nasty from fire.
scottay
Well-Known Member
.I'm one of the few who's ridden in Oregon, but never made it to Bend...Right down the road is Oakridge. It's a tiny little town, but they have two shuttle services and a bike shop. They also have the best diner on the planet at the edge of town. The lady who runs it is a culinary genius who utilizes every square inch of space.
Gonna tour lower Oregon first week of July for a week. . Eug./Bend/Medford/ Coast is the planned route.
Plans call for good hikes, beginner rides, maybe some river rafting. Crater lake is on the menu also.
Who's got tips on where to Eat, Play and Stay?
Thanks!
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Faust29
iMTB Hooligan
I'm only familiar with the Oakridge area... @mtbMike has been everywhere else.
As far as riding, the one that everyone goes for is the Alpine Trail. I've seen people on it, but never crowded... There's a shuttle, but the forest roads are in such good shape that my wife drove me to "Kate's Cut In" last time. I just did a straight shot back to the bottom on Alpine Trail, but it's easy to add on more mileage for a bigger day. Google the A-C-T-A route if you want something bigger that will take you away from the shuttle monkeys.
As far as food, if you do not stop at Stewart's 58 Drive-In, you've missed the boat... Shannon is a genius. She has taken minimal space, and converted every square inch into something unique. Sauces, relishes, coffees, treats, and diner food that would make Guy Fiere drool. I'd drive 100 miles out of the way for the Cuban sandwich, and a bowl of the black bean chili. Their hours are funny, so check Google... We missed the open window on one trip, and ended up at a barbecue place 1/4 mile away. That was also really good, but Stewart's is worth driving out there on its own.
This was from my first trip up there: https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/alpine-trail-oakridge-oregon.5131/
And the bigger ride that is popular with the locals, but not the shuttle monkeys: https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/a-t-c-a-round-two.6551/#post-101563
As far as riding, the one that everyone goes for is the Alpine Trail. I've seen people on it, but never crowded... There's a shuttle, but the forest roads are in such good shape that my wife drove me to "Kate's Cut In" last time. I just did a straight shot back to the bottom on Alpine Trail, but it's easy to add on more mileage for a bigger day. Google the A-C-T-A route if you want something bigger that will take you away from the shuttle monkeys.
As far as food, if you do not stop at Stewart's 58 Drive-In, you've missed the boat... Shannon is a genius. She has taken minimal space, and converted every square inch into something unique. Sauces, relishes, coffees, treats, and diner food that would make Guy Fiere drool. I'd drive 100 miles out of the way for the Cuban sandwich, and a bowl of the black bean chili. Their hours are funny, so check Google... We missed the open window on one trip, and ended up at a barbecue place 1/4 mile away. That was also really good, but Stewart's is worth driving out there on its own.
This was from my first trip up there: https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/alpine-trail-oakridge-oregon.5131/
And the bigger ride that is popular with the locals, but not the shuttle monkeys: https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/a-t-c-a-round-two.6551/#post-101563
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mtbMike
iMTB Rockstah
I'll focus on the "beginner rides" portion....you can do the shuttle with Ashland Mountain Adventures (obviously in Ashland). While there may be some blue trails involved, a beginner can navigate them for the most part at slower speeds. Salmon Creek (if it's open after last years fire) in Oakridge and the east side the Waldo Lake loop (as you cut across to Crate Lake) are both scenic beginner trails. I don't know anything about the beginner trails in Bend but I'm sure some exist.
As far as rafting....if you want mega mellow, you can essentially float in the Deschutes River in Bend. You can do some Class II rafting on the McKenzie River along Hwy 126 between Eugene and Bend. Be forewarned, the water is COLD!!! If you want to step it up a notch, you can rent some inflatable kayaks down on the Umpqua River east of Roseburg...one of the funnest days I've ever had on the river. There's a hole in the wall bar back there called The Narrows (in Idleyld Park) with absolutely fantastic burgers.
* Bonus info for others reading....while there is no beginner riding, the 71 mile North Umpqua River Trail (the NUT) is maybe the best riding in all of Oregon and there is a move afoot to turn a bunch it into Wilderness. You really should go ride it while you still can. You're not getting any younger. https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/87559/north-umpqua-imba-epic
Grassblade23
Member
I did Alpine on a road trip in 2018. Rented an Ibis Mojo plus and just missed the shuttle. My friend drove me up to Kate's Cut In and I got there the same time as the shuttle. She and the dog drove back down the mountain to go hike elsewhere, and I rode Alpine trail. It was the lushest thing I've ridden, but when I got back to the shop, they apologized for how "Blown-out" it was.
Here's a couple of those "Blown out" switchbacks.
On the drive up, we passed the shop owner who rode the fire road all the way up and then came down Alpine, stopping to take pictures every so often.
Views like this abound. In spite of all the descending there was a lot of climbing and I was torched at the end of the day. It was like a lush PNW version of SART Hellride. (If the Santa Ana looked anything like the North Fork of the Willamette.)
Faust29
iMTB Hooligan
Wow... You had views that day!
Every time I've done it, visibility has been about 10 feet either from rain or smoke.