Ride the Oregon Timber Trail
The Oregon Timber Trail is 700 miles of trail and backcounty roads along Oregon’s mountain spine from California to the Columbia River Gorge. It runs south to north and travels through a variety of mountainous landscapes and small communities.
The Oregon Timber Trail is inspired by the Pacific Crest Trail and other long distance routes in the National Scenic Trail system. What sets it apart is that it’s designed with mountain biking in mind - about 60 percent of the route is trail open to biking.
Some people ride the entire route in a few weeks and others take a month or more. Some just ride one section at a time and space out the journey over several years. The OTT corridor also includes rides that last only a weekend or a day.
We’ve organized our rider resources into three sections: MTB rides, Tier Loops, and Long Distance.
Enjoy your journey and share the adventure with the #oregontimbertrail hashtag on Instagram.
BYPASSES
We’ve developed these bypasses to provide alternative routes to portions of the main route. A bypass may be useful to steer clear of fire closure areas. Excessive snow or downed trees on the trail may be another reason to use a bypass. If a portion of the main route is beyond your biking skills or endurance then a bypass gives you an easier way around that section. Finally, a bypass may be useful when you want to create a loop to ride.
(Click on the title for link to each bypass)
Crane Mountain Bypass
The Crane Mountain bypass provides an easier option to the trail up and over Crane Mountain. The bypass is 100% gravel roads and skirts to the east of Crane Mountain. In contrast, the main route is 85% singletrack. The main route and the bypass are about the same distance but the bypass has 1,700 less feet of climbing. The bypass goes by two rustic car campgrounds, each with a year-round stream.
Morgan Butte Bypass
The Morgan Butte Bypass provides an alternative to the gravel roads and singletrack between Highway 395 and the Chewaucan River. The route heads north on Highway 395 and follows paved roads to the town of Paisley. From there it goes up the river eight miles before intersecting the main route at Chewaucan Crossing Campground. The bypass is about the same length as the main route but has 3,500 feet less climbing. The main route is 73% singletrack while the bypass is all pavement. Paisley is a handy stop for food, lodging, and bike repairs.
Winter Ridge Bypass
The Winter Ridge bypass skirts along the Summer Lake and Silver Lake playas just north of the towering Winter Rim escarpment. It travels through the communities of Paisley and Silver Lake. Stopping at the Summer Lake Hot Springs along the way is a treat. The bypass is 10 miles longer than the main route but has 2,600 fewer feet of climbing. It is mostly on paved roads while the main route is challenging singletrack.
Winter Ridge Trail Bypass
A 22-mile-long section of trail along Winter Ridge is now too brushy to ride so the Winter Ridge Trail bypass was created to provide a roughly parallel route that sticks mostly to dirt roads. It’s six miles longer and has 600 feet more climbing. Like the trail route, it goes past the Fremont Point lookout. No rider should miss that view.
Yamsay Mountain Bypass
The main route up and over Yamsay Mountain is one of the most isolated sections of the Oregon Timber Trail and a major undertaking. The main route is 41% singletrack and has 4,000 feet of climbing. The bypass is about the same length as the main route but has only 2,000 feet of climbing. Fifty nine percent of the bypass is on gravel roads, with the remainder on paved roads. These roads wind along the north flank of Yamsay Mountain and pass by several year-round streams.
Crescent to Cultus Bypass
The Crescent to Cultus bypass was developed to avoid the long drop down to Oakridge and the demanding climb back up to the crest of the Cascade Mountains. It skirts to the east of the crest, connecting Crescent Lake to Cultus Lake. It’s about 100 miles shorter than the main route and has 10,600 fewer feet of climbing. It avoids the challenging singletrack of the Middle Fork trail and the Bunchgrass Ridge trail. The main route is 74% singletrack while the bypass is about half pavement and half gravel road. The bypass takes in a number of lakes and reservoirs, as well as car campgrounds and small resorts.
Oakridge to MRT via Aufderheide Bypass
The Oakridge to MRT bypass provides a western route around the Three Sisters Wilderness and connects Oakridge to the main route near Santiam Pass. The route follows paved roads out of Oakridge, going up and over the watershed divide to the McKenzie River. It picks up the McKenzie River Trail and follows the trail north to intersect the Oregon Timber Trail at the upper trailhead. The bypass is 89 miles shorter than the main route and has 11,000 fewer feet of climbing. The bypass is 25% singletrack while the main route is 63%. The bypass goes through the community of McKenzie Bridge, which has food and lodging.
Idahna Bypass
The Idahna bypass provides an alternate way to connect the north end of the Old Cascade Mountains Ridge to the community of Breitensbush. It goes past Detroit Lake and the town of Detroit which has food and lodging. From Detroit, the bypass follows a paved road up the Breitenbush River nine miles where it then intersects the main route. The bypass is about the same length as the main route but has 2600 fewer feet of climbing.
Olallie Lake Bypass
The 2021 Lionshead Fire left the 8 miles of trail east of Ollalie Lake in poor shape and as of 2024 the trail is unrideable. Riders should instead take the gravel road to the east. The road goes by several lakes, car campgrounds, and the small Ollalie Lake store. It has the same amount of climbing but is six miles longer.
Post Canyon Southbound
The Oregon Timber Trail takes in the mountain biking and multi-use trails of Post Canyon between Kingsley Reservoir and Hood River. These trails offer some fun singletrack. Nearly all of those trails are conventionally ridden in a downhill direction due to their steepness and the risk of being run over. Riders who are tackling the Oregon Timber Trail from the Washington border to the California border (southbound) will instead need to ride the two easy go-back trails (Seven Streams and El Dorado) and then a series of logging roads up to Kingsley Reservoir, where you intersect the main route. The Post Canyon Southbound route is about the same length as the main route.
Updates and Detours:
Avoid the 22 miles of trail along Winter Rim (mile 108.5 to 130.9). It is too brushy to bike. Instead, use the Winter Ridge Trail bypass.
Avoid the Red Lake and Lodgepole trails west of Olallie Lake (mile 559.3 to 566.8). The trails have many logs across them and so are unrideable. Instead, use the Olallie Lake bypass.
3/22/2024. Most of the route is still under snow. The snowpack is a normal depth for this time of year. Patience!
MTB Rides
No time for bikepacking? You can car camp or stay in a hotel and still ride the OTT. Check out the best 5-50 mile MTB rides in each tier for any skill level.
Learn More ➜
Long Distance
Thru-ride the whole shebang. Or maybe just a Tier. This is the in-depth route guide and GPS files for all your long-distance bikepacking trips on the OTT.
Learn More ➜
Tier Loops
These loops provide bikepacking experiences on the Oregon Timber Trail that are more accessible to a variety of skill levels and doable in a 3-day weekend—all while maintaining the essence of the Tier that they’re exploring.
Learn More ➜
Race/Tour the OTT
Each year in early July riders line up at the start of the Oregon Timber Trail as a group and either race or tour the route. The choices in 2024 are either the 300 miles to Oakridge or the 700 miles to the end of the OTT at Hood River. The intent for those racing is to complete the challenge under their own power with no outside support, caches, crews and pre-arranged meetings. Those who are in touring have a more relaxed mode and can share food, water, and moral support among themselves. Either can be fun!
Learn More ➜
The OTT at a Glance
“The small towns the route passes through, large amount of alpine singletrack and people of Oregon and Cascadia were truly special!”
The adventure begins near the California border, an hour drive from the isolated town of Lakeview. Within the first ten miles the route crests at 8,000 feet and then continues north and west through little-traveled basin and range country. The riding is rugged with vistas of Mt Shasta, the Three Sisters Mountains, and the expansive Fort Rock Basin. As the route climbs westward through volcanic debris from the massive Mount Mazama eruption of 8000 years ago, the landscape slowly begins to change. Lakes and streams start appearing, and then as you reach the crest of the Cascade Mountains at Timpanogas Lake the forests shift dramatically from dry, tan open forests to dank, green towering groves. You’ll follow the faint gurgling streams as they come together and merge into the Middle Fork of the Willamette River leading you to the mountain biking mecca of Oakridge. Roughly halfway, and one of the two larger towns on the route, Oakridge is a great place to treat yourself to some cask ale at the 3 Legged Crane, a clean bed and shower at one of the lodges, or even a day of unloaded shuttles on some of the legendary trails in the area.
“Remoteness, views, and backcountry singletrack were the most rewarding part of my experience.”
Once well-fed and rested, you begin the ascent of Bunchgrass Ridge through terrain recently scarred by fire and alpine beargrass meadows quickly recovering. Eventually you descend the slopes of Fuji Mountain, crossing the crest of the Cascades a second time, and enter the Deschutes Tier. These high cascade lakes and peaks are the work of relatively recent and dramatic volcanic activity that created a rocky, and sandy alpine environment. After coursing by Mount Bachelor and the Three Sisters you descend into the town of Sisters and cross over the mountains once again along the historic Santiam Wagon Road.
Say goodbye to open ponderosa forests as you enter the roller coaster of the Old Cascade Crest and Olallie Lakes area exploring lush ridges, pocket lakes and roaring streams all dominated by Mount Jefferson looming to the east. The trails are steep, narrow and demanding. As you continue north, Mount Hood steals your attention as Jefferson recedes behind you. The trails loop around lakes and old forests while slowly leading you up Gunsight Ridge, prepping you for your final descent along Surveyor’s Ridge and towards Hood River via Parkdale and the Post Canyon trail system. Dip your tires in the Columbia River, lay in the grass, and buy yourself a beer and burger—you just rode your mountain bike across the whole state.
