Be careful, Oakridge, Oregon will change your life. This small town loves bikepackers (and all cyclists)! In the summer of 2017 I came here on vacation to check out the famous mountain biking, starting with Alpine Trail, one of the most well-known trails in the area. I camped next to a waterfall at Salmon Creek Campground, drank local craft beer at the pub, shot a game of pool with a stranger, and fell in love with the place. I came back a second time that summer to show a friend around, and then a THIRD time that same summer as a bikepacker when I did a thru ride of the Oregon Timber Trail! Fast forward five years and on a whim, I applied for a summer job at The Oakridge Bike Shop and Willamette Mountain Mercantile and that is how I found myself living in this dreamy little town last summer.

Around Mile 205.5 on the OTT, you ride onto Hwy 97 about half mile south of Chemult, OR. Chemult is the first town you pass through from the southern terminus without going off route. Chemult is a small town, but it has most services that a bikepacker could want, including hot food, showers, laundry, motels, a campground, and even an Amtrak station! Chemult was established in 1924 as a station on the Southern Pacific Cascade Line named “Knott” during construction. The station’s name was changed to Chemult when the line opened in 1926 and a post office was established the same year. The name Chemult comes from a Klamath chief who was one of the 26 who signed the Klamath Lake Treaty of October 14, 1864. Present day population is 300 and the town sits at an elevation of 4,764 feet.

The genius of the Oregon Timber Trail is that it takes you to towns like Silver Lake. My introduction to Silver Lake came in 2015 when riding the Oregon Outback Grand Depart. We left a rainy and misty Klamath Falls bright and early and by dinnertime, we were rolling into the Cowboy Dinner Tree for our late dinner. We were exhausted but instantly charmed by the rustic vibe and the fact that this unique restaurant seemed to exist in the middle of nowhere and somewhere out of time. The fact that we arrived under our own power through the woods made it the unique experience that it was.

“Did you know? Summer Lake was once a lush lake & wetland, during the Pleistocene epoch, and formed the great lake Chewaucan. The old lake was aprox. 461 sq miles, with depths up to 375 feet deep. It hosted a wide variety of life, with some of the earliest evidence of human life on this continent. The current Summer Lake is a mere 15 miles long, 5 miles wide, and has an average depth of 1 foot. The lake is now too alkaline to host any life, but is a popular bird migratory stop each year.” This little gem of a history lesson was courtesy of the glowing light board in the Paisley Saloon. We had just finished the Bear Creek Loop…well truthfully we rode it as a shuttle, but it’s available as a loop. The Saloon has a deep history itself, being one of the oldest pubs in Oregon. It started serving drinks in 1883! For OTT riders, as you approach the Chewacan river and you feel like you need a break or a solid meal, detour to Paisley and see what’s happening on that day. We asked our local guide, Michael to share a few local secrets.

Lakeview’s elevation is 4802 feet, which is why it’s known as the Tallest Town in Oregon, aka “Tall Town” If you’ve ridden the Timber Trail from the start, you’ll know that cattle ranching and hay production are key elements of the local economy. We asked Thom Batty, OTTA board member and owner of Tall Town Bike and Camp for the best spots to resupply. He also gave us a new bikeable route from Klamath Falls, which means you can take the Amtrak train to K-falls and pedal the 149 miles to the start of the trail. Tom has also offered to shuttle folks to the start and he says you can park in front of his house. That’s what I call small-town hospitality!