Pedal your way through massive old growth, past bubbling blue pools, around alpine lakes, and along a indigenous explorer’s route on the Oregon Timber Trail. The Anaxshat Passage embodies the trails and backcountry landscapes of the Hood Tier, all easily accessible over a long weekend from the Portland metro area and geared towards a less-experienced mountain biker.
The Oregon Timber Trail’s Hood Tier traverses parts of the historic Skyline Trail—a precursor to the Pacific Crest Trail—from the base of Mount Jefferson towards Mount Hood. These verdant forests and countless spring-fed streams converge into one of the Willamette Valley’s mightiest watersheds: the Clackamas River. Estacada, less than an hour from downtown Portland, is the gateway to these endless forested mountain slopes and river rapids. Eventually, as you travel upstream from this old logging town, you’ll reach the Oregon Timber Trail and are left with a choice: north to the Columbia River Gorge or south all the way to California?