There are over 300 miles of singletrack trails in the Oakridge area, ranging from beginner to expert level, making it a great destination for riders of all skill levels and two shuttle companies providing easy access to all the trails. I spent a few weeks here criss-crossing the trails and having a blast. For purely mountain biking, it is great and my favorite area of Oregon, that said the 'town' is a little different. It's a small town with not much other than mountain biking going, on except for 'meth'.
One of the most popular trails in Oakridge is the Alpine Trail, which is a 16-mile ride that starts at over 5,000 feet in elevation and descends through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the area. My favorite chill Trail was Larison which is a nice blue level descent with a constant pull to the bottom. And my favorite Trail overall, that satisfied the my need for gnar was Eula Ridge. Details on all of those below.
My quick points
>> Beginner / Intermediate riders try Dead Mtn, or Larison.
>> If You're an Advanced Rider With limited time... go ride Lawler, and then if that felt like a cake walk, go hit Eula.
>> Eula is a legit gnarly steep gnarly trail. More red than black.
>> If you're venturing off the main shuttled trails, get confirmation that the trail is in good shape from someone. Foliage grows fast, so some trails get overgrown.
[Trail] Lawler
A spicy blue. Trailforks.
Lawler descends the mountain range west of Oakridge near Eula and Hardesty.
This was my favorite blue trail in Oakridge. It's a bit more technical than the other blues in the area
[Trail] Larison
Smooth gravity all the way to the bottom! Trailforks.
I didn't hear much about Larison from people riding in Oakridge and I didn't see much about it online before heading there... so when I pedaled out to it, my expectations were low. Which was great because it turned out to be an awesome ride.
Larison decends 2,700' over 3 miles. Those numbers make it seem pretty steep, but its not very technical, so it doesn't feel steep. Of course the faster you go, the more fun it gets.
Cogwild does run a shuttle up here, but the pedal up to the top is mostly paved, and not too steep, so it's a easy ride to hit without the shuttle.
[Trail] Eula Ridge
When you want it nasty. Trailforks.
Ah Eula. This one was gem. It's steep and gnarly. It's rated a black diamond, but I'll say it is on the very extreme site of black diamond and more butt-puckering than many red trails, I've ridden.
It's also a solid 3 steps more challenging than all the blues in the area. Riders that find nearby Lawler and Hardesty timid, may find themselves over their head on Eula. The videos of Eula simply don't do it justice.
>> I would not ride a XC bike on this trail.
>> It runs off hardesty so there will be some punchy climbing to get to the top.
>> Here's my Strava ride doing this as a pedal up. Shout out if you steal crown!
[Route] Alpine & ATCA
Alpine trail runs for 15 miles from the north, back into Oakridge. With about 2,000' of climbing and 4,500' descent its a point to point shuttle as opposed to a downhill run.
To increase the length of this ride you can link it up with Cloverpatch and Tire Mountain so the order goes Alpine-Cloverpatch-Tire-Alpine hence the name ATCA. Doing that link up gets you about 24 miles, 3,700' of climbing and 7,000' descending. It's a good XCish
[Trail] Dead Mountain
Dead mountain is a carved out flow trail with some pump ending right into the town. Riders of every level will have enjoy it, but that said I rode it once and didn't find it particularly engaging. I prefer slightly more rugged trails and, I didn't find it to be a great a flow trail. That said, some people really loved it.
[Trail] Young's Rock Trail
This trail is looped up with road and referred to as Moon Point Loop. It's 20 miles or so outside of town, but the Cogwild shuttle does run it. When I was here in July 2022, the lower half the trail was badly eroded and mildly overgrown which was a total buzz kill. If I had missed this trail, I would've been ok with that. If you're going to make the hike out and pedal up or pay for a shuttle, try to get some insight from someone that has ridden it recently.
Recommend Shop
There's only one bike shop in town; Willamette Mountain Mercantile Bike Shop. Fortunately they're a good one. They had a good selection of items, a nice looking rental fleet and their staff was very competent. While I was in Oakridge I did need my chain, cassette and ring replaced and they handled it with ease. I'd have not problem relying on them for anything more complex my bike needed.
Shuttle Operations In Oakridge
While I was there I used the Cogwild Shuttle. They had a nice outpost in town where some of the shuttles left from and other shuttles that pick you up at the point where your ride will end. The shuttle crew is cool and insightful and the shuttle is a pretty typical van that gets you from point A to B.
They have quite a few daily shuttles so you can usually do 2 shuttle rides a day. Cost is $20-40 per shuttle or a 7 punch page for (about) $180. I got the 7 punch pass and typically did XC ride followed by a later in the day ride on the shuttle.
There was another shuttle option running around
A Quick Word On The Town
As I mentioned in the intro, it's a small town with a clear meth problem. You'll notice it in peoples faces when you make stops in town and possibly where you stay as I did. It's a stark difference from the places mountain biking travel usually takes you. That said, I wouldn't let that detour me from coming back again for a few weeks.
When it comes to places to stay, none of the hotels in the area looked decent and reviews on them were mixed. I stayed in two Airbnb's and would recommend others do the same. The first one was a small house in town that was merely alright and surrounded by questionable characters, unleashed dogs and a lot of domestic violence at night. As someone who rarely locks the doors, in uncanny fashion I was triple checking all the locks on my doors and windows here. The second one was a rental cabin on a small private farm. This one was nice and just up the road from Larison Rock trail.
Dining options are also sparse in Oakridge. There was really one restaurant/bar and other than that you have a Dairy Queen, and the grocery store. So if you're hanging out there for any period of time, be prepared to make some food.
What is cool is that the people are warm & friendly in a way that you often don't find in snobby mountain towns where local are basically annoyed by tourism.