3 Mountain Biking Destinations
Minutes From Corvallis Oregon
Though Corvallis offers dozens of miles of single track riding just minutes from town, if you’re interested in riding trails featuring jumps, wooden features, and thousands and thousands of feet of vertical descents, we’ve got just the places to check out. With each location featuring trails suitable for intermediate and advanced riders, you’re sure to find a new nearby favorite.
Alsea Falls
About 45 minutes south of Corvallis due west of Monroe, you’ll find Alsea Falls. Developed in partnership between Team Dirt and the Bureau of Land Management, this trail system features around seven miles of one-way downhill single-track. After parking at the trailhead, riders will ascend Fall Creek Access Road. About two-thirds of the way up, you’ll have the choice to turn right up the Misery Whip tie-in road or continue along Fall Creek Access Road toward Highballer. Heading toward Misery Whip will result in a total ascent of around 5 miles and about 1,500 vertical feet. If you continue along Fall Creek, your total ascent will be around 4 miles and just over 1,000 vertical feet. Either way, your hard work will be rewarded with long, flowing descents around steep berms, smooth rollers, and the occasional double. While Misery Whip and Whistlepunk feature stumps, exposed roots, and some rocky sections, the vast majority of the trails are smooth and capable of riding at whatever speed you feel most comfortable. Here, the dirt is a playground, and you can craft your ride exactly how you like it.
For more information, directions, or trail status reports, check out the Team Dirt website.
Black Rock
If your compass happens to be pointing north for the day, you’ll find Black Rock Mountain Bike Area about 45 minutes north of Corvallis. Due west of Falls City, the Black Rock Mountain Bike Area is the destination of choice for riders seeking more advanced trails, bigger jumps, and drool-inducing wooden features. After parking just off Black Rock Road, you’ll ride your bike along the gravel Socialist Valley Road about a mile to the trailhead. From there, you’ll face about 1,200 feet of climbing along roughly three miles of gravel road (and one small section of singletrack). After a quick drink of water and a few deep breaths, you’ll be greeted with a variety of trail options for your descent, ranging from green to double-black.
Novice riders and newcomers are best served taking Banzai. Rated as green and blue, this trail offers blistering descents, jumps, and wooden bridges. Each feature along the way offers ride-arounds for beginner riders not ready to get both wheels off the ground, making it the perfect introduction to the trail system here.
If you’re up for the challenge, the top of the system offers entry points to the single-black diamond Sickter Gnar and the double-black Granny’s Kitchen. With drops, jumps, and wooden features galore, you’ll be sure to find a feature to kick your heartrate into high gear.
If you aspire to one day fly high but your eyes bulge from the massive jumps and road gaps you’ll pass at Black Rock, be sure to check out the Basic Training area. Here you can try your hand at an array of drops and jumps that ascend in difficulty, so you can build the confidence needed to send it on the trails.
Oakridge
Oakridge is considered the mountain biking capital of the Pacific Northwest, and for good reason. According to Bicycling magazine, “you could ride here every day for an entire month and never hit the same trail twice.” Towering Douglas Firs and stunning, scenic lookouts will make the thousands and thousands of vertical feet on the way down a ride to remember. About 90 minutes from Corvallis, just southeast of Eugene, Oakridge is known for its long descents, gorgeous vistas, and wonderfully diverse mix of riding. From flowy to technical, you’ll be sure to find miles of trail to satisfy your wildest riding desires.
Park at the North Fork Trailhead just past the red covered bridge for easy access to the Alpine trail. If you like to earn your descents with sweat equity, prepare for a long day of riding as you’ll be looking at nearly 15 miles of gravel grinding to reach the top of the trail. Alternatively, shuttle services exist to ferry you and your bike to the top so you can save your energy for the jaw-dropping, 4,000 plus foot vertical descent back toward the parking lot. Better check the life on your brake pads before mounting up!
Just a stone’s throw away are the Tire Mountain, Cloverpatch, Lawler, Dead Mountain, and Salmon Creek trails. With shuttle options for each, maybe consider extending that weekend just a few days longer so you can take advantage of the area’s offerings.
If the thought of slaying the trails at Oakridge is giving you goosebumps, but you don’t want to deal with the headache of planning a trip there, consider signing up for one of Peak Sports Guided Trips. We’ll take the guesswork out of your adventure by directing you where to park, suggesting what to bring, and prepping you with what to expect. Oh, and we’ll take care of the shuttling, too!
Learn More at Peak Sports
If these destinations have you drooling in anticipation of your next mountain biking adventure, but you need a bike, accessories, or a bit of advice, be sure to visit us at the Peak Sports Bike Shop. Don’t hesitate to give us a call at 541-754-6444, visit our website at www.PeakSportsNW.com, or stop by the Bike shop at the intersection of NW 2nd St. and NW Jackson Ave. in downtown Corvallis. We love sharing our passion for riding, and we love helping our guests achieve their adventuring goals by directing them to the best places to explore and the best gear to carry them along the way!