Oakridge has three hundred plus miles of riding with everything from easy river trail rides to long downhill shuttle action. Because Oakridge is surrounded by millions of acres of national forest there are no secret trails on private land like Hood River. Some of the locals including the mayor are pushing hard rightfully, to establish it as a mountain biking Mecca. Part of the reason for this is that the local economy has never really recovered from the downturn in the logging industry. Oakridge used to be one of the epicenters of logging in the Willamette National Forest. Before the brakes got slammed on "harvesting" this National Forest cranked out the most board feet of any in the US.
The culture in Oakridge is the polar opposite of Bend. At one time Central Oregon too had one of the biggest logging operations in the country but where the old mill used to sit in Bend there is now a Victoria's Secret, a $250 a pair sunglass shop and a Gucci Western wear shop a la Sun Valley. Across the river big name rock acts play on what was once a log deck. Sadly in Oakridge where the their old mill was there is a concrete pad with weeds growing around it. Unless they have completed the clean up recently it is still an EPA "brownfield". You will only see this when passing through town so don't let is stop you from doing rides here. That info is just FYI. Oakridge is a small enough town where the night life is going revolve around going to the A&W and the roller rink / bowling alley and Ben Harper is probably not on the bill anytime soon.
In Bend the the outdoor jock scene holds court. In contrast Oakridge has an odd mix of old loggers, hippies and hippie logger hybrids (tye-dyed shirts, long hair, cigarettes and Budweiser). In a lot of ways this is a refreshing change from Bend where there are a hundred or so nationally ranked sponsored athletes accompanied by several thousand nationally ranked sponsored looking posers. Oakridge is not far from Eugene which is one of the hippie capitals of the world. It would be possible to drive about an hour to Eugene to take in the abundant night life where you odds of hearing Ben Harper would be considerably better. Maybe the Oakridge loggers will get lucky and there will be a bunch of retired wrinkle free California women who will move there and demand a Victoria Secret and drive up cosmetic surgery.
By the way hunting is a very big deal here in the fall so dress accordingly which doesn't mean camo, maybe tye dye, on second thought maybe tye dye would not be such a good idea. You don't want to look like a tree hugger with a psychedelic bulls eye out in the woods in October. Oakridge is also an excellent place to hunt Mushrooms in the fall if you are into that type of hunting. The abundance of certain varieties of mushrooms may have something to do with Eugene's permanent hippie class. If you know anything about mushrooms bring a knife and a some kind of bag.
Although Oakridge is surrounded by National Forest it is not generally as scenic as say Central Oregon or Hood River mostly because the snow capped Cascade Volcanoes are not as omnipresent. Being mostly on the west side of the Cascades in a temperate rain forest it is much wetter in the shoulder seasons and warmer in the summer. Although this country has been heavily logged, there are patches of big trees on many of the rides. Some of the rides are in certified old growth, most notably the Larison Creek Trail. The Larison Creek Trail is close to town as are many of the other good quality rides. Trails near Willamette Pass are claimed by Oakridge and Central Oregon as part of their total trail mileage but they are really closer to Oakridge.
Camping: There is good camping in National Forest campgrounds close to town. In the case of the Salmon Creek Campground there is a good but short single track river trail that starts at the campground. Although the locals would love it if you spent some money in town, being close to town is not all that big of an advantage here. There are a few decent restaurants, a grocery store and no doubt a liquor store. Some of the rides are "out there" and that is where you would likely camp.
In some areas of Oregon you may be able to get by printing some of the maps and descriptions on this site but for Oakridge I would recomend a map like Led Smith's Treadmaps. A lot of work went into the Oakridge area map in particular and if your are going to be in the area for more than a day or two you need to be biking with a map like this. There is more potential to get lost on some of the logging roads in this area than some other mountain bike destinations in the state. A Willamette National Forest Map would also be a real good idea. You can pick one up at the Middle Fork Ranger District office in Westfir which is very near Oakridge. You may also want to ask them about any trail or road closures due to washouts, logging activity etc.Middle Fork Ranger District
46375 Highway 58
Westfir, OR 97492
541-782-2283
FAX 541-782-5306
E-mail: Middle Fork Ranger District
Summer hours: 7 days a week 8-4:30 Memorial Day - Labor Day
Regular hours: Monday-Friday 8-4:30
