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Trail Description:
This trail goes around Timothy Lake.
Description CW from the dam. This is a multiple use trail with hikers, horse riders, and mtb. The west side of the lake is single track with rolling hills through forest. At the north end a junction has only one choice for mtb, and that's right on old trail 1916. The FS has just re-worked and made this trail which bypasses the gravel roads. It is rough track along this section aas it has not seem much use. There is one long hill on an old dirt road followed by a just as hard downhil through the rough road.
The 1916 trail gets very faint and dumps you onto the PCT ( no bikes! ) which leads me to believe they still have work to do.
Go right or south on the PCT for about 1/4 mile and you hit paved road. Go right for about 1/4 mile and the trail continues winding through the numerous campgrounds along this side of the lake.
The trail is very close to the shore.
How to get there:
Go to Estacada and follow FS roads and signs to Timothy Lake
| Posted by: tylerwalts on 7/28/2009 |
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From the previous comments, it looks like they have improved the trails a bit as I have gone both CW and CCW and it is easy to find your way. Just keep in mind that you are going in a circle around a lake and to always turn left (ccw) or right (cw)! last weekend I ran into a little traffic with a band of horses and some other bikers/hikers, but not too much and everyone was very courteous and let me pass with no problems. Also i found an awesome spot about halfway through where there is a bluff that gives a panoramic view - great place to take a snack break and i ended up jumping in the lake to cool off. great time!
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| Posted by: penrider on 9/30/2008 |
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Got this trail today with nobody on it. The sign that directed people down the gravel road in the wrong direction is no longer there and the route remains on the trail. Some interesting hills and small technical sections, but overall its really a good ride. Again, there was nobody out there, so it was nice to just fly down the hills. Here is the route to avoid the PCT: trail head at the dam, get on trail 528. Walk bike through the 600 ft of PCT that you have to follow to get to trail 537. Follow the signs to stay on 537, intersecting a number of gravel roads along the way. Sometimes 537 will use some service roads, just keep looking for signs. 527 ends at the road you came in on, Rd 42. Get on that, stay right at the fork just a couple hundred yards down, and continue for a half mile until you see the sign for trail 534. This dumps you back onto 528, and you're home free and back to the dam in no time. A good pace ride will get you around in about 3 hours, depending on you're s
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| Posted by: David on 9/22/2008 |
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Signs seem to be pretty easy to follow when we did this on our Mtn tandem last weekend so maybe they have been changed. The West side lake trail is wide smooth dirt track. The rest is much more rocky but still easy and enjoyable. There are numerous short cuts on gravel and paved roads if you want a shorter/easier ride.
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| Posted by: James on 7/19/2005 |
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good beginner ride pct trail adds a little technical stick to the trail closet to lake. There were a couple side trails that went to lake, I would recomend. I rode clockwise, and will try the other direction next year, either way is pretty easy.
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| Posted by: Johann & Sandra on 8/22/2004 |
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Good to read this board and see that others lost the trail besides us! The ride goes along great until you have to leave the 528 and hit the 1916 trail. The going is a little rough and rocky here, but still fun. Then, the trail hits a gravel road where a sign points you down the gravel road. This sign is wrong. Turn right up the rocky dirt road, not left down the gravel road. We and several others turned left down the gravel road (following the sign), and after 1 mile of gravel, we hit a paved road. Turning right toward Timothy Lake, we went another mile and turned right again toward the lake. About six miles of paved road later, we were back at the day use area.
The REAL trail goes up the dirt road and cruises downhill down fun singletrack. Next time we'll try that part!
The lake is beautiful, and the trail isn't too crowded, even on summer weekends, because of the length. After a good ride, you can take a swim.
I think the closest town to this lake is pro
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| Posted by: Jim on 8/21/2004 |
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First off I am a novice, but I know what I like. This trail was not made for mountain bikes. Trail 537 is from hell. To me it was a very slow trail with lots of rocks (not the fun kind) and tree roots sticking up. I think it makes a better hiking trail. Also, my bike it a hybrid, so certainly tainted my ride.
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| Posted by: BrianEdwards on 6/17/2004 |
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Trail is great. It is better to start in the camp ground and ride up the creek away from the dam. That way, you can climb the one rocky hill right off, then it's down hill the rest of the ride. I would highly reccomend the side trip to Little Crater Lake on the PCT. That lake is something you just can't explain in words, let's just go by the name! Highly reccomended.
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| Posted by: crusty on 8/15/2003 |
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i thought the trail was good until i reached the pct ,then i kinda felt lost until i found the paved road back to the campground . i wish i would of found the same ranger the other post found so i could of stayed on the pct ,or found the camp andrew found.
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| Posted by: andrew on 9/5/2002 |
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normally i would give this ride a 3 star but i met some chicks that were camping and drinking beer. I ended up drinking beer and making out around thier campfire, instead of finishing the ride. You make the call!
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| Posted by: Trevor Brownlee on 8/21/2002 |
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Your giving this trail a bad rap. First of all there is absolutely no pavement. It's a very fast dirt trail with small uphills. It's also a very popuplar trail for hikers and horses so watch out and pull over for horses. The ranger says that you can bike on the pacific crest side of the trail which may be the best part. You can get to it from mount hood or estacada but esatcada has a long gravel road that is pretty tight to drive. Wherever you start just make your way to the lakeside and you'll pickup the trail. It's best going clockwise.
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