Trail Description:
One of the most beautiful trails in the northwest! This trail winds along the McKenzie river through an old growth forest. The trail is carpeted with pine needles, with stream crossings,bridges, and waterfalls. Very stunning!
How to get there:
From Eugene: Drive about 50 miles east of Eugene on highway 126 to McKenzie Bridge trailhead. Trailhead is on the left.
Additional Notes:
Some people shorten the ride by shuttling to the top and riding down.
| Posted by: 2 4 Iowa on 8/28/2009 |
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Get a good map and in general, take the log crossings. These will keep you on route. 1st third is technical, slow, and has the potential to eat you up if your skills are not honed. 2nd third starts to open up, speed increases, climbs are moderate. Bottom third is a breeze / with flowing single track... Shuttle is the way to go (Cogwild in Bend served me well) unless you want to ride the road back to the trail head. Strong ride but there are equally strong, if not better, rides west of Bend up Skyliner road... Stop into the LBS and ask for a map that will give you all you want... Bend is 100% dedicated to supporting riders. Rentals were spot on as was Cogwild who will shuttle you and or cover your tail on other guided rides.
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| Posted by: Doswheels on 6/16/2009 |
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I just rode the MRT. I had to call the
paramedics because I overdosed on SWEET
Singletrack. I rode both ways around
Clear Lake and recommend taking the
"right" route at the top edge of the
lake. The left side route is OK but not
worth the nonsense of riding through the
paved lava trail area. I found myself
wondering near the end of the ride
"when this will end?" It is simply
awesome. It is best done with a shuttle.
A must ride for anyone anywhere near
Oregon.
(some of the signage has been pilfered,
just keep heading downhill and stay next
to the river when in doubt)
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| Posted by: Dawn on 5/13/2009 |
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I am heading to Oregon to explore and am bringing my bike. This sounds like a fun trail, will it be dry enough to ride by May 23rd?
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| Posted by: Melanie from Cog Wild on 2/15/2009 |
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Hey everyone! The MRT is a trail not to miss. If you are going to be in the Bend area, please contact us, Cog Wild, the local mountain bike tour and shuttle company to get on one of our shuttles to the trail. We drop you at the top and pick you back up at the bottom, so you can ride the entire trail hassle free, carpool to save resources and meet some locals too! www.cogwild.com or 541-610-7238. Give us a call if you have any questions about the trail as well. Cheers!
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| Posted by: Billy on 11/12/2007 |
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One of the most scenic rides anywhere! We started about 1 mile past Clear Lake on the right, and rode 26 miles to McKenzie Bridge Trailhead. It was beautiful, technical, long and grueling pretty much in that order. Along Clear Lake there is a single track asphalt trail,running through the lava fields don't let it fool you, It's a challenging warm up to say the least. The lake and surrounding areas are spectacular. Sahalie Falls comes to soon after the lake, but very impressive! The top 5-8 miles is through lots of lava flows. Some were best walked, the ones you ride make you really consider the cost of a miscue. Scary! If I had more protective gear than helmet and gloves, I would wear it here. Nearly 13 miles from the top we stopped for lunch at the Blue Pool. Never really seen anything like it. The river pushes and seethes its way back up from under the ground Just Awesome! The ride becomes a little less tech around this area, but still be prepared to adjust 1/2 way through a
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| Posted by: Patricia Seagrove on 8/27/2005 |
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Please dismount and walk on the part of the McKenzie Trail near Sahalie and Koosah falls. The trail is very steep, winding and you can't see who or what's ahead of you. This is very hazardous because there's lots of traffic from families with kids and elderly parents. The Forest Service has posted signage saying that the area is not suitable for biking, but it's begin ignored.
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| Posted by: Chris E. on 6/28/2004 |
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This is simply the best trail in Oregon. Perhaps the best I've ridden period. As stated by the others, the top 4.5 miles is a nice easy warm up around Clear Lake. Then you get into some progressively technical lava fields for the next 8-miles or so. If I were to do this again, I'd put on platform pedals instead of my clipless, lowe the seat a bit and turn my stem upwards. Actually, a BMX bike would be kick in this area!
After you clear the lava, the rest of the trail is butter. There are a few clims but they're not particularly steep or technical. The only thing that spooked me a bit was how close parts of this narrow trail get to some very steep (and high) drop-offs down to the river for some fairly long sections...BE VERY CAUTIOUS.
Great ride!
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| Posted by: Jim Wolfe on 4/29/2004 |
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I have ridden many trails throughout this great country-and this one ranks in the top 3!Stunning scenery,enough waterfalls to satisfy,and rolling singletrack all by a gushing class 3 (sometimes 4) river.I totally agree with one of the reviewers-invest in some clipless pedals-but don,t have anything to do with Kore Gass pedals.They are one sided (how dumb is that?)
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| Posted by: jimbo on 10/13/2003 |
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Rode the trail in August '03, on a rigid Bridgestone MB-3. Have ridden all over Moab, Austin greenbelt, Aspen and rest of Colorado and would say that this is the most beautiful of all trails. Nobody mentioned the waterfalls, and the tamolitch blue hole you pass by on the way down- gorgeous. Very easy to get distracted- I did my first ENDO near the falls. Started at the north Trail head, rode around clear Lake on the way down. Maybe I am not in the greatest shape- am not twenty anymore, but this trail had lava sections near the beginning that kicked my ass- read all the posts about "smooth singletrack", "no roots", etc. I have never seen so many roots, tire-destroying lava rocks, at least during the entire first 10 miles. And unless you have 7 to 10 hours set aside to loop this trail shuttle by all means.
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| Posted by: mtbmxcando on 5/26/2003 |
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this is an excellent trail for everyone tech. in begining and easy after the lava. little climbing in middle.but, it's to all the falls. this is worth it.the sites are great they make the ride what it is epic. trail is hard porisse lava to hard pack with pine needles.rocks are intermitent. roots well i don't remember any so thats good.
if you stop alot it will take over 5 hrs. easy to do all 25 mls.I didn't ride road up it was crazy cars dong 70 wizzing passed you. winding around noway!
must start before 8 am. to beat traffic on trail.
do it on a weekday it will help.
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