I wanted to see if there is any interest in fly-in Mountain Biking, with shuttle ride on the Mckenzie River Trail.

The McKenzie river trail looks pretty incredible. I have not had a chance to ride it yet but the lower section that I have hiked was sweet.



This description is from Mckenzierivertrail.com

"You hear people quack on and on about the McKenzie River Trail and you begin to wonder whether any single trail can really be that great. Then you ride the McKenzie River Trail and you realize that, if anything, folks have been downplaying its greatness. It’s not that the McKenzie is incredibly challenging (though the lava rock sections on the upper end are a handful).
What makes the McKenzie so great is the almost seamless flow of winding singletrack. You bob, duck and weave, hour after hour, along a perfectly buff ribbon of riverside singletrack. No painful climbs or obligatory fire roads here. It’s just one constant blur of mossy, old growth forest. When all is said and done, you’ll have descended about 1,800 feet, been witness to scores of waterfalls, deep blue pools and mountain biking Hallmark moments. It’s a slight downhill, perfect, really, for middle chain ring cruising. But start early, this is still an all-day ride for fit riders."
- Trails TV
1/ 3

Difficulty
McKenzie River Trail Difficulty The Upper Trail is Intermediate to Advanced
The Lower Trail is Beginner to Intermediate
General Information
- The trail has multiple access points that allow for a great ride no matter what your skill level.
- This is single track - with logs, roots and rocks. It is not a wide path. You will be timing your foot pedals to ensure you don't hit your feet or pedals on these obstacles.
- There are sections of lava that can be quite fatiguing for many riders - it is also not very forgiving should you fall on it.
- The trail is NOT a downhill ride - it trends downhill, drops approx 1800 ft and goes up 1000 ft. - bottom line - lots of pedaling.
- For some the length is also an issue. You can arrange a shorter ride by using a shuttle service like the one offered by McKenzie River Mountain Resort 541-822-6272



Which Brings us to the Shuttle, If we get three riders or more its $25. The pick up spot is just a few miles down the trail from the airport. 9:30am is the pick up time. A 25 minute ride in the Shuttle Van and 24 miles of single track back to the plane.


McKenzie River Area Shuttle:
McKenzie River Mountain Resort 541-822-6272
How it works - We meet you at the bottom of the trail and take you and your bike to the top. You ride back to your car. (Hikers are welcome too!)

How Much - $30 per person. Bring friends - groups of 3 or more in same party save $5 each - only $25!

When Does the Shuttle Run -

McKenzie River Trail: Daily from April - November - if we have reserved riders the shuttle runs. 9:30 am is the normal run time, followed by an 8 am and 11am shuttle as they fill up.


Do you do Special Shuttle Runs - Yes - just call and ask!

Can you shorten the ride? - Yes, just ask your guide/shuttle driver and he will help find the best section of trail to meet your desired ride. Multiple drop off points are available.

New Riders - Consider doing the lower half of the trail

How Long is the shuttle ride - is about 25 minutes to the top.

Where can I get a map? We offer an exclusive trail map specifically for mountain bikers - only available from McKenzie River Mountain Resort!

Minimum # of Riders - The shuttle van requires at least 2 riders to cover gas and driver expenses. If you are a solo rider the driver will offer you the option to shuttle your vehicle or pay for 2 seats in the shuttle vehicle.


Any interested Mountain Biking Pilots?

Camping after because I like a cold one after a good ride.

Cheers,
Ken

I did it with a buddy last summer. The van picked us up by the road by the strip, no problem.

It's an awesome ride, but a long day of riding if you're also flying home afterward. Next time, I'm camping at the strip for the night.

Definitely a must-do!

Man, I so wish I had a plane. This sounds awesome! Hope I don't forget about it by the time I'm back flying.

I would like to do it some time for sure. It's been on my list for the last few years but I haven't gotten to it since its a long flight from home.

I'll do it with you. I've landed and rode uphill for a ways and back down. The shuttle sounds way better. Scolopax is a rider too. Maybe he'll join in.

CW

Looks awesome! when is a good time, re wx, crowds, etc.? I'd camp before and after.

Sounds like the lower half for me. I'm done with "technical" track. Had a bad road bike crash less than two years ago. Shattered pelvis. More conservative now at 56! You young indestructible bucks can do the longer bit. I'll try to not finish the beer before you return.

Pierre

I might be up for it in early summer if I can squeeze my bike into the rental airplane. Or, if I can combine forces with a local pilot in the PDX area.

Im in if the dates work for me nd you can tolerate a novice

I am in!

Me and Lora lee and terry Pam did the ride had a blast the van came right to the airport got us and our bikes
The guy will drop u off anywhere along the trail u want, do Not have to go to the end I think we went 1/3 of the way up 5-7 miles maybe the ride down hill was a blast. I would do it again if I am free that weekend.

Count me in if it jives with my schedule. I'm pretty open for most of June and July at this point. May is tight though.

Flown in to McKenzie Bridge dozens of times and ridden the local trails a lot. I would be up for an overnighter as well. Kings Castle is pretty close and is steep world class singletrack and a stark contrast to the gradual grade of the MRT.

Agree, that the quality of trail along the McKenzie river is as good as anyone could ever claim it to be.

I am totally in! I will toss out a date?.. How about June 27th 28th?

Well looks like there is plenty of interest. I was thinking of May, but its Oregon and May can be iffy for weather. A sunny weekend after a few days to dry out should give us prime dirt. June I will likely be away working and do not yet have a schedule.

How about a try at Saturday May 23rd. Camping and after the ride. I could go mid week but I understand that won't work for most.

I don't think it would be a problem for those who only want to do the lower section to get dropped off there, and the rest to continue to the top.

Waterboy wrote:Well looks like there is plenty of interest. I was thinking of May, but its Oregon and May can be iffy for weather. A sunny weekend after a few days to dry out should give us prime dirt. June I will likely be away working and do not yet have a schedule.

How about a try at Saturday May 23rd. Camping and after the ride. I could go mid week but I understand that won't work for most.

I don't think it would be a problem for those who only want to do the lower section to get dropped off there, and the rest to continue to the top.

The recent weather has been awesome around these parts and the snow is non-existent up there this year, I bet the trail is in great shape!

I'm game for mid week! Actually that usually works best for me, but it looks like I can swing the 23rd too.

I'm also up for a last minute spontaneous trip a lot of times. Sounds like we may need to plan more than one of these trips throughout the season so everyone has a chance to go Maybe we should keep this thread alive all summer/fall (minus bow hunting season )

CW

It's hard to not stare at that water with fishing in mind too...

Wow i so wish i had a plane to get there. Anyone heading up from Los Angeles with room for another bike? If so PM me...

Zzz wrote:It's hard to not stare at that water with fishing in mind too...

Heck, if we're camping anyways, there's a road right across the highway leading straight to the water! It's only a couple minute bike ride down to the river (you probably already knew that ). I'll go fishing with you!

Beautiful pictures BTW.

CW

P.S. I'm happy to swing by and pick you up too if you need a ride.

Oh boy, I'm in! Most interested in midweek

looks fun. I did some kayaking on the mac in the 90's. Wish I was closer and had a bigger plane or I'd be in too.

clippwagon wrote:
P.S. I'm happy to swing by and pick you up too if you need a ride.

Cool! Interested to see how you load your bikes. Mine is a 35 lb freeride/trailbike beast.