Oakridge has been recognized as one of the top U.S. destinations for mountain bikers.
The 3,200-person city in the Cascade Range was ranked fifth on Outside Magazine’s list of the country’s best mountain biking towns, placing it in a category that includes places like Moab, Utah; Bentonville, Ark. and Durango, Colo.
The ranking cited the city’s more than 300 miles of trails into the Umpqua and Willamette national forests that surround it, and a vibe that is “timber town transitioned to tourism.”
Eugene Cathcart, part-owner of Willamette Mountain Mercantile, a bike shop in Oakridge, said the area has a hub and spoke layout.
“There’s all of these trails that act like spokes going out into the wilderness around us here, and they’re long,” he said. “A lot of them run through old-growth forest, and they have a really fun, playful character that works really well for mountain biking.”
Outside Magazine cited Oakridge as a prime location for enduro riding, a style of riding that often includes courses with steep terrain and challenging downhills.
“The combination of riding in steep, wooded areas and some of the technical features like roots and rocks make a lot of our trails not too beginner-friendly,” Cathcart said. “Some of our trails are accessible to beginners and range all the way up to quite challenging.”
Oakridge has adopted mountain bike tourism as part of its economy, with multiple companies offering guided tours and shuttle services for those who don’t want to take on long climbs to get to the downhills.
