They each offer a concentration of trails for all levels of riders, active trail-building clubs hard at work on new trails, and mountain town or city amenities that make a multiday bike trip that much more memorable.

Hood River, Oregon

The town of Hood River sits in the transition zone where the Columbia River Gorge shifts from dripping hemlock to dry foothills, where the last stringers of wet westside weather blow themselves out on the river’s legendary gales. It’s long been known for its wind-surfing scene, but the tailgates and trailheads around Hood River tell a story about the town’s rise to fat tire fame.

In the 1990s, trail builders began constructing rogue freeride lines—massive gaps and high-wire, high-consequence wooden features in the forested hills of Post Canyon, located 10 minutes southwest of downtown Hood River. But the tracks ran afoul of the county forestry department, which manages the land for its primary economic use of timber extraction.

After a catastrophic windstorm in 2012 toppled scores of trees onto the trails and the salvage logging that followed disturbed the area even more, local builders approached the county to plead their case for new trails.

Thanks to the efforts of the Hood River Area Trail Stewards (HRATS) and its volunteers, the county acquiesced. And although the county continues to manage the area with timber top of mind, Post Canyon has weathered the storm and come out of it a stronger trail network, showcasing the trail-building transition from rocky, root-tangled tech to contemporary bench-cut jump and berm trails.

One look at Family Man Staging Area, one of the main portals to Post Canyon, shows that, although Post Canyon may have matured, there’s still plenty of high-energy riding here. Come midweek and you’re just as likely to see preschoolers on push bikes rolling out next to big senders.

The bidirectional trails, like Lower– and Upper Eight Track, are smartly laid out and rarely overwhelming to ride; riders going uphill aren’t likely to hit a wall or stall out on steep climbing turns, but beginners can build their descending skills on the return trip.

Meanwhile, expert riders can descend from the top of Upper Eight Track on Bad Motor Scooter and Upper Grand Prix, where one immaculately crafted berm after another connects massive tabletops, step-ups and step-downs.

Upper Eight Track also ties into a broader network of singletrack and motorcycle trails that honor the area’s legacy of chunky, suspension-testing tech. Now, though, the trails are legal and sustainable.

This year, HRATS has ambitious plans to give Family Man a facelift and expand Golden Eagle Bike Park and Pump Track in coordination with Hood River Parks and Recreation. It’s all part of a plan to nurture a grander transition: from beginners to lifelong bikers.

Spring is an ideal time to visit Hood River: Passing showers give the trails a regular refresh but don’t tend to be day-drenching affairs. When in town, don’t miss the legendary Dirty Fingers Bicycle Repair, a Hood River institution and an all-in-one bike shop and pub. Next door, KickStand Coffee & Kitchen will get your caffeine and calories sorted.

HRATS, informally known as the Hood RATS, build and maintain the trails at Post Canyon in addition to backcountry trail networks along the Hood River and across the Columbia, so consider making a donation after enjoying their trails.

Wenatchee, Wash.

On the sunbaked east slope of the Central Cascades, Wenatchee has developed into a shoulder-season destination for riders on both sides of the state, thanks to the hallmarks of east-slope riding: towering pines and steep, flowing descents on the sandy ridgelines that separate the Wenatchee Valley from the Cascade Crest.

In the foothills on the west side of town, #2 Canyon has transitioned from a rogue riding network to a fully sanctioned and Forest Service-supported trail system. The Central Washington chapter of Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance put the public’s pandemic-inspired desire for outdoor activity to work for them, building out miles of new, buttery-smooth trail to connect to classics like Stairway to Heaven mtb trail.

The flowing berms on New Sundance replaced a heinous fall-line climb but kept the spectacular views of Mount Stuart and the central Cascades, while The Still added a swooping, 3-mile loop that flows equally well in both directions. And Evergreen has ambitious plans for even more miles this year.

Thirty minutes west, Leavenworth Ski Hill/Freund Canyon rewards riders with immaculate flow and a bird’s eye view of the Bavarian-village vibe of Leavenworth—that is, if you can take your eyes off the sidehill gap jumps of Rosie Boa.

Methow Valley, Wash.

If you haven’t ridden the Methow (“Me-tow“), go. Now. The wildflower displays on the open sage-covered hillsides, with the snow-capped battlements of the North Cascades in the background are second to none.

First, the bad news: The catastrophic wildfires that surrounded the Methow Valley in summer 2021 decimated the Chickadee trail system at Sun Mountain, where the Methow chapter of Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance had just completed a three-year building campaign on trails such as Thompson Ridge—a trail that had opened the year prior and offered a backcountry mini-epic to the popular trail network’s forested, flowered tracks.

The good news: The Methow Valley boasts a number of other trail systems, such as the classic singletrack loop on Buck Mountain and the Rendezvous Hut network outside of Mazama. Better news: The community in the Methow Valley is resilient and has already been hard at work raising money to rehabilitate its trails, which are a pillar of the recreation economy and the community’s identity.

Support the Methow Valley’s efforts to recover by shredding, sipping and shopping in the region—and go the extra mile by donating money or muscle to Evergreen’s “Bring ‘em Back!” rebuilding campaign.

Sandpoint, Idaho

Despite being home to Schweitzer, one of the largest ski resorts in North America, Sandpoint locals and tourists alike often refer to the city on Lake Pend Oreille as a lake town that just happens to have great skiing. And although they share similar sentiments about the community’s trail offerings, Sandpoint is quietly developing into a dirt destination.

The transformation is in large part thanks to the Pend Oreille Pedalers (POP) and their work on the Syringa Trail Network on the west side of town. Syringa, which encompasses a trio of public lands and private parcels—Sherwood Forest, Pine Street Woods, and Velo Tout Terrain (VTT)—offers a healthy mix of kid-friendly rollers and expert-level tech.

And POP continues to add new trail as fast as people can ride them; this spring, they have already opened two new trails in VTT, the newest acquisition at Syringa. Zen Garden and Chaos Theory trails add intermediate- and expert-level tech to VTT’s entry-level berms and rollers.

Meanwhile, up on the mountain, Schweitzer is putting the finishing touches on three new flow trails, a beginner, intermediate and expert. With these new additions, Schweitzer adds some modern manicured lines alongside its notoriously gnarly old-school tech trails like Pinch Flat. And it’s only the beginning: Like its neighbor down by the lake, Schweitzer is building them as fast as its guests can ride them.

McCall, Idaho

Like Sandpoint, McCall is known first and foremost as a lake town. And like its North Idaho counterpart, this southwest Idaho community on the shore of Payette Lake boasts its share of excellent biking, with trails that bridge buffed-out flow to backcountry epics.

The Payette Lake Trail (PLT) aims to combine the two. Modeled after the Tahoe Rim Trail, the approximately 30-mile Payette Lake Trail will circumnavigate the mountain lake on mostly new, modern singletrack.

And, like the famed Tahoe Rim Trail, the PLT will feature near-constant views of the lake far below. So far, crews have completed the west leg, which ties in with the Payette Rim Trail, a McCall classic.

This season, Brundage Mountain Resort, in collaboration with the Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association, will build an 8.4-mile connector between the resort’s 30-mile lift-served singletrack system and the Bear Basin trails, a 15-mile network of flowy machine-built trail on Forest Service land just outside town.

Bear Basin trail system connects with the Payette Rim Trail, which means that, in seasons to come, riders will be able to drop off the top of Brundage and circumnavigate the lake, all on trail—proof that McCall is truly both a mountain biking and lake town.

Boise, Idaho

Idaho’s City of Trees is also the city of bikes. Centerpiece to Boise’s biking bona fides is the Boise Foothills trail system, which encompasses some 200 miles of tread radiating out from two-dozen trailheads across a patchwork of private and public lands only minutes from downtown.

The urban trail network has earned the city the honor of being an International Mountain Bike Association gold-level ride center, one of only seven in the world. From the trailheads, often at the end of tree-lined residential boulevards, the singletrack curls and snakes through the scalloped ridges and ravines that border Boise to the north.

Ask a local for a favorite route, and they’ll likely recommend the one closest to their driveway; they’re uniformly good. And from most of those trailheads, riders can climb some 5,000 vertical feet to Bogus Basin Bike Park. Here, amid subalpine firs, a far cry from the dry sagebrush below, riders can circle the ski hill on Around the Mountain—Idaho’s top-rated trail on Trailforks—or sample the lift-served trails that have received the input and manpower of the of the numerous pro riders that call Boise home.

The post 6 Mountain Bike Towns in the Inland NW appeared first on Out There Venture.

Whitewater rafting Idaho and Oregon’s Wild & Scenic rivers requires not only a permit for the most popular rivers but also patience and perseverance.

Last Valentine’s Day, a Monday, was when those who applied to run permitted rivers across the West, like me, to receive an email from Recreation.gov. Definitely not a valentine, my message read, “Hi Paul, Thank you for applying for the Middle Fork of the Salmon River Lottery 2022. The lottery drawing recently took place, and, unfortunately, your application wasn’t selected for a permit…”

I got the same message regarding my applications for the (Main) Salmon River, Oregon’s Rogue River, and the Southwest desert run on the Green River through Desolation Canyon. But I’m hardly alone it turns out. Tens of thousands of other river runners received the same jilt that their hopes of enjoying the special solitude a couple dozen permitted rivers in the West offer.

River Permit Arithmetic

Idaho’s permitted rivers include the Salmon River (Main and Middle Fork), Selway River, and Hells Canyon of the Snake River. Lotteries are administered through the Recreation.gov portal. It’s a starting point for coordinating more than just river permits. Camp spots, cabin rentals, and many, many more pursuits are covered.

If someone put in for a permit on the Main Salmon, their odds for 2021 of earning a launch were about one in 16, with 568 winners out of 8,932 lottery players. For the more coveted Middle Fork stretch of the Salmon River, it was a 1-in-19 chance with 597 in-season launches out of 11,432 applicants. Requests for numbers for Hells Canyon and Montana’s Smith River went unanswered.

And if you were chasing after arguably the crown jewel run—Idaho’s Selway River—that falls into the Mega Millions lottery category. For its 62 private party and 78 total launches over the period of May 15 to July 31, 2021, your chances are one in 174. Better put, there is a 99.4% chance that a permit applicant for the Selway will not run the challenging rapids like the Ladle, Wolf Creek, or Ham rapids (all class IV).

Despite yet another permit-less year in a decades-long drought, I cannot complain. In over 40 years of river running, I have been fortunate to run each of the six permitted rivers in the Pacific Northwest, the Smith included, and all except Hells Canyon successfully right side up.

Most have been from invites offered by other successful permit applicants, or a cancellation, except for my daughter snagging a 2008 Selway launch on the last day of permit season. Even at very skimpy flows, just 1.1 feet at the Paradise gauge, one word describes the Selway—spectacular!

A Bit of Idaho Whitewater River History

For decades prior to World War II, Idaho’s Main Salmon was a workhorse river with wooden scows plying its length top to bottom as the best means for supplying the needs of the sparsely populated region. The so-called “River of No Return” got its nickname as these boats were later dismantled following their journey, never to return to starting points like Salmon, Idaho.

Following the introduction of recreational rafting after World War II, the need to try to maintain the pristine setting of the river became necessary. Part of that protection came with inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act—the Middle Fork as an original in 1968 and Main being added in 1980. Permitting for river trips started in 1976.

River Permit Supply and Demand

The demand has only increased since as with most all recreational pursuits, and participation in whitewater rafting continues to grow rapidly.

“I think people like to blame Recreation.gov as the source of their frustration,” says Kai Allen, outdoor recreation planner from the Bureau of Land Management in Grants Pass, Oregon. “But I think the story is actually much bigger. There’s just this huge demand for incredible iconic experiences in these places, and there just aren’t very many of them.”

There are just 23 permitted rivers in the West, with a quarter of those flowing through the Pacific Northwest. Those, and all other rivers, are getting increasingly popular with recreationalists.

According to America Outdoors, which represents a variety of professional outfitters, “Overall guided rafting visitation has increased by 36% from 837,499 visits to 1,529,909 visits [2018] since data began in 1990.” Anecdotal evidence from the private boating community would likely offer a similar growth pattern when one visits their favorite river.

Inside Look at the Permit Process

For many, the big question is just how does that Wizard-of-Oz-like process go once their application has been received? Rather than try to put it in layperson language, Recreation.gov’s website offers this:

“Each lottery is randomized by shuffling all the applications using the Fisher-Yates Shuffle, which produces an unbiased and random ordering of results. We also use a Cryptographically Secure Pseudo Random Number Generator (CSPRNG) to prevent any inadvertent bias in the lottery process. These random number generators are vetted to produce random numbers that cannot be predicted based upon past outputs, and they don’t allow anyone to predict future or past numbers generated.”

Understand? Sure, it’s as clear as Spokane County’s Latah Creek at flood stage. From complex lottery process, explained above, coveted launch dates magically emerge. For 2022, on the Main Salmon, that’s June 20–Sept. 7; May 28–Sept. 3 for the Middle Fork; and May 27–Sept. 10 for Hells Canyon. Launches vary from five per day on the Snake, to seven each on the Main and Middle, with a maximum party size of 24 per launch.

Oregon’s Rogue River is also one of the original eight streams included in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. It has embraced a different means to its end result of allowing rafters down the 34 miles of its wilderness stretch west of Grants Pass.

Put in place in 1978, the Rogue’s permit system is also administered by Recreation.gov but caps its use on a person-per-day quota of 120. That’s equally split between private and commercial use for the season that runs annually from May 15 to Oct. 15 with successful applicants having their party size fit into the matrix.

A Few Northwest Wilderness River Alternatives

By now, many river runners in the region are taking a “wait until next year” approach to the prospect of a multiday wilderness rafting experience. But that need not be the case. Even though the more famous and hugely sought-after experiences might not be in the cards this year or next, if you have the necessary whitewater river skills and your own or rented gear, consider alternatives like these nonpermitted but potentially crowded opportunities:

• Deschutes River: The Deschutes (central Oregon) has two sections that include up to Class IV rapids. But it’s a major rail corridor, so a wilderness it is not, especially along its approximately 96-mile course from U.S. 26 access to the Columbia.
• Grande Ronde River: The Grande Ronde (northeast Oregon) offers multiple stretches of roadless river with Class II and a few Class III rapids over nearly 90 miles from Minam to the Snake River.
• John Day River: The John Day (eastern Oregon) forks run about 130 miles with Class II and III rapids in traditional desert canyon landscape.
• Owyhee River: The Owyhee (SE Oregon-SE Idaho) from Rome to Leslie Gulch might be one of the most remote landscapes of any wild river in the Lower 48. It’s 67 miles of high-desert (4,000 feet-plus elevation), has limited windows dictated by snowpack; however, it offers spectacular canyons featuring primarily Class III rapids.
• Lower Salmon River: The Lower Salmon (central Idaho, near Riggins) is often the alternative to jilted permit applicants. It is a true roadless experience with incredible sandy beaches and Class IV rapids.

Recommended Guidebooks

My river running addiction began when his wife bought him Oregon River Tours by John Garren back in 1979 (Garren Publishing, 1979). If you are planning multiday river trips in the region, I strongly suggest having your own library that includes Garren’s other guidebook, Idaho River Tours (Garren Publishing, revised edition 1987) and one written by Willamette Kayak & Canoe Club titled Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler’s Guide To Oregon Rivers (Mountaineers Books, 2016).

Originally published as “River Permit Arithmetic” in the May-June 2022 print issue.

Paul Delaney began his whitewater adventures over 40 years ago and now has 42 rivers and creeks on his resume. He wrote about rafting the Owyhee River in the June 2020 issue. Contact Paul at spokanerafterguy@comcast.net.

The post Rafting Idaho and Oregon’s Wild & Scenic Rivers appeared first on Out There Venture.

Dedicated dirt riders often find themselves getting desperate this time of year, between spring’s false starts and freeze-thaw cycles. Take a break from researching flights to Vegas and plan a weekend to Echo.

With a population hovering around 700, Echo is aptly named; stand in the middle of Main Street most days and you’re bound to hear nothing but the distant hum of the highway. The zero-stoplight town lies along the Oregon Trail; wagon ruts from that historic route are still visible nearby. (Editor’s note: Learn more at National Park Service Echo Meadows – Oregon National Historic Trail.)

Thanks to the owners of Sno Road Winery, riders have the Sno West Ranch and Vineyard trails to savor. And if there’s one thing that wine and wheels share, it’s an appreciation for good dirt.

Loyd and Lois Piercy offered their uncultivated land on either side of Alkali Canyon to the trailbuilding hand of former pro rider Shayne Myers, who began scratching out berms and stacking wooden features in the sandy sagebrush and bunchgrass a decade ago. Myers, along with his wife Stephanie, owned Echo Bike and Board, which was for a number of years the hub of Echo’s cycling nano-scene.

Echo Singletracks

Today the trail system encompasses around two-dozen miles of rolling, buffed singletrack on rolling, wind-buffed hills. There’s little in the way of technical challenges, although the narrow, occasionally faint singletrack will provide a good test of lateral balance for those of us who have been doing all our rides on a trainer the last few months.

Trail Recommendations

Riders should start with A Trail, a five-mile loop out of the trailhead parking lot. A Trail, like all the routes here, is designed to be ridden in either direction depending on your preference for long mellow climbs and short punchy descents or vice versa; however, counter-clockwise ends the ride with big views from basalt outcroppings and some big sweeping berms.

Stack on Shayne’s or Shelly’s Trail, or go further afield on B and C trails. Most loops average about two miles, so it’s easy to add or subtract mileage depending on your early-season conditioning.

Across the road, the Vineyard Loop circles the vineyard with some moderate exposure on a rocky bluff above the Umatilla River before closing the loop on the dirt access road. The private landowner occasionally closes the gate, requiring riders to re-trace their route. Fortunately, the views are just as good in the other direction.

Safety Precautions

Echo receives about seven inches of precipitation a year, so wet riding is unlikely. The wind, however, is another matter, especially given the lack of tree cover. Riders should be mindful of rattlesnakes and ticks when things warm up as well. But they are a small price to pay for the feel of soft, sandy soil under the tires when the ground is snow-covered or sloppy back home.

Local Amenities

Regardless of your route, finish off with a visit to the Sno Road Winery tasting room back in town and raise a glass to early-season singletrack salvation. Learn about other amenities and stay accommodations on the city’s webpage.

Annual XC MTB Race

The trail system hosts the annual Red to Red XC mountain bike race too, every March. The unofficial kickoff to the dirt racing season in Oregon, Red to Red, which begins and ends on Main Street, effectively doubles the size of Echo for one weekend.

Aaron Theisen has contributed to a number of mountain bike magazines, including Freehub, Mountain Flyer and Dirt Rag. He wrote about the joys of late-season biking in the November/December issue.

Find more stories about biking in the OTO archives.

The post Spring Mountain Biking in Echo, Oregon appeared first on Out There Venture.

You need to be in shape to ride and/or push 30-70 mile days, depending on how long you take to do the trip, on a loaded bike with lots of climbing. You also need to be completely self-reliant, carrying tools, several days of extra food, and a large water capacity.

If I ride this route again, I will find another more interesting way to skip the Sheldon NWR section. Relentless wind was our nemesis and slowed us down enough that we ended up taking a day longer to finish.

To better your chances of completing the ride, make sure your bikes are in great shape and well maintained, as a mechanical you can’t fix on the trail will send you home early.

Finally, to really enjoy this amazingly beautiful place, take your time and budget a few layover days for hikes, hot spring soaks, and exploring the sites along the way. To plan a safe trip, do your research at Bikepacking.com and other online sources.

Read Derrick Knowles’ Big Country experience in his story “9 Days on Oregon’s Big Country Bikepacking Route” from the July-August 2021 issue.

The post Oregon’s Big Country Route Considerations appeared first on Out There Venture.

The 357-mile ride with 18,350 feet of climbing through the mountainous desert terrain of extreme southeast Oregon and northern Nevada was pioneered by Bikepacking.com contributor Gabriel Amadeus around 2016.

The route crosses three mountain ranges, the Alvord Desert, and three national wildlife refuges. It also stops by five different hot springs and a funky desert town on the Oregon and Nevada state line.

Three of us set off from Spokane in early June 2021 with a vanload of mountain bikes and bikepacking gear headed to the tiny outpost of Frenchglen, Oregon.

The following morning, after donating blood for several hours to highly aggressive mosquitos, we set off with way too much camera gear, an obscene amount of wine and other luxuries, and only a vague notion of the challenges and surprises ahead.

Day 1: Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to Steens Mountain

After a late afternoon start to avoid the 90-degree afternoon heat, we pedaled through the roadside wetlands of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and then up into the mountains.

We arrived at our first camp after dark partway up the shoulder of Steens Mountain.

Day 2: Up and Over Steens

After watering up at a spring, we climbed slowly over rocky ranch roads, following our Ride with GPS route map up faint tracks through wildflowers and sage that at times looked abandoned. Despite the hot temps, the wind gusted and storm clouds threatened rain.

We finally crested the shoulder of Steens Mountain into a wonderland canyon with aspen and a rushing creek. Plunging down the steep, technical doubletrack, my front brake failed. I doubled down on my rear brake, pausing from time to let it cool.

Near the bottom, we reached our second camp next to a beautiful little creek and a giant juniper tree.

Day 3: Across the Alvord Desert, Up Big Sand Gap, & On to Willow Hot Springs

We woke much earlier than expected, thanks to an insane wind storm that blew one of our tents down around 1 a.m. The 25-35 mph winds howled all night, and with only a few hours of sleep, we set off at 6:30 a.m. for a roughly 25-mile ride to Alvord Hot Springs.

We weren’t super stoked for a hot soak in the 95-degree sunshine, but after loading up on drinks from the small store, we spent several hours sitting in the only sliver of shade in the roofless hot springs shack. We still had over 30 miles to ride that day, including the 8-mile crossing of the baking Alvord Desert.

Once on the other side of the dry lakebed, we faced several miles of bike pushing through sand of aptly-named Big Sand Gap, followed by mile after mile of rolling ranch roads and opening and closing countless cattle gates.

Just before sundown, after crossing the only paved road of the day, we rolled into the primitive campground at Willow Hot Springs.

Day 4: The Trout Creek Mountains

Day four was all about the Trout Creek Mountains, an incredibly remote Great Basin mountain range along the Oregon/Nevada border with peaks as high as 8,500 feet.

Roughly halfway up, we paused for a nap under a cluster of wildfire-burned mountain mahogany trees. Our camp, and next water source, was somewhere high above us, so we pedaled on up steeper and steeper doubletrack into a fierce, unrelenting headwind.

As the sun dropped closer to the horizon, each false summit revealed another climb. There was some cursing, long silent stretches, and plenty of pushing. Eventually we passed over the real summit and began a wild, raucous descent into an entirely unexpected canyon full of aspen glowing in the golden light of the setting sun.

My limited braking capacity gave me some pause, but after a day of hard climbing, the rip-roaring free-fall down to camp was irresistible.

Day 5: A “Quick Bomb” Into Denio, Nevada

I intentionally, for the most part, read very little about the route before our departure, but we all remembered reading something about a quick bomb down from the Trout Creek Mountains to the only resupply stop in Denio, Nevada.

Even though the forecast called for another day of stiff headwinds, and the restaurant and store closed early on Sundays, we slept in and hit the trail late. We expected some climbing that day, but were surprised by the number of steep hills that broke up the occasional “quick bomb.”

Eventually, the climbing gave way to a rollicking, rocky descent to the valley floor with nothing but a steady 20-30 mph headwind to great us.

By then it was 3 p.m. and the restaurant in Denio Junction had closed and the store would too in another hour. We had 10 or so miles of hot, flat desert dirt road to cover, and it quickly became a funnel that drove sand and dust into our faces as we cranked hard against the wind. We were nearly out of water and hadn’t seen another human or vehicle in two days.

Shockingly, we rolled up to the tiny store with minutes to spare and set off hording snacks and drinks from the meager selection. Battered by the wind and blowing sand, we booked the last available motel room and settled in at a shaded table out front to hydrate and watch the parade of interesting characters stopping for gas and provisions.

At one point, after lamenting that we’d missed a hot restaurant meal, a guy in a truck delivering grass fed beef out of Reno pulled up. We chatted him up and a few minutes later we were searing four amazing steaks on a camp stove and frying pan we borrowed from the restaurant.

We passed around chunks of delicious steak on plates cut out of the cardboard box they came in, grease dripping down our hands. I can’t remember a more enjoyable meal or a time when I was so filthy and a shower felt so good.

Day 6: Off-Route to Virgin Valley Hot Springs

After a leisurely restaurant breakfast, the wind was already a force to be reckoned with by the time we hit the trail. Cutting off around 20 miles by taking a more direct route to Virgin Valley Hot Springs seemed like the best idea.

Less than 30-miles later, after some desert doubletrack, a stretch of highway riding, and a steep push and fast descent down a rough dirt road, we arrived at the hot springs just as the wind reached a new level of intensity.

We soaked in the barely warm natural pool and learned from soaking old timers that the big draw around those parts was the nearby recreational opal mine.

Back at our camp, we endured a few hours of being blasted by the wind before drifting out into the desert to watch one of the longest and most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen.

Day 7: A Long Ride Through the Middle of Nowhere

Maybe it was something we ate, or the wind, or the strange campground noises, but we all had a hard time sleeping that night. Morning came early, and for only the second time on the trip we got an early start.

We had no idea what to expect from the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge section that day but hoped at least the wind would back off. No dice. Mile after mile of sleep-deprived pedaling through an unfortunately bleak, sun-blasted landscape made for a long, quiet day in the saddle.

We all agreed that this long stretch of mostly flat, scrubby Nevada sagebrush would be worth bypassing if possible. As if to punctuate our ongoing critique of the Sheldon NWR section, we camped that night in a waterless, wind-hammered, jack rabbit shit-littered cluster of knee-high sagebrush that stretched on as far as we could see.

Day 8: Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge

By now the temperatures had cooled considerably as we continued on a long, flat ranch road to the second of two historic, abandoned ranches. From there our route began to climb through increasingly lush desert terrain.

We saw plenty of antelope, made several deep stream crossings, and, with the wind finally at our backs, reached the flank of Hart Mountain and a forest of pine, fir, and aspen. After watering up in the crystal clear waters of Guano Creek, we climbed the final miles of the trip to a pass with some truly big country views.

The rollercoaster descent down the lightly-travelled doubletrack eventually spit us out abruptly amongst car campers, the first other humans we had seen in two days, and the inviting stone walls of the Hart Mountain Hot Springs.

With storm clouds building to the west, we soaked off layers of dirt and sunscreen from the trail, then hurried to set up camp and cook dinner before the rain started. I pulled my pot of food off the stove just in time to dive into my tent as a deluge unloaded on us.

Day 9: Hart Mountain to Frenchglen

A cold rain pounded us all night, and around 5 a.m., I woke to a lighter, familiar sound tapping on my rainfly. Since we weren’t prepared for riding in the snow, we hit the hot springs again that morning while we waited for the weather to improve.

The rain and snow let up mid-morning and the sun came out. We ended our trip with a 50-something-mile, mostly downhill and quite monotonous gravel road ride back to Frenchglen, Oregon.

Originally published as “Into The Wild Wind: 9 Days On Oregon’s Big Country Bikepacking Route” in the July-August 2021 issue.

Derrick Knowles is OTO co-publisher and editor-in-chief. He is a humble, hard-core outdoor enthusiast.

To learn more about bikepacking, check out related stories from the OTO archives.

The post 9 Days on Oregon’s Big Country Bikepacking Route appeared first on Out There Venture.

The name “Cathedral Ramp” is an ice feature named in Bill Mullee’s 2014 Mt Hood guidebook. Tarry and Sweeney have been climbing partners for years and planned to make the first ascent as a pair. However, just a few days before their attempt, Tarry learned that Zavortink and Nelson had the same ambitious goal. The climbers quickly agreed that competition wasn’t necessary and discovered that sharing the route was a ton of fun.

In order to really appreciate just how significant this first ascent is, it’s important to look into Sweeney’s past. During a nasty mountain bike crash on Spokane’s Beacon Hill, Sweeney broke his wrist. Since he couldn’t ride during his recovery, he started visiting the cliffs at Minnehaha, and started itching to try rock climbing as soon as his cast was off.

Then, in college, he took climbing courses through Eastern Washington Universities’ outdoor program. His instructor, Kevin Klim, made a huge impact on his life. “Kevin’s way of approaching the mountains and focus on mountain safety influences me to this day,” says Sweeney.

After college, Sweeney met Tarry, and they started hitting some of the biggest and toughest routes in the Northwest. The pair climbed Liberty Ridge on Mount Rainier and the Northeast Rib on Johannesburg Mountain. With a laugh, Sweeney admits that Tarry climbs smart, fast, and never turns down a lead. “Really, you can’t ask for much more.”

Fast forward to 2020, and like for many of us, a lot of plans were changed or modified. However, all of the climbers involved maintained a certain fitness level, and they always kept their eyes on the special route on the north face of Mount Hood. Once everything lined up, and the weather was perfect, they pulled the trigger and summitted the highest point in Oregon by a path that no one else had ever traveled.

For anyone interested in the nitty gritty details of the Cathedral Ramp route, including the approach and the ideal gear, you can visit Sweeney’s alpine climbing website at Spokalpine.com. His website also chronicles his climbs on roughly 40 other routes, such as Harrison Peak, Liberty Bell, and Dragontail, which makes it a great resource for any other Northwest rock climbers and mountaineers.

Originally published as “Climbers Team Up For First Ascent Of Mount Hood’s Cathedral Ramp” in the May-June 2021 issue.

Jon Jonckers articles and images have been featured in Out There since 2006.

The post Spokane Climbers Achieve First Ascent of Mount Hood’s Cathedral Ramp appeared first on Out There Venture.

The Blue Mountains Trail, a work in progress for decades, has evolved into a 566-mile point-to-point long-distance trail with a spiral shape connecting its two ends, Wallowa Lake State Park near Joseph and John Day.

Like most thru-hikes, this one is still a work in progress. The trail traverses some challenging terrain, including canyons choked with debris following recent burns, unmaintained trails overgrown with salmonberry, Ceanothus, blackberry, and poison ivy, and a section that was flooded out in early 2020. It may take years to solve these challenges, so alternate routes provide safe walking passage for hikers wishing to avoid these pitfalls.

Greater Hells Canyon Council

The trail also has a new champion that is helping make an improved route more accessible. The Greater Hells Canyon Council (GHCC) has announced that the conservation organization is prioritizing the development of the Blue Mountains Trail in order to change how the recreation infrastructure of the region is maintained and to engage more people to utilize and appreciate the beauty of these landscapes. The group also hopes that more hikers using the trail will translate into more people getting involved in conservation efforts in the incredibly beautiful and unique landscapes and ecosystems of the greater Hells Canyon region.

GHCC is picking back up where the Blue Mountains Heritage Trail left off, a monumental lift by longtime conservationist and Hells Canyon Preservation Council (GHCC’s former name) board member Loren Hughes, who began working on the idea in the late 1970s.

Current Trail Route

The current route covers seven wilderness areas of northeast Oregon, including the Eagle Cap Wilderness, the Elkhorn Crest section of the North Fork John Day Wilderness, and the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. It crosses the summit ridges of the subranges composing the Blues: the Wallowas, Elkhorns, Greenhorns and Strawberries. It descends to the Snake River in the heart of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. And it requires no new trails to be built and limits both road walks and bushwhacks. And it connects hikers to some of northeast Oregon’s most inviting and recreation-minded communities.

Also referred to as the Greater Hells Canyon Region, the Blue Mountains are a unique region composed of multiple eco-regions. The mountains and valleys of the Blues connect the Rockies, Cascades, and Great Basin, and with a small human population density, they serve as a critical wildlife corridor.  This poorly-understood corner of Oregon has pockets of overwhelmed recreation destinations, while many true wilderness trails are now neglected.

First Successful Thru-Hiking Group

Last October, volunteer hikers Whitney “Allgood” La Ruffa from Portland-based Six Moon Designs, Naomi “The Punisher” Hudetz from Treeline Review and Mike “Iron Mike” Unger, were the first thru hikers to successfully complete a 588-mile version of the new trail route and provide valuable feedback to GHCC. Learn more about their journey and findings at the Oregon Adventure Lab YouTube channel (video below).

“As one of the first thru hikers of the new Blue Mountains Trail, I am thrilled that Six Moon Designs is the first business partner with GHCC to move things forward for future hikers on this amazing trail, said Whitney La Ruffa, Six Moon Designs VP of Marketing and Sales. “Our love of exploring wild places and our company’s deep ties to Oregon make this the perfect project for us to support, and we’re looking forward to doing more trail work with GHCC this summer.”

More Information

Sign up for trail news and updates, visit Hellscanyon.org/blue-mountains-trail. More resources, including maps and trail guides, will be published to the GHCC website in the coming months.

The post Remapping a Lost Thru-Hike in Northeast Oregon appeared first on Out There Venture.

For those who wonder what the pioneers might have seen as they traveled the Oregon Trail in the 1840s, take a trip to the Owyhee River in faraway southeastern Oregon.  

And while you’re at it, since you likely drove hundreds of miles, better take the next five days and experience the 50 miles of Owyhee from “see level.” Because why else, other than maybe taking U.S. 95, the scenic “Blue Highway” route to Reno, Tahoe, and maybe Las Vegas, would you venture into the visage of the middle of nowhere? 

That opportunity came my way in the spring of 2019 when I was able to knock the Owyhee off of a river bucket list that officially turned 40 this year. 

But much has to fall into place to experience this river that defines the word “remote.” The Owyhee flows through vast Malheur County with just 3.2 people per each of its nearly 10,000 square miles. By comparison Spokane County has 275 people for each of its 1,800 square miles. 

Enveloping the Owyhee canyon is one of the largest undeveloped tracts of public land left in the lower 48 states—and it shows, particularly on the drive out from Birch Creek. 

The ability to raft the Owyhee and its handful of notable rapids—Whistling Bird, Montgomery, and Rock Dam—requires the fickle weather of the high desert to cooperate.  

Tales of freezing temperatures and winter/spring rafting encased in a drysuit, plus the pure logistics, always had the Owyhee on my list. But retirement opened plenty of options, and our group won with temperatures in the 70s and just a sprinkle of rain after a May 5 launch. 

The best Owyhee opportunities happen when the West’s winter is influenced by an El Niño where the storm track generally dives south into California. Officially, the winter of 2018-19 was “neutral”—neither El Niño or La Niña— same as 2019-20.  

Our trip ran from the Bureau of Land Management boat ramp and campground, just east of the wide spot in U.S. Highway 95 known as Rome, and covered 50 miles to the remote Birch Creek Ranch takeout. Add 10 miles of flat water, with a motor heavily advised, if you take out at Leslie Gulch. 

Upstream from Rome is the dynamic but incredibly difficult middle section of the Owyhee. This 35-mile stretch from remote Three Forks includes Half-Mile and Bombshelter, a pair of Class-4 drops, and arguably the darkest name for a rapid ever—Widowmaker. It’s a Class VI falls that does get run, but is normally portaged. Google it and either option ought to make you cringe. 

The entire Owyhee is full of both geologic and pioneer history.  

From Rome there are still scattered remnants of pioneer homesteads. Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, the son of Sacajawea is buried in the area. The rusted relic of a waterwheel sits along the shore near Birch Creek. 

The Owyhee River and its tributaries flow through the Owyhee Plateau, cutting deep canyons, often with vertical walls and in some places over 1,000 feet deep. Its headwaters are in northern Nevada and the river is 280 miles long. Notable among the many stunning vistas are Lambert Dome in the Chalk Basin—composed of layers of reddish rhyolite and basalt—and Iron Point Canyon with its towering sheer walls. 

Lower Owyhee River Trip Details 

• Rome to Birch Creek or Leslie Gulch Length: 48 or 65 miles 
• Gradient: 15 fpm 
• Difficulty: Class III 
• Season: Spring 
• Rec. Level: 800 – 5,000 cfs 
• Agency: BLM 
• Permits: Self Registration 
• Put-in: Rome 
• Take-out: Birch Creek or Leslie Gulch 
• More info: www.whitewaterguidebook.com  

Originally published as “Owyhee: A River for the Bucket List” in the June 2020 issue.

Paul Delaney has been a whitewater enthusiast since 1980 and has rafted dozens of rivers across the west. He’s a co-founder of the Northwest Whitewater Association Rafting Club and can be reached at spokanerafterguy@comcast.net.

The post Rafting the Owyhee River appeared first on Out There Venture.

The Grande Ronde River

The Grande Ronde is located in the extreme northeast corner of Oregon, and actually flows into Washington before emptying into the Snake River a short ways upstream from Lewiston and Clarkston. The rafting section of the river is 38 miles long and very scenic, and at normal flows it can easily be floated in two to three days with enough time to drive home the last day. It has a few fun rapids that pose little danger, and it has wilderness-like qualities because most of it flows through an area with no roads. This means you are likely to see some wildlife as you float along. In fact the last time our family went, we saw bald eagles carrying fish and attacking a flock of Canada geese. We even glimpsed a mountain goat that was surprisingly close to the river. Watch out for rattlesnakes that can make an appearance on beaches and in camp.

The Grande Ronde flows through the Blue Mountains in an area of mixed conifers. The river canyon is fairly dry, and it has plenty of benches of Ponderosa pine that make great camp spots. The river has a few class II rapids and one class III called Red or House Rock, which is probably the shortest and most straightforward class III I’ve ever encountered. It’s easy to spot due to the house-sized rock that narrows the channel and creates the rapid, and a quick scout will show you how to navigate it safely to the left of the boulder. At normal flows none of these rapids would flip a proper whitewater raft, but during spring run-off you will need expert skills to stay safe.

The John Day River

The John Day River is in north central Oregon, so it has more of a high desert landscape. The rafting section is below the mountains, so there is less of a gradient and fewer rapids. There are more put-in options on this river, so the length can vary from 35 to 48 miles. If you take out at the Clarno bridge, you will really never encounter a rapid that is more than a class II, so this is truly a beginner river. What you will experience, however, is plenty of rolling scenery and an incredible abundance of smallmouth bass.

If the Grande Ronde is more about scenery and remote camping, then the John Day is more about fishing. We are not expert bass fisherman, but we still caught a tremendous number of smallmouths on our first float down this river. The John Day does pass through some agricultural areas with quite a bit of private land—so finding camp spots can be a little trickier—but the BLM river map makes it quite clear where you can and can’t stay with designated camp spots clearly marked.

Both of these rivers offer a great introduction to multi-day rafting with unique features. They are family friendly and ready made for memorable adventures. More information on both rivers can be found by searching the www.americanwhitewater.org site. Both rivers are administered by the Bureau of Land Management, which offers float guides for each river. Contact the Prineville, Ore., office of the BLM for the John Day, and the Baker, Ore., field office for the Grande Ronde.

Planning Information

The Grande Ronde river trip actually begins on the Minam River at Minam State Park, which joins the main river 10 miles downstream. The takeout is 38 miles downstream from the start at the Powwatka bridge, located about 7 miles upstream of Troy, Ore. Car shuttles can be arranged through the Minam Store.

The typical John Day float trip starts at Service Creek and ends at the Clarno Bridge 48 miles downstream. You can also shave 13 miles off the trip by starting at the Twickenham boat launch. Car shuttles can be arranged with the Service Creek Stage Stop.

Recommended flows on both rivers are from 1,000 cfs to 6,000 cfs. Google search “USGS Grande Ronde at Troy” or “USGS John Day at Service Creek” for flow information. Above 6,000 feet is not recommended for beginning rafters. Both of these rivers run free of dams, so it is important to check flows as they will vary substantially depending on warm weather, which causes snow melt up high, and rain.

All river camping trips are strictly pack-in, pack-out when it comes to waste—including human waste. You will need a portable toilet that can withstand the rigors of a raft trip, a fire pan if you want a campfire, dry bags for clothing and camping gear, a dry box for cooking gear, and a cooler for food. All of these will be secured to the frame on the raft, and the required gear can be rented from Eastern Washington University’s Epic Outdoors program in Cheney or from the University of Idaho’s Outdoor Program office in Moscow.

The post Two Oregon River Trips for Families & Beginners appeared first on Out There Venture.