Review Date
August 23, 2009

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: ananda ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Very nice trail like all the reviews and books say, but it's really crowded. I guess the 77 reviews is a good indicator of how many people ride this, when most other area trails have something like 3 reviews. We rode this on a Thursday and Friday in August and encounted numerous hikers, bikers, fisherman, dogs, etc every few minutes. Too crowded.

Recommended Route:
Start anywhere and ride up it, or the road, then down.

Review Date
August 19, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: bender6000 ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Awesome Beauty - 26 miles of gorgeous riverside trail, old growth forest and multiple waterfalls. Most of the trail is shaded. We stopped at 'Blue Pool' - what a sight - and climbed over to the old river bed - where a waterfall once fed the pool before the river went underground (now the river feeds the pool through holes in the lava underwater). After watching a young teenager jump into the pool (about 40+ feet) we slowly built up the nerve to jump ourselves. Talk about adrenalin rush! The water was cold and refreshing.

If you don't want to jump - or you want a good picture of those jumping, there is a trail just bast the dry waterfall ledge that will take you to the bottom. (For those that jump, take this same path to get beck to the top of the ledge and the trail.)

If a 26 mile ride is a bit much for you - you can ride the trail at the halfway point to the bottom. It is a very easy and pretty run - you'll skip the harder part of the trail.

However, if you do this, I would definitely pencil out time to drive to the Sahalee falls and hike along the river to see Koosah, the second set of falls. You may want to also consider hiking up to see Tamolitch Blue Pool - it is a very unique site with its gemlike color & crystal clarity . It is 2.1 miles from the Trailbridge connection to the McKenzie River Trail (the halfway point).

Check with the ranger station near the bottom of the trail for other bike trails in the area. They keep a secret "booklet" of other bike trails behind the counter. It's free, all you need to do is ask for it.

After the trail we stopped to eat at the Rustic Skillet in Rainbow (about 5 minutes west of the bottom of the trail) and then decided to visit Cougar Hotsprings (aka Terwilliger Hot Springs) a beautiful set of natural cascading pools. Great for soaking weary bones. It is about 10 minutes S on Hwy 19. Hwy 19 less than 10 miles west of the bottom of the trail.

That night we rented an economy room at McKenzie River Mountain Resort - it only cost us $50 for a private room for 2 - no real amenities in the room just nice beds and warm showers. We could have upgraded to a deluxe hotel room or even a vacation home but we wanted to keep things on the cheap.

Recommended Route:
I-5 to Eugene go East on Hwy 126 to Blue River (40 miles) Go to McKenzie River Mountain Resort and take the Shuttle to the top. Call to reserve Shuttle they only go by appointment 541-822-6272. I had a bike but we rented one there for my friend - they do not have super high end bikes. We rented a Mongoose 2009 Otero Comp, it was a pretty decent full suspension bike - worked fine for us on the trail.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Hwy 19 for a road bike trip.

Review Date
August 18, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: theeric ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Buff single track, razor sharp pumice, a few short climbs, and great scenery.

Recommended Route:
Start at the uphill end and ride toward McKenzie Bridge.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Haven't ridden much in the area, but the Suttle Tie tip I took at Barbie Camp a few years back was also pretty fun.

Review Date
July 5, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: granitematt ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
27 miles of prime singletrack! The trail has all the makings of one of the best around. Length, views, technical sections and the flow to make you wish it was longer.

Recommended Route:
Dropped off at the start and finished a few miles past the ranger station.

Review Date
May 28, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: Cog Wild ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
The McKenzie River Trail or MRT is 1.5 hours away from Bend. Our company, Cog Wild, does shuttles to the MRT often throughout the summer.

Shuttling the trail is the best way to do it and can be confusing or frustrating, please check out our website and shuttle info: http://www.cogwild.com/Shuttles/McKenzie-River-Trail-Shuttles/default.aspx

I apologize if this is taken as spam, lots of people contact us for details on conditions on the trail, places to stay, etc. so wanted others to know you can contact us too!!

Cheers, Melanie

Recommended Route:
Depending on skill level:
Intermediate/Advanced - likes technical trail - starting at the top, and taking the right way around the lake. Riding the whole trail top to bottom.

Intermediate - ok with technical trail - starting at the top, and taking the left way around the lake to bypass the serious technical section. Riding the whole trail top to bottom.

Advanced Beginner - not so much into technical, just wants to have fun - start at Trailbridge and go up the trail towards Blue Pool. Turn around at any point when you hit the technical section near Blue Pool and then ride the rest of the trail to the bottom. Below Trailbridge, the bottom 12 miles are swoopy, fun and completely rideable.

Beginner - Start either at Trailbridge and go down the trail or start at the rangers station and go up the trail as far as you want. The bottom section has many more bridges to cross, but the trail is buff, beautiful and perfect for families and beginners.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Castle Rock Trail - ask at the Forest Service Station for directions. DO not ride the fire road up, you can ride singletrack the entire way, so ask for the start of the hiking trail, not the fireroad!
If they know you are on a bike, they will send you the way of the fireroad - who wants to ride fireroad when you can ride singletrack!!!

Castle Rock is 6 miles up and then 6 miles back down - you start in a super wet climate and slowly make your way up to a dry and rocky climate. Lots of fun and very beautiful!!!