Difficulty
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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 fireroads 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 waterfools, deep blue pools and mountain biking Hallmark moments. It’s a slight downhill, perfect, really, for middle chainring cruising. But start early, this is still an all-day ride for fit riders." - Trails TV
This Trail is Awesome for Riding and Walking The difficulty is the legth. You can arrange a shorter ride by using a bike service or shuttle system with friends. Walking - the trails are fairly easy walking - no climbing. It's not that steep either. Upper Trail - has a bit of lava flows which may require some technical riding. In these parts, its not uncommon to see some people walking their bikes - and that's OK. Lower Trail - From Trail Bridge Campground on down it's much smoother, less volcanic rock. Unless your an avid hiker/walker, pick just part of the trail and discover it in manageble lengths. Shorter hike/bike Ideas:
To make this work you'll either need to go and groups to shuttle or hire a local shuttle service. At the base of the trail is the Ranger Station - they can provide paper maps and specific directions for other access points to the trail from the Hwy as well as any special weather or safety conditions that might exist. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
"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).