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Is Oregon a top 5 state?

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#21 ·
Is OR a top 5? Probably, but not top 3 I don't think. A great place to ride and/or live? Heck yes. CO is tops, UT #2, NM #3. For me, that top 3 will likely not change, but from there...we could argue/shift things around: OR #4-ish, ID #5-ish, MT probably #6, CA #7 (I've not ridden much in CA though).

As an overweight, non-smoker, non-drinker...lung-busting climbs blow, chunks, literally sometimes. AssHat must not be doing things correctly, cuz as irider correctly recalls: you gotta go down to get back to the cars. The "earn it" tough guys do tend to clog the trail once gravity is hugging me rather than kicking me in the balls though.

Brock...
 
#22 ·
I think it's misleading to rate the whole state, since each state is a combination of different areas.

I loved parts of New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, ...

In OR, I'd rate:
* Tillamook: B+
* Mt Hood / Hood River: A-
* Salem Area: B (only because of Black Rock and Silver Creek)
* Eugene/Oakridge: A+
* Roseburg/Grants Pass: A (mainly 'cause of the NUT)
* Bend: A- (would be A+ if not for the dust)

Now the bad news:
* Portland Area: D
* The coast in general: C-

More good news though. You can cross state lines:
* SW Washington (including Mt. St. Helens): A-
* NorCal: A- (so I hear)

And BC isn't *that* far away ...
 
#24 ·
LeeMan said:
* Tillamook: B+
* Mt Hood / Hood River: A-
* Salem Area: B (only because of Black Rock and Silver Creek)
* Eugene/Oakridge: A+
* Roseburg/Grants Pass: A (mainly 'cause of the NUT)
* Bend: A- (would be A+ if not for the dust)

Now the bad news:
* Portland Area: D
* The coast in general: C-

More good news though. You can cross state lines:
* SW Washington (including Mt. St. Helens): A-
* NorCal: A- (so I hear)

And BC isn't *that* far away ...
Click to expand...
Been lurking for years, might as well post.
Imho, I like the riding in Oregon. I agree with above poster that it's best to rate the different areas of Oregon on their own merits. Here are some of the reasons why I think Oregon is a great place to ride:
The Middle Fork Willamette trail. I don't know why this isn't as popular as the MRT.
Anything else in the Oakridge area.
A lot of the stuff up in the Tumalo falls/Swampy Lakes-Swede Ridge area is insane good.

I had to move to the PDX area due to my currrent lack of employment, but I miss living so close to Oakridge. That place is paradise for riding. If there were jobs down that way, I think a lot more people would want to live there.

On a related note, it's scandalous how slim the pickings are for XC riding in the Portland area are. There really should be more riding up here. This could be a deal breaker for OR being a top 5 kinda place. Plus there are no swimming holes within riding or walking distance. Bummer.
 
#25 ·
Not sure

How do you quantify that? I think Washington State has better big mountain riding; however, Bend, Oakridge, Hood River, etc. are excellent places to ride. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Jaybo
 
Discussion starter · #35 ·
that's funny you should give portland low rank but eugene high. I've got family in Eugene and I lived there myself about 7 years ago for only one year. I didn't mountain bike too much, mostly road, but I did the mrt, brice creek and ridgeline and I remember thinking how eugene was "good" oregon, but portland was where it was at. The real oregon biking. I thought it was just teeming with trails up there. I don't know where I got that idea.
 
#36 ·
From the mags I've seen in the supermarkets lately, Bend was rated the #1 mountain bike town in the US, the MRT was rated the #1 trail in the US, and I believe the NUT and Deschutes also received very high praise.

It has a lot to do with where you live and how far you want to drive.

Oakridge/Eugene/Bend give Oregon a really awesome biking reputation. But living in P-town makes me feel like Oregon would hardly crack the top 25 of best mountain biking states. Penna, Maryland, Virgina (where I'm from/started riding) all make Portland look like a mountain biking black hole.
 
#38 ·
theeric said:
Oakridge/Eugene/Bend give Oregon a really awesome biking reputation. But living in P-town makes me feel like Oregon would hardly crack the top 25 of best mountain biking states. Penna, Maryland, Virgina (where I'm from/started riding) all make Portland look like a mountain biking black hole.
Click to expand...
Agreed. It's kind of hard to believe until I moved up here. Living near Oakridge and in Bend spoiled me. I could ride out my front door in Bend and spend all day in the woods, mostly on beautiful singletrack. And I left a long time ago. From what I've heard from some folks that live in Bend, there's been a lot more trailwork getting done.
 
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