[jimsbbc]

Hey peeps, I'm here in Independence and I am looking for some trails to ride. Is there any thing you can advise about in the area? One trail review on this site mentioned Rickreall Ridge and I am wondering if this is a well known and well marked trail? Can anyone tell me more about MTB trails in the Independence, Monmouth, Dallas area?

 

[thorir]

I'd love to get some more information about the riding near Dallas too. It is an area near town I have ignored for far too long.

Only thing anyone talks about in that area is falls city/blackrock. Blackrock pretty much speaks for itself. Though I hear they are building some more XC friendly trails out there too.

Is there anything else worth riding in the area? I've heard good things about Mary's and Burma Peak, but I've also heard you need a guide to find the trails and that they have been logged.

There is some additional info on the Merry Crankster's web site:
http://www.merrycranksters.org/trails.html

And some more on the Santiam Bike web site:
http://www.santiambicycle.com/

So, anyone care to share some additional info on these trails? Maybe a recomended route or two? What about Rickreall and Belcrest, those worth a ride? I assume they are covered in snow/mud/down still at this point of the year, but what better opportunity to learn about new trails online .

Thanks!

 

[jgusta]

I have a decent map of and route description of Mary's Peak and been wanting to ride it for some time now too. It is on my list of rides to do for 2007 along with Blackrock of course. All I know is that Mary's Peak is a dry weather ride and is the highest peak in the coastal range in that area, so more than likely a summer ride. Burma Peak, I heard of, but don't know much about. Never heard of Ritchell Ridge?

Regardless, should be some good/decent riding this weekend. Just got my fork back from Marz., so haven't ridden anything in over three weeks. Can't wait to get on the squish again.

JG

 

[Rufudufus]

Mary's is good stuff, lots of climbing and rooty/rocky. Pretty much summer/fall only. And yes, the trail can be a bit hard to find. You can probably google for directions. It's definitley worth a drive from Independence. Haven't heard about Rickreall or Burma.

 

[Brandon]

Hey peeps, I'm here in Independence and I am looking for some trails to ride. Is there any thing you can advise about in the area? One trail review on this site mentioned Rickreall Ridge and I am wondering if this is a well known and well marked trail? Can anyone tell me more about MTB trails in the Independence, Monmouth, Dallas area?

Rickreal Ridge is an epic day..it's not well marked.. or really that well established to be honest. It's a long ride (like 25 miles) just to get to the trailhead and you have to do some bushwacking to get there so I wouldn't suggest trying to find it on your own. The Rickreal ridge trail is only a mile or two long. It is really neat terrain though.

I haven't been to Dallas since Spring so my info is a bit out of date but then I haven't heard of any changes in the status from people closer to that area. Most of the network is still there, we lost a couple sections over the last few years to logging but that happens all the time on our trails here. The worst part was losing the bottom section (known as woodpecker) of the main trail in the area so now the ride has to end with a descent down a gravel road instead of the fun swoopy singletrack that used to be there.

Other riding close to your area includes:
Shelberg Falls (east of Salem)
MacDonald Dunn Forest (OSU property north of Corvallis)

 

[Brandon]

Mary's is good stuff, lots of climbing and rooty/rocky. Pretty much summer/fall only. And yes, the trail can be a bit hard to find. You can probably google for directions. It's definitley worth a drive from Independence. Haven't heard about Rickreall or Burma.

The trails on Mary's peak are closed to bikes october 15-april 15. I usually ride it a few times a year. It's a fairly short ride but it is fun.

 

[jimsbbc]

Thanks everyone for the great replies! A lot of good info, I will check out some of these trails mentioned.

 

[thorir]

Thanks for the updates. I pulled the PDF off the Merry Cranksters site for Dallas, and I know brmba.org has lots of maps for Blackrock. Are there any other trail maps for the area worth picking up?

 

[Brandon]

Thanks for the updates. I pulled the PDF off the Marry Crankster's site for Dallas, and I know brmba.org has lots of maps for Blackrock. Are there any other trail maps for the area worth picking up?

Pick up the Official mapl for Macdonald forest, it doesn't show all the trails but if you can read maps it'll keep you from getting too lost out there.

 

[thorir]

Thanks! I like maps .