Portland Area Trail Rides

[dagen]

Hello friends,
I have a job coming up mid Dec. and I will be in Portland for a few days. I am driving my 4Runner up there from Oakland and I have dedicated a day to going out and adventuring. I have the Oregon OHV guide and I am trying to figure out what to do.

-I will pass by Timber Mountain on the way up.
-I'm considering heading out to Oregon Dunes NRA.
-I am considering Tillamook State Forest OHV area (This looks like one the biggest areas)

As of right now I am leaning towards getting up early and heading to check out Astoria (You Goonie!) and then making my way to Tillamook afterwards.

If anybody has any insight and/ or ideas I'd love to hear them. Hopefully this won't be my last trip to the area and I'll get to explore more.

Thanks!
Sean

 

[Billy "Poserlander" Badly]

Astoria is great, though FYI (just in case you want to visit): I don't think the people who own the Goonie house are cool with tourists anymore. They used to encourage it, but some folks abused the privilege. I still like the town, and Buoy Brewing in particular is a great place to visit (say hi to Kevin in the brewery). The Tillamook is a great choice (I was out there today, actually), but I think some of the established OHV areas (Brown's Camp, Jordan Creek) may be partially closed for the season... Still, there are lots of forest/logging roads to explore.

The dunes are also a lot of fun, though I've never driven anything but a rental buggy on them. And, they are at the southern end of the state.

 

[Billy "Poserlander" Badly]

Not all are south, there's Sand Lake out near the town of Tillamook.

True, Sand Lake has dunes and it's more accessible if you're on the northern coast, but the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area OP mentioned is down south, starting around Florence. Either way, there's tons to explore. The Oregon Coast is awesome.

 

[dagen]

Astoria is great, though FYI (just in case you want to visit): I don't think the people who own the Goonie house are cool with tourists anymore. They used to encourage it, but some folks abused the privilege. I still like the town, and Buoy Brewing in particular is a great place to visit (say hi to Kevin in the brewery). The Tillamook is a great choice (I was out there today, actually), but I think some of the established OHV areas (Brown's Camp, Jordan Creek) may be partially closed for the season... Still, there are lots of forest/logging roads to explore.

The dunes are also a lot of fun, though I've never driven anything but a rental buggy on them. And, they are at the southern end of the state.

Thanks @BillyBadly I appreciate all the info. I have sen photos of the Goonie house all tarped over. It's really sad on both fronts, that people abused the privilege, and that it's not a welcoming spot anymore. Either way, I am just interested in seeing Astoria and doing some exploring. I'll make a note to check out the brewery as well.

Being from California where it doesn't snow at all where I am, what should I expect for the Tillamook area? Is there some snow up there? Is it muddy? Is it just cold? I appreciate any intel you can pass on. I'm really looking forward to doing some exploring.

@Snowtrout & @BillyBadly As far as Sand Lake is concerned, how close is that to Tillamook area?

Thanks you for everything you've shared thusfar!

 

[Billy "Poserlander" Badly]

It'll definitely be wet and/or muddy and you could see snow at the higher elevations, so it's good to be prepared for that... Usually the snow doesn't stick around too long in the Coast Range, just keep an eye on weather forecasts.

 

[dagen]

@Snowtrout Thanks for the GPX files. I was able to open them in Basecamp. That'll be helpful for sure. I already ordered an Oregon OHV permit and have it on my truck. Thanks for the tip though. In CA there's no permit requirement to explore BLM and/ or State lands so that's a new thing for me.

@BillyBadly Thanks for the weather info. Good to just know a little bit about what I'm getting into out there. I'll make sure to check out forecasts before I head out too.

Thanks for all the help from you both. I'm looking forward to a great trip.

 

[Billy "Poserlander" Badly]

@Snowtrout Thanks for the GPX files. I was able to open them in Basecamp. That'll be helpful for sure. I already ordered an Oregon OHV permit and have it on my truck. Thanks for the tip though. In CA there's no permit requirement to explore BLM and/ or State lands so that's a new thing for me.

@BillyBadly Thanks for the weather info. Good to just know a little bit about what I'm getting into out there. I'll make sure to check out forecasts before I head out too.

Thanks for all the help from you both. I'm looking forward to a great trip.

Have fun out there! The Pac NW is great- wonderful scenery, great food, awesome beer, what more could you want?

 

[dagen]

Just wait till you get to Washington. They are not needed everywhere but for a few of the places I go I spend $70/year on permits.

On those files, be careful toward the west end. One of the trails is pretty sketchy if you've never been on it. It's a decent length, mild hill climb to a 90 degree right and then off-camber downhill with a wall in the downhill side.

Thanks for that last bit of intel. I head out tomorrow morning. That's crazy that the permits cost so much. But on the plus side they are funding the areas that we want to be in. I'm happy to pay for these areas to be maintained and still available.

Thanks again!

 

[dagen]

@BillyBadly @Snowtrout
Thought you may want to see some photos from my day in Tillamook.

 

[Billy "Poserlander" Badly]

Thought you may want to see some photos from my day in Tillamook.

Looks like you had a great time! Thank you for sharing... I haven't made it into the woods in a while, but I feel the call.

 

[STPICKENS]

No that looks like a lot of fun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk