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Geographic region: Oregon Coast Range
Municipality/town: Timber, Gales Creek (unincorporated Washington County), Tillamook
Route configuration: loop
Distance: 14.7 miles
Min/max elevation: 1,134’/2,744’
Total ascent: 1,882’
Max grade: 9.2% up/11.2% down
Surface: gravel/dirt road (some larger rocks)
Bikes allowed: yes (gravel or mountain bike recommended)
Obstacles: gate on NW Standard Grade Rd shortly after the intersection with Cochran Rd, closed to automobile traffic but allows pedestrians and bikers to cross
Best months: spring, summer, fall (higher areas may be covered in snow during the winter)
Permits: none required
Traffic: virtually none on the weekends; there may be logging traffic during the weekend and you might see a few vehicles and hikers near Reehers Camp
Feels safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): no. Consider bringing bear spray.
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 43 miles
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: Park at Reehers Camp parking lot (2.5 mi west of Timber, OR on Cochran Rd).
Head west on Cochran Rd – go 4.3 mi
@4.2 mi: L at triangle to stay on Cochran Rd
@4.3 mi: L at Y on Standard Grade Rd (Wheeler Pond Rd turns R) – go 2.6 mi
@5.6 mi: striaght/L at triangle to stay on Standard Grade Rd (Kinney Creek Rd turns R)
@6.2 mi: R at Y to stay on Standard Grade Rd
@6.9 mi: L on Bell Camp Rd (Standard Grade continues straight/R) – go 3.1 mi
@8.1 mi: straight at 4-way intersection to stay on Bell Camp Rd
@8.6 mi: take a quick detour to the L to see a view
@10.0 mi: straight on Round Top Rd – go 3.5 mi
@11.9 mi: straight/L to stay on Round Top Rd (Rice Rd turns R)
@13.2 mi: R to stay on Round Top Rd
@13.5 mi: R on Cochran Rd – go 1.2 mi
End @14.7 mi
Starting at Reehers Camp west of the tiny town of Timber, this route heads west on logging roads to make a loop in the Coast Range. It’s mostly uphill the first two-thirds, save for a few brief flat to downhill breathers, leaving it mostly downhill for the last third.
As you head west on Cochran Road for the first part of the route, you will pass by the Old Tillamook Railroad Bridge on your left at around three miles. At the 4.3-mle mark, you will head south on NW Standard Grade Road for 2.6 miles. The section gradually winds uphill, with a few steeper sections, through thickly treed areas with intermittent beautiful panoramic views of the Coast Range.
At the 6.9-mile point, you turn left to head east on Bell Camp Road. The peak of the course is at 8.6 miles, and there is a very short turnout from the road that will take you to a panoramic view of the hills and a large valley.
At ten miles, you will come to an intersection where you will continue straight onto Round Top Road. At this point, you will start a steep descent with wide panoramic view of the Coast Range for the first mile or so, before winding through tall trees. This road takes you back to Cochran Road, where you will turn right with just over a mile to get back to Reehers Camp.
Geographic region: Oregon Coast Range
Municipality/town: Timber, Gales Creek (unincorporated Washington County), Tillamook
Route configuration: loop with an out-and-back
Distance: 19.8 miles
Min/max elevation: 1,133’/2,760’
Total ascent: 2,140’
Max grade: 10.1% up/14.0% down
Surface: gravel/dirt road (some larger rocks)
Bikes allowed: yes (gravel or mountain bike recommended)
Obstacles: none
Best months: spring, summer, fall (higher areas may be covered in snow during the winter)
Permits: none required
Traffic: virtually none on the weekends; there may be logging traffic during the weekend and you might see a few vehicles and hikers near Reehers Camp
Safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): no. Consider bringing bear spray.
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 43 miles
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: Park at Reehers Camp parking lot (2.5 mi west of Timber, OR on Cochran Rd).
Head west on Cochran Rd – go 0.2 mi
@0.2 mi: R on Wheeler Rd – go 6.6 mi
@2.1 mi: R at Y to stay on Wheeler Rd (although Wheeler Rd also turns L)
@3.2 mi: R at Y and then again a few feet later R at another Y
@3.7 mi: L at Y to stay on Wheeler Rd (Lousignont Rd turns R)
@5.1 mi: R at Y to stay on Wheeler Rd (Ellis Rd turns L)
@5.2 mi: L at 3-way to stay on Wheeler Rd (Camp 5 Rd heads straight)
@6.6 mi: R to stay on Wheeler Rd (Wheeler Cutoff Rd turns L)
@6.8 mi: L on unnamed road – go 0.6 mi
@7.4 mi: L on unnamed road – go 0.3 mi to a viewpoint
@7.7 mi: turn around and head back – go 0.3 mi
@8.0 mi: R on unnamed road – go 0.6 mi
@8.6 mi: R on unnamed road – go 0.2 mi
@8.8 mi: continue straight on Wheeler Cutoff Rd – go 1.6 mi
@10.4 mi: L on Wheeler Pond Rd – go 5.2 mi
In 200’: L at Y to stay on Wheeler Pond Rd (although Wheeler Pond Rd also turns R)
@10.7 mi: R at Y to stay on Wheeler Pond Rd (Ellis Rd turns L)
@15.6 mi: L on Cochran Rd (Standard Grade Rd turns R) – go 4.3 mi
@15.7 mi: R at triangle to stay on Cochran Rd
(@~17 mi: look for Old Tillamook Railroad Bridge on the right)
End @19.9 mi
Starting at Reehers Camp just west of the town of Timber, this route makes a loop through the Oregon Coast Range, with a short dogleg climb to catch a view worth the effort.
The first three miles are the steepest climb of the route, winding through mostly forested areas including Douglas firs and alders. The route flattens out a bit, with some stunning panoramic views of the Coast Range hills and valleys. After a couple of miles of flatter terrain, you will start climbing again, though not as steeply. At around 6.6 miles, you turn right to do a dogleg that is about a mile long one-way. The last 0.3 miles of this dogleg is up a steep and rugged road that takes you to the highpoint of this route, where you can catch a wide and gorgeous view of the Coast Range.
After finishing the dogleg, you will rejoin the larger loop. Shortly after the nine-mile mark, you will start a quite steep downhill section for roughly a mile. By 10½ miles, you will be relieved to be on mostly flat to gentle downhill, with just a few uphill bumps, for the remainder of the route.
As you make your way down Wheeler Pond Road, you will see some more beautiful views of the Coast Range. At about the 17-mile mark, after turning onto Cochran Road for the home stretch, you can see the Old Tillamook Railroad Bridge to your right.
The last few miles of the course are through more densely forested areas again, paralleling the Nehalem River, which at this point is just budding from its headwaters and is just little more than a stream.
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