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Geographic region: Tualatin Hills, Oregon Coast Range
Municipality/town: North Plains
Route configuration: out-and-back with a loop
Distance: 22.6 miles
Min/max elevation: 208’/1,682’
Total ascent: 2,586’
Surface: ~20.5 miles gravel/packed dirt road, ~2 miles paved road
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: very light (a bit more traffic on NW Dairy Creek Rd)
Feels safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): yes (but north end of NW Pumpkin Ridge gets pretty isolated)
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 22 miles
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: Locate Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course at 12930 NE Pumpkin Ridge Rd, North Plains, OR 97133. Head north on NW Old Pumpkin Ridge Rd – go 0.7 mi. Turn left to stay on NW Old Pumpkin Ridge Rd – go 0.3 mi. Park on the corner of NW Old Pumpkin Ridge Rd and NW Corey Rd.
Head west on NW Corey Rd – go 2.9 mi
@2.9 mi: R on NW Keller Rd – go 2.4 mi
@5.3 mi: L on NW Pumpkin Ridge Rd go 5.8 mi
@11.1 mi: turn around and head back on NW Pumpkin Ridge Rd – go 4.9 mi
@16.1 mi: R on NW Murphy Rd – go 2.6 mi
@18.7 mi: L on NW Dairy Creek Rd – go 0.7 mi
@19.4 mi: L on NW Corey Rd – go 3.2 mi
End @22.6 mi
Starting with rolling hills in open farmland on NW Corey Road, this arduous course gets serious with climbing by around mile-point 3 as it turns up into forested hills heading into the Coast Range. For the next 2.5 miles up NW Keller Road, you will face the steepest section of the course as you wind through Douglas Fir forest.
At the 5.3-mile mark, you will head north on NW Pumpkin Ridge Road, following along rolling hills but still with a net uphill climb. After about 16 miles, this area becomes very sparsely populated and with the road largely flanked by coniferous trees from land owned by tree farms and logging companies. The route goes as far as allowed on this road, with the turnaround point at the edge of private property.
The course heads back on NW Murphy Road, a steady downhill through woods with intermittent openings for farms. From there, you will head south on NW Dairy Creek Road, a paved and slightly busier road, but it’s less than three-quarters of a mile before heading back on NW Corey Road to the finish. The last three miles are through the beautiful rolling farmland again.
Geographic region: Tualatin Hills
Municipality/town: Banks, North Plains
Route configuration: loops
Distance: 22 miles
Min/max elevation: 185’/1,019’
Total ascent: 1,624’
Max grade: 8.6% up/11.0% down
Surface: ~13 miles paved road, ~9 miles gravel road
Bikes allowed: yes (gravel or mountain bike recommended)
Obstacles: none
Best months: any, but less traffic during the summer if you start at daybreak
Permits: none required
Traffic: very light to moderate (NW Mountaindale Rd is the busiest; the non-paved sections are very light)
Feels safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): yes
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 22 miles
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: From Portland, head west on Hwy 26 W past North Plains. Take a sharp R on Harrison Rd – go 0.4 mi. Park on the side of the road near the Harrison Rd/NW Hahn Rd intersection.
Head east on Harrison Rd – go 0.9 mi
@0.9 mi: continue straight on NW Mountaindale Rd – go 3.1 mi
@4.0 mi: L to stay on NW Mountaindale Rd – go 0.9 mi
@4.9 mi: L on NW Old Pumpkin Ridge Rd – go 1.2 mi
@6.1 mi: L to stay on NW Old Pumpkin Ridge Rd – go 1.5 mi
@7.6 mi: continue on NW Pumpkin Ridge Rd – go 2.6 mimi
@10.2 mi: L on NW Keller Rd – go 2.4 mi
@12.6 mi: L on NW Corey Rd – go 2.9 mi
@15.5 mi: R on NW Old Pumpkin Ridge Rd – go 0.3 mi
@15.8 mi: R to stay on NW Old Pumpkin Ridge Rd – go 1.2 mi
@17.0 mi: R on NW Mountaindale Rd – go 0.9 mi
@17.9 mi: R to stay on NW Mountaindale Rd – go 1.7 mi
@19.6 mi: R on NW Hahn Rd – go 1.8 mi
@21.4 mi: L to stay on NW Hahn Rd – go 0.6 mi
End @22.0 mi
Wide views of farmlands are plentiful on this route, along with quiet wooded areas. This course has a bit more traffic than others, particularly on NW Mountaindale Road. But, if you start this route at the break of dawn in the summer when daylight hours are at their peak, the traffic will certainly be lighter.
The first six miles are very flat as you wind around large crop fields. Once you hit the gravel portion of NW Old Pumpkin Ridge Road heading north, you will start a fairly steady four-mile climb through patches of woods alternating with farms and homes dotted along the way. The long climb peaks not long after the ten-mile mark, at which point you will take a sharp left to head downhill down NW Keller Road. Here you will be winding through deciduous and coniferous forest until it opens up into more croplands as it approaches NW Corey Road.
The nearly three-mile section on NW Corey Road rolls through bucolic farmlands with cattle, horses, and fields of crops. The cows and horses are quite friendly here, and are more than happy to come visit with you. Then you will rejoin NW Old Pumpkin Ridge Road to make your way back toward where you started. But first, you will detour onto NW Hahn Road, a lovely, quiet gravel road bordered by crop fields, vineyards, and pastures.
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