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Geographic region: Tualatin Hills, Oregon Coast Range
Municipality/town: North Plains
Route configuration: out-and-back with multiple doglegs
Distance: 21.7 miles
Min/max elevation: 361’/1,325’
Total ascent: 2,551’
Max grade: 12.9% up/12.9% down
Surface: ~13 miles gravel/dirt road, ~8 miles paved road
Bikes allowed: yes (mountain bike recommended)
Obstacles: none
Best months: any
Permits: none required
Traffic: very light to light; virtually no traffic on the third and fourth doglegs
Feels safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): It mostly feels okay to go alone; the northeastern section is isolated with no cell service so consider bringing bear spray if going alone.
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 27 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 past North Plains on Hwy 26 W. Take exit 55 for Dersham Rd/Mountaindale. Turn R on NW Dersham Rd – go 0.3 mi. Continue straight on NW Mountaindale Rd – go 1.6 mi. Turn R on NW Dairy Creek Rd – go 5.2 mi. Turn L on NW Meacham Rd – go 0.1 mi. Park on the side of the road before the bridge.
Head west ono NW Meacham Rd – go 0.4 mi
@0.4 mi: R to stay on NW Meacham Rd – go 1.4 mi
@1.8 mi: L on NW Linklater Rd – go 0.6 mi
@2.4 mi: turn around head back on NW Linklater Rd – go 0.6 mi
@3.0 mi: NW Linklater turns slightly R and becomes NW Meacham Rd – go 1.4 mi
@4.4 mi: R on NW Murtaugh Rd – go 1.1 mi
@5.5 mi: turn around and head back on NW Murtaugh Rd – go 1.1 mi
@6.6 mi: R on NW Meacham – go 0.5 mi
@7.1 mi: L on NW Dairy Creek Rd – go 2.3 mi
@9.4 mi: R on NW Fern Flat Rd – go 0.6 mi
@10.0 mi: R on NW Greener Rd – go 0.7 mi
@10.7 mi: R on NW Burgdorfer Rd – go 0.4 mi
@11.1 my: R at Y on unnamed road – go 0.8 mi (or wherever preferred to turn around)
@11.9 mi: turn around and head back on unnamed road – go 0.8 mi
@12.7 mi: L at Y on NW Burgdorfer Rd – go 0.4 mi
@13.1 mi: R on NW Greener Rd – go 2.5 mi
@15.5 mi: turn around and head back on NW Greener Rd – go 3.2 mi
@18.7 mi: L on NW Fern Flat Rd – go 0.6 mi
@19.3 mi: L on NW Dairy Creek Rd – go 2.3 mi
@21.6 mi: R on NW Meacham Rd – go 0.1 mi
End @21.7 mi
This unique route has four doglegs, necessitated by the dead-ends on each of the legs. The area is very pretty and interesting, however, so we found it worth doing. The first seven miles cover two of the doglegs on roads over rolling hills with scattered homes amongst forests and farms. The roads are quite peaceful since there is no drivable outlet on either branch.
After seven miles, there is a 2.3-mile section on NW Dairy Creek Road. This road has slightly more traffic (but still quite intermittent), passing by more farms dotted along Dairy Creek. Hills rise up behind the creek and fields, making for beautiful scenery.
Around 10 miles, the course takes a decidedly uphill tick up NW Greener Road, which passes through coniferous forest. The climb gets steeper yet on NW Burgdorfer, where the road gets rougher and more remote. This third dogleg finishes up where the road gets even rougher and splits in two; we turned around at this point because at the time we did it, it was covered in snow and was getting tricky to proceed. On a dry summer day, you likely could go a bit farther on either one of these branches but would soon hit a dead-end on either one. Regardless, this third dogleg is a very pretty section on double-track road through the woods.
The fourth dogleg starts when you return to NW Greener Road, where you will head north and go 2.5 miles until you hit a gate where you will turn around. This section of NW Greener Road winds through coniferous and deciduous forest, and it’s absent of any homes except at the very end where there is one house tucked away. At the turnaround, you should be pleased to know that the remaining five or so miles are a downhill coast.
Geographic region: Tualatin Hills, Oregon Coast Range
Municipality/town: North Plains
Route configuration: loops
Distance: 25.4 miles
Min/max elevation: 198’/1,525’
Total ascent: 2,636’
Max grade: 10.8% up/10.3% down
Surface: ~14 miles paved road, ~11.5 miles gravel road
Bikes allowed: (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: light to very light
Feels safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): yes
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 20 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 to North Plains on Hwy 26 W. Take exit 59 toward NW Jackson School Rd. Turn R on NW Jackson School Rd – go 3.5 mi. Turn R on NW Shadybrook Rd – go 0.1 mi. Turn R on NW Truitt Rd – go 0.6 mi. Park where the road splits into 3 sections.
Head west on NW Truitt Rd – go 0.5 mi
@0.5 mi: R on NW Shadybrook Rd – go 400’
@0.6 mi: continue straight on NW Dorland Rd – go 2.3 mi
@2.9 mi: R on NW Solberger Rd – go 0.9 mi
@3.8 mi: L on NW Jarrell Rd – go 0.7 mi
@4.5 mi: R on NW Munson Rd (Google shows this road starting as NW Jarrell Rd and switching to NW Munson Rd) – go 0.6 mi
@5.1 mi: L on NW Johnson Rd – go 0.9 mi
@6.0 mi: L on NW Pederson Rd – go 1.4 mi
@7.4 mi: continue straight on NW Jarrell Rd – go 0.7 mi
@8.1 mi: R on NW Solberger Rd – go 0.9 mi
@9.0 mi: continue straight on NW Moreland Rd – go 3.1 mi
@12.1 mi: L on NW Skyline Blvd – go 1.7 mi
@13.8 mi: L on NW Rocky Point Rd – go 1.0 mi
@14.8 mi: L on NW Dixie Mountain Rd – go 6.0 mi
@20.8 mi: NW Dixie Mountain Rd becomes NW Kay Rd – go 0.7 mi
@21.5 mi: L on NW Collins Rd – go 0.3 mi
@21.8 mi: L to stay on NW Collins Rd – go 1.4 mi
@23.2 mi: continue straight on NW Northrup Rd – go 0.3 mi
@23.5 mi: R on NW Dixie Mountain Rd – go 1.2 mi
@23.7 mi: R on NW Shadybrook Rd – go 400’
@23.8 mi: sharp L on NW Truitt Rd – go 0.6 mi
End @25.4 mi
The first quarter of this lengthy course is quite hilly as it passes through peaceful farmlands with patches of forest. This section includes a smaller loop that winds through a very quiet wooded area before returning to the larger loop of the course.
At the nine-mile mark, you will resume the larger loop after you turn right on NW Moreland Road. This sparsely populated road takes you on a gradual uphill to NW Skyline Boulevard, where you will take its northernmost section for 1.7 miles. Where Skyline ends, you will head west on Rocky Point Road, and by about the 14.8-mile point, you will reach the peak of the entire course. Here, you will veer left onto NW Dixie Mountain Road to begin a seven-mile mostly downhill section that winds through deciduous and coniferous forest with intermittent views of valley and hills beyond. The last four miles, which are gently rolling, open up into farmland once again.
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