I love getting out with my partner or friends to ride trails on weekends, but my most memorable moments on the bike are when I packed up what I needed and simply left the car at home. As the bus rolled out with my loaded bike perched on the bus bike rack, I tried to think back to the last time I had been bikepacking. Was it riding the Oregon Timber Trail in 2018? Had it really been that long? The pandemic shrank my world as I conserved energy and resources. I concentrated on my work and bike rides were regular, mostly just for my mental health and running errands. In interviewing folks about their adventures I remembered that I too am an occasional bikepacker and I started wondering when I was going to get out on my own adventures again.

This past weekend the OTTA board met in McKenzie Bridge for its annual retreat. After a year of ZOOM meetings, these retreats give the board much-needed face time to scheme and dream for the future. As you may remember, we just brought on eight fantastic new board members. This retreat was a great opportunity for everyone to meet, reflect on past highlights and discuss what we could do better.

The Oregon Timber Trail Alliance is a 501c3 non-profit, which means we have a volunteer board that makes sure the work of running a non-profit gets done. So, every two years board members roll off and we welcome new recruits. This year we’re welcoming eight fantastic new board members. Take a minute to get to know them a bit by learning about what inspires them to shepard the Oregon Timber Trail into the future. As always, we’re dedicated to our four tenets: Stewardship, Community, Education, and Experience. We’ll be gathering this weekend to formulate plans for more stewardship and educational events, and find innovative new ways to build community and improve the experience of riding the Oregon Timber Trail for everyone. Follow along with us to see what we get up to. It’s going to be an exciting year for the OTT!

Mark Shafer grew up in Kalamath Falls, and has lived and adventured across the state of Oregon. His first bikepacking trip was as a kid, riding to a nearby campground on a 10-speed bike with a backpack. He recently retired from Merrill Lynch, and now splits his time between the high desert and the Wilamette Valley of Oregon. Currently, he is on the board of directors for the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon & Southwest Washington. Mark is also a volunteer for the Oregon Timber Trail.

Missy Simula joined us for the Watson Fire #1 Rehab trail work party and then went on to spend 28 days riding the Oregon Timber Trail. When her ride partner canceled, she decided to forge on ahead solo. We’re inspired by Missy’s grit and creativity in coming up with ways to get it done. It’s also fun to keep in touch with volunteers and see what great things they go on to accomplish.

Inspired by our Brian Anthony ride report, last week we teamed up with the USFS to log out the Lower Fifteemile section. Brian altered us to the fact that this section had 25 trees down, so to improve the lives of everyone planning to ride our Mt. Hood Gorge Loop, Stiletsi and the White Crane loop this fall, we set off with crosscut saws, Silky Katanaboys, loppers in hand and took a day to clear the trail.

Brian Anthony, Owner/operator of Portland-based clothing company ANTHM Collective just finished Stiletsi and The White Crane (An OTTA Hood Tier Gorge Loop) in 16 hours and 45 minutes. That’s 145 miles with over 15k of climbing in less than 24 hours. We sat down with Brian for a quick interview and ride recap and to find out what makes him tick.

Are you a passionate backcountry mountain biker or trail advocate that wants to work with us to promote and enhance the experience of riding the Oregon Timber Trail? Here’s your chance to make a difference. The Oregon Timber Trail Alliance is now seeking new volunteer board members!

The organization needs a diversity of voices, skills, and lived experiences on our board to help us achieve our mission. If you would like to be involved in the leadership of this growing organization, we invite you to apply below, especially if your life experiences, skills, and interests align with our mission.

The Oregon Timber Trail Alliance (OTTA) was formed in 2016 by mountain biking enthusiasts from across the state and was classified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2019. The organization is dedicated to stewardship, education, community, and quality trail experiences throughout the Oregon Timber Trail corridor.

Welcome to the first in a series of sponsor spotlights. Fox Factory created Trail Trust to provide grants to organizations helping to preserve the places we love to play. The goal is to bring together diverse communities to build, maintain, and expand access to trails. OTTA met with Jackie Martin to learn about how Trail Trust was created, the program’s priorities, and the progress made during the first year.

This past Friday through Sunday, the Oregon Timber Trail Association (OTTA) hosted a Willamette Tier stewardship event in partnership with Salem Area Trail Alliance (SATA), Willamette National Forest and Cascade Volunteers. On a rugged section of the Old Cascade Crest trails along the spine of the Oregon Cascades, a group of 29 people and three dogs completed miles of benching and brushing, totaling over 400 hours and valued at $12,000! The terrain is steep and raw, through majestic old growth and high mountain lakes. These grades present their own challenge to keeping a trail open and enjoyable. Constant slough from the hillside above, growth from rhododendron and other vegetation on the sides, and erosion on the downward slope all conspire to narrow the trail significantly over the years. With steep exposure, maintaining a wide and well-graded trail is critical.

This past weekend, July 1st - 4th, the Oregon Timber Trail Alliance got back down to the Fremont National Forest to work with a group of volunteers to log 480 volunteer hours valued at $12,480. We worked primarily in the Bear Creek section, finishing a reroute that had been planned since last year. It was incredible to see the continuation of work that was begun at the first stewardship event in May. Also notable was the amount of trail that got cleaned, widened, and rebenched. The transformation that occurred in one afternoon of work was mind-blowing. As Michael Norris stated - “ I've been riding these trails for the past seven years and so much work has been done, and we can finally see the vision taking shape. This trail can be world-class!”

Be careful, Oakridge, Oregon will change your life. This small town loves bikepackers (and all cyclists)! In the summer of 2017 I came here on vacation to check out the famous mountain biking, starting with Alpine Trail, one of the most well-known trails in the area. I camped next to a waterfall at Salmon Creek Campground, drank local craft beer at the pub, shot a game of pool with a stranger, and fell in love with the place. I came back a second time that summer to show a friend around, and then a THIRD time that same summer as a bikepacker when I did a thru ride of the Oregon Timber Trail! Fast forward five years and on a whim, I applied for a summer job at The Oakridge Bike Shop and Willamette Mountain Mercantile and that is how I found myself living in this dreamy little town last summer.

This past weekend, June 10th - 12th, the Oregon Timber Trail Alliance had a chance to get back down to Paisley to work with a small but mighty group of volunteers. The Avery Pass section of the Timber Trail was and still is in need of tread work and rehabilitation from the damage caused by the Brattain Fire of 2020.

Over the memorial day weekend we had an amazing group of volunteers show up from OR, WA, NV, and CA.This crew logged approximately 470 volunteer hours towards our RTP match. We still need about 200 hours, and should reach that goal with Watson #2 event. Nate Crabtree, our dedicated Forest Service representative brought Will and Nick. We were bucking out downed logs on a section of Bear Creek when the first thru riders of the Season rode up. Stacey Nieder and Tony Allen of Anchorage had braved many slippery miles on Crane Mountain and had been riding for six days by the time they met us. Volunteer Missy Simula came down from Seattle area, and she’ll also be attempting the OTT in a few weeks. We promised to stay in touch so we could learn about her ride as well. Mark Shafer, volunteer from Bend is looking to ride the whole trail in August. We’re inspired by everyone’s plans to ride and are working hard to provide detours throught the fire closures.

Geo Mcguts @geo_mcguts is an artist, a long-distance cyclist, and one of our BIPOC/WTF/Q scholarship recipients. We wanted to get to know Geo and hear about what motivates them in life, so we did an interview. We talk about Geo’s first ever Grand Depart and surviving in extremely difficult conditions, about what it means to be genderqueer while finding freedom and a sense of self in both artistic creation and bikepacking. We also asked Geo to pick their favorite artwork that tells the story. Geo reminds us of the importance of paying attention to the details on trail and how to showing up is just the first step in a journey. The rest is listening to your inner self and finding your path. We’re inspired by Geo’s courage on trail and in finding one’s true self in life. As Geo says “I want to become a beacon, to shine so brightly that all the queers, the weirdos, the losers, the people who are at risk of being drowned in the darkness, can see that we are powerful enough to forge our own pathways and define what success and happiness mean for ourselves, and that we're not at the mercy of anyone else to standardize or judge who we are for us.” Shine on, Geo!

Around Mile 205.5 on the OTT, you ride onto Hwy 97 about half mile south of Chemult, OR. Chemult is the first town you pass through from the southern terminus without going off route. Chemult is a small town, but it has most services that a bikepacker could want, including hot food, showers, laundry, motels, a campground, and even an Amtrak station! Chemult was established in 1924 as a station on the Southern Pacific Cascade Line named “Knott” during construction. The station’s name was changed to Chemult when the line opened in 1926 and a post office was established the same year. The name Chemult comes from a Klamath chief who was one of the 26 who signed the Klamath Lake Treaty of October 14, 1864. Present day population is 300 and the town sits at an elevation of 4,764 feet.

Sure, it’s still winter and there is still plenty of snow on the higher elevations, but spring is just around the corner. It’s a perfect time to start dreaming and scheming about rides big and small. While the Oregon Timber Trail is an ambitious 670-mile trail, many of us also like bite-sized weekend rides and base camping. One day rides? Yeah, we do those too. So, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best rides that hit the OTT, or are what I’m calling “OTT adjacent” - in the same zone, but are fun trails that we use for bike practice, fully loaded or otherwise. We created this handy guide that’s full of routes and loaded with trip ideas. Click through to see the guide!

The genius of the Oregon Timber Trail is that it takes you to towns like Silver Lake. My introduction to Silver Lake came in 2015 when riding the Oregon Outback Grand Depart. We left a rainy and misty Klamath Falls bright and early and by dinnertime, we were rolling into the Cowboy Dinner Tree for our late dinner. We were exhausted but instantly charmed by the rustic vibe and the fact that this unique restaurant seemed to exist in the middle of nowhere and somewhere out of time. The fact that we arrived under our own power through the woods made it the unique experience that it was.

I first met Dustin “Dusty” Eroh at Revelate HQ when my partner and I made our first ever trip to Anchorage to ride the Kenai Peninsula. Dusty was Revelate’s first full-time employee who has gone on to design and produce many of the bags we’ve come to know and love. In 2017, Dusty and his buddy, “Thrasher” were early OTT pioneers, riding the whole route in 10 days and 8 hours. We sat down recently as Dusty was driving from the Bay Area to Alaska to reminisce about his OTT through ride, learn more about his work with Revelate and hear how life has changed since.

“Did you know? Summer Lake was once a lush lake & wetland, during the Pleistocene epoch, and formed the great lake Chewaucan. The old lake was aprox. 461 sq miles, with depths up to 375 feet deep. It hosted a wide variety of life, with some of the earliest evidence of human life on this continent. The current Summer Lake is a mere 15 miles long, 5 miles wide, and has an average depth of 1 foot. The lake is now too alkaline to host any life, but is a popular bird migratory stop each year.” This little gem of a history lesson was courtesy of the glowing light board in the Paisley Saloon. We had just finished the Bear Creek Loop…well truthfully we rode it as a shuttle, but it’s available as a loop. The Saloon has a deep history itself, being one of the oldest pubs in Oregon. It started serving drinks in 1883! For OTT riders, as you approach the Chewacan river and you feel like you need a break or a solid meal, detour to Paisley and see what’s happening on that day. We asked our local guide, Michael to share a few local secrets.

I first met Ben at Cultus Lake resort in 2017. He was riding the Timber Trail with Miles Arbor. Fast forward to 2022, and I just happened to have Ben on my thank you call list for donors. Ben also started the “Odyssey of the VOG” 350 mile endurance gravel race on the Oregon coast.

He’s an upbeat and friendly guy, so we had a nice phone chat and we decided to do a little interview. Ben led the Grand Depart this year before having to call it in Sisters due to fire closures. He’s a strong endurance athlete and content creator and he’s stuck with bikepacking over the years, so we asked him about his approach, preparation and his mental outlook. There are a ton of links, ride stories and packing lists here, so grab your morning coffee and dig in

Lakeview’s elevation is 4802 feet, which is why it’s known as the Tallest Town in Oregon, aka “Tall Town” If you’ve ridden the Timber Trail from the start, you’ll know that cattle ranching and hay production are key elements of the local economy. We asked Thom Batty, OTTA board member and owner of Tall Town Bike and Camp for the best spots to resupply. He also gave us a new bikeable route from Klamath Falls, which means you can take the Amtrak train to K-falls and pedal the 149 miles to the start of the trail. Tom has also offered to shuttle folks to the start and he says you can park in front of his house. That’s what I call small-town hospitality!

Max Morales is a Bay Area teacher, long-distance cyclist, and one of our BIPOC scholarship recipients. We talked about what it means to be a teacher, a role model, and how to adapt when conditions throw you a curveball. We wanted to get to know Max and hear about what motivates him in his life, so we did an interview. We also asked Max to pick his favorite ten images that told the story. Max reminds us about the meaning of community on trail and how to show up.

July 2021 brought both the first-ever Oregon Timber Trail Grand Depart and the (now infamous) Bootleg fire. Riders converged on Lakeview, OR where anxious riders met each other, the mayor barbequed. The ride is now history. What can you say about summer bikepacking in the American West? Be prepared to improvise, change plans, and bring an N95. Despite all of this, one rider (and photographer, Conan Thai returned with a stunning set of images that captured the essence of this race-not-a-race. We wanted to get to know Conan a bit better and hear a bit more about his process. Anyone that wants to capture their own adventures will appreciate what Conan accomplished during this Grand Depart.

The Oregon Timber Trail Alliance (OTTA) is looking for an energetic, passionate, organized, collaborative community leader to be our new Executive Director for our dynamic and growing organization.