I heard from several people that this trail was worth the hour drive from where we are boondocking. It was. Our mountain bike loop was 23.2 miles with 2622′ of climbing up to the highpoint of 5251′. It was a chilly start and in fact, the whole day felt quite a bit like fall to me.
Umatilla Rim Trail is kind of in the middle of nowhere. I guess the nearest city would by Elgin. The trail follows the ridge and skirts the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness area. A classic cross country trail, this gem changes around every corner. Long stretches flow through dark old growth forest and it’s here that I was chilly. But then around the corner we popped out on a ridge with a sweet view of the wilderness. Pedal further and we wrapped around to the treeless side of the ridge for a better view, repeat. The whole ride is amazing, though a bit dusty this late in the summer. It’s true cross country riding with lots of ups and downs but nothing too hard.
We encountered a giant herd of sheep while we were taking a break. It brought memories our sheep ride in Victor, ID.
At Lake Creek Trail we hung a left and pedaled through some gravel roads to get back to Summit Road. From there we rode National Forest Development Road 31 and then a short one mile stint on Westin Elgin Highway to our truck to complete the loop. If I did this again I’d probably ride it as an out and back which would make it 30+ miles and 3500+’ of climbing. However, as an out and back you could turn around whenever of course.
Worth it! What a beautiful forest and we didn’t see anyone else the entire ride. I did, however, see bear prints. Alone, but not alone! On a weekend I bet this gets more users so keep that in mind.
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