Bridle Trail Loop – Mt Hood

On a cool morning we rode what we call the Bridle Trail Loop. This was not our first time doing this loop so we knew what to expect.

The trail follows the Barlow Road – part of the Oregon Trail followed by pioneers in wagon trains coming to Oregon and wanting to avoid rafting their wagons down the Columbia. We started off the highway where the trail crosses. This puts a majority of the climbing on Still Creek Road at the beginning. It was cool in the shade for the first gentle downhill part of the trail. We hung a left and eventually climbed up the gravel road. It’s a beautiful gravel road that follows Still Creek. We crossed bridges several times and the stopped to take in the mossy trees and rocks.

At the “top” we turned left and bombed down to Still Creek Campground and found the Barlow Trail. This was a climb. It is a bit more primitive than most trails in the area to preserve its historic characteristics. Its rocky terrain and ditch like appearance is representative of how it likely looked when wagons and stock were on it in the 1850s. This spit us out across the highway from Government Camp.

Up we went through the cabins to get to the Crosstown Trail. I like this section because it’s forested singletrack with good flow. After it meets up with Bridle Trail we finished on that. This section has some sneaky climbs, lots of rocks, a tunnel, and more heavy forest.

We capped off the day with a stop at the historic Timberline Lodge.