Tillamook State Forest trails are probably closer to the Forest Grove part of Portland than the actual town of Tillamook but we made the drive to check them out. The Tillamook State Forest is a 364,000-acre publicly owned forest managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry. The area was extensively burned in a series of forest fires between 1933 and 1951collectively known as the Tillamook Burn. The forest was replanted between 1949 and 1972 with a billion Douglas-fir seeds dropped from helicopters and more than 72 million seedlings planted by hand.
We rode the Rogers Camp loop with Stormy Burn Trail. This is an awesome cross country trail, with lots of roots and rocks and some faster downhill sections, along with a few steeper climbs. In fact, right out of the parking lot you struggle up a steep climb as you go deeper into the forest. The only bummer about this ride is for the first half there was the sound of constant gunfire ruining the peace and quiet. There must be a range nearby.
The Wilson River Wagon Road Trail, which makes up a large part of the ride, follows a portion of a historic toll road which was opened in 1893. Stagecoaches and oxen carts used it as the main route between the towns of Forest Grove and Tillamook. It must have been really tough going. This area gets over 100 inches of a rain a year and can be pretty muddy. Not to mention the possibility of all the fallen trees! Trail maintenance must be rough out here.
Splendid weather greeted us without any rain though it was cool in all the heavily shaded parts. We saw a hiker but no other cyclists. Being close to Portland I imagine it gets a lot of use on the weekends.
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