Elkhorn Crest Trail

Overview
Some trails are physically difficult, with long, grinding climbs; other are technically challenging, with endless rocky exposure. The Elkhorn Crest Trail is both, but that’s not all: it may also be Oregon’s most beautiful ride, just a narrow ribbon of singletrack that threads past jagged peaks, alpine lakes, and shaggy mountain goats.

Route Details
It's difficult to get to, requiring either a bouncy shuttle ride or a brutal doubletrack climb, but once you’re on the trail you are mercifully rewarded with a rolling alignment. Surfing along at 8,000’ above sea level affords amazing views in all directions but you’ll have to stop to enjoy them because the narrow, jagged tread demands every ounce of your attention. You’ll make steady progress but your hands will cramp from death-gripping your bars as you link together an endless array of moves over rock notches and around outcroppings. The exposure is omnipresent and you don’t want to fall this deep in the backcountry.

You’ll pass a couple trail intersections but pay them no mind as you continue to head northwest along the ridgeline. About 11 miles from the start of the trail you’ll hit a mining claim with a hilarious and otherworldly bit of folk art that creates a mandatory photo op. This is a good turn-around spot or you can keep going for a couple more miles before you hit the Wilderness boundary. Don’t be discouraged, the trail feels sufficiently different heading back.

Rather than completely retrace your steps, you can loop back down to the valley floor either to the east via Summit Lake Trail or to the west via the scenic and challenging Twin Lakes Trail. Just remember to plan ahead and not accidentally drop the wrong way or you'll be in for a very long ride

Riding Season
The high elevation keeps the trail buried in snow until summer; make sure to check the conditions before heading up the pass. The trail stays clear through fall, and even though early-season storms drop a little snow it can melt away in a matter of days.