Larison Rock

Overview
Catch a morning shuttle to warm up on one of the area’s newer trails, Dead Mountain, and then catch an afternoon shuttle to Larison Rock. You can ride back into town from the bottom of either trail and by the end of the day you’ll have notched over 6K’ of descending.

Route Details
A basalt outcropping looming just south of town, Larison Rock quickly rises 1,400’ from the middle fork of the Willamette River. A paved road leads to the top for a quick and easy shuttle, making it a popular ride that can be knocked out in relatively short order; a bit longer, though if you make the worthwhile diversion from the trail up to the summit.

The descent is defined by exposure. It’s not so bad that you’d be bothered by it if you were climbing but when you’re headed downhill it’s all you can do to keep your mind from screaming “WATCH OUT”. With calm nerves you’ll be able to negotiate everything but all the same you’ll want to death-grip your bars for the occasional babyhead rock. The trail drains well and is less affected than others by the rain but when the roots are slippery it can be a white-knuckle experience. No heroics on your first attempt and you’ll be fine.

One of the great things about the Larison Rock Trail is that you can easily spin back to town from the bottom. When you hit the doubletrack (NF RD 5852), head right and then take the left towards Greenwaters Park, complete with restrooms, picnic tables, and a swimming hole. Once you’ve cooled off it’s only a couple minutes along surface streets back into downtown.

This ride is good when paired with the nearby Upper Dead Mountain shuttle (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/25427543).

Riding Season
Spring through fall.