24.4 miles

Distance

536 ft

Climb

-2,246 ft

Descent

04:18:29

Avg time

Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of McKenzie River Trail

USFS
Land Manager

Details

Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
Riding Area

McKenzie River
Eugene, Oregon
Difficulty Rating

Black Diamond rate
Voted Difficulty

Blue (4 votes)
Trail Type

Singletrack
Bike Type

AM, XC
Direction

Downhill Primary
Popular direction shown
Dogs Allowed

Yes
TTFs on Trail

Bridge
Global Ranking
#3507 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #74289 in Trail Running
- #42303 in Hiking
Local Popularity
65 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 5 in Trail Running
- 5 in Hiking
Land Owner

USFS - Willamette National Forest Office

Whether biking, walking or running - this is one of the most spectacular trails to travel.

Through lush 300 year old old growth forests and lava fields, along side lakes so clean you can see over 100 feet to the bottom

Traverse handmade log bridges over the multiple streams and rivers that join to make up the majestic McKenzie River. Follow the river as it abruptly stops and disappears into a lava flow and mysteriously starts again some distance later - seemingly out of nowhere.

Stop and wonder how the Tomolich pool could be such a vibrant topaz blue. Continue down the trail following a wild mountain river and her many large and small waterfalls.

Once you've spent some time here, its easy to see why Bike Magazine and her readers gave the McKenzie River Trail its prized #1 spot for best trails in America.

source: McKenzie River Trail

Local Trail Association

Disciples of Dirt
Oregon Timber Trail Alliance
Oregon Mountain Biking Coalition
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to support
trail development & maintenance.
donate to earn trail karma!

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

More Stats for McKenzie River Trail multi-use trail trail

Altitude change

-1,710 ft
Altitude min

1,430 ft
Altitude max

3,144 ft
Altitude start

3,139 ft
Altitude end

1,430 ft
Grade

-1.3%
Grade max

-36.6%
Grade min

21.6%
Distance climb

4 miles
Distance down

17 miles
Distance flat

3 miles
Avg time

04:18:29
Avg reverse time

04:14:10
view trail stats

Status:

on Aug 11, 2022

Ideal

Avg: 4.3 (46 votes)

Your vote: 0

view (760)

Directions to mckenzie-river-trail trailhead (44.393680, -122.001400)

update trails status or condition

McKenzie River Trail Trail Reports

status	date	description
	Aug 11, 2022 @ 6:18pm Aug 11, 2022	New bike trail separates hikers and bikers at Blue Pool. Deer Creek crossing has been restored and the entire trail is in great shape!
	Jun 21, 2022 @ 9:57am Jun 21, 2022
	May 22, 2022 @ 7:48am May 22, 2022	I started at the highway crossing just below Clear Lake NF-770 entrance to coldwater cove campground. Completely rideable from the highway...
	May 16, 2022 @ 4:17pm May 16, 2022	Top snowy, middle downed trees and some mud. Below closed burn zone perfect
	May 16, 2022 @ 4:14pm May 16, 2022

view all reports »

Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

Past Week

0 rides

6 Months

30 rides
28 miles avg distance

All

738 rides
Last: Jul 30, 2021

Technical Trail Features (TTF)

Photos

12 |

Oct 21, 2022 @ 1:42pm

Oct 21, 2022

864 |

Aug 11, 2017 @ 1:42am

Aug 11, 2017

957 |

Jun 28, 2017 @ 9:36pm

Jun 28, 2017

870 |

Sep 9, 2014 @ 9:18pm

Sep 9, 2014

Trail Products

McKenzie River & Old Cascade Crest, OR, Trail Map
Map

20 Reviews & Comments

Score Time Post Comment

rjackso1886

(Jul 25, 2021 at 21:07)

Did the trail today. The scenery is world class. The trail is pretty technical, not flowy really. It’s roots and rock and narrow trails running alongside steep dropoffs into the rapids of the McKenzie. It’s long and you have to pay attention the entire time. There are incredibly narrow bridges to negotiate and pedestrian potential around every corner. I try to be especially friendly and give them the right of way, say hello, pet their dogs, etc. This ride is epic; an all day adventure. I love it. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s not a mountain bike trail per say, like Alsea Falls. Don’t fall on the lava!

[Reply]

Battlebeetle (Jul 17, 2021 at 17:01)

I rarely write comments but feel compelled due to some of the terrible reviews posted. I think those reviews are more indicative of rider skill level than the trail itself. The trail is rugged in sections , yes, but all rideable by intermediate riders. This trail is amazing! 25 miles of almost all downhill riding on hero dirt with incredible scenery. What more do you want? I'd be curious where these reviewers that panned this trail prefer to ride. I've ridden some of the most highly rated trails in the US, like the whole enchilada and the Alpine ridge trail and I would say this ranks up there as one of the greats.

[Reply]

Oly21

(May 30, 2021 at 20:32)

Rode the trail yesterday and the conditions were great. There were a lot of hikers out likely due to the good weather and the holiday weekend. Because of this it was impossible to have the time and space to ride the lava around clear lake. The bike only section near blue pool was the most fun to ride. I'm glad I finally rode this.

[Reply]

Mcanelo

(Apr 4, 2021 at 18:46)

Beautiful trail with great blues but seriously had a TERRIBLE time riding this. I like a little tech here and there and am decently competent intermediate rider and I had very little fun on this ride. I’m pretty sure I ended up carrying my bike for at least a mile in certain sections. My bf also had very little fun, as well as the only other cyclists we saw. Do yourself a favor and leave your bike at home.

[Reply]

Moonie2123

(Sep 2, 2020 at 19:35)

Ya, waaaaay overhyped as an MTB trail. It's scenic and all but there are other trails WAY more scenic. And the riding is crap compared to other Oregon trails even. The best section of trail is littered with hikers, a lot of hikers. Families and dogs and busloads of tourists type packed.

[Reply]

ckohlmeier

(Aug 30, 2020 at 22:34)

I don’t understand the praise this ride gets. All of the sights are a quick walk from the road, a mile at most, so none of it feels like you earned anything. The top half is terrible riding and EXTREMELY crowded. I made the mistake of riding on a summer weekend, and boy was that a mistake. It seems like 95% of the hikers/sightseers are not aware that it is a multi-use path. Plenty of gasps and “you scared me”‘a. Truly a terrible mountain biking experience. There are so many good trails within 30 mins drive, do literally any of those and check out the three viewpoints along this trail by foot.

[Reply]

timgross

(Aug 15, 2020 at 9:41)

The only thing interesting about this trail is the scenery. The trail itself is not worth riding. The lava rock section along Clear Lake is brutal. The lava is sharp and unforgiving. It will rip up flesh and tires. It is a long hike-a-bike section, and difficult at that. I encountered many "wide-body" hikers since it is near a parking lot. If you want to see the scenery, do it as a hike and ride O'leary/O'lallie instead. The rest of the trail is either flat and boring, or congested with clueless hikers. They become like deer in the headlights. I would track stand to let them pass, and they would stop in the middle of the trail. Sheesh!

[Reply]

SteJHan

(Jul 9, 2020 at 13:02)

Took the easier Clear Lake option instead of MRT to go around Clear Lake and was glad I did by the time I got below Tamolitch. The black for me was a few short stretches rocky, rooty short drops and step ups. Grateful for my platform pedals. This is not a flowy trail, feels like old school biking on hiking trail. Between the distance and sections of climbing it is definitely work.

[Reply]

ahappynick (Jun 22, 2020 at 23:51)

Stunning trail with incredible views and ample opportunities to swim throughout the ride. Make a day of it and expect a lot of pedaling. Mostly XC riding, but there are some fun tech sections throughout - don't expect any bike park type features, more of a wilderness trail.

[Reply]

Benconomics

DOD (Sep 12, 2019 at 20:45)

This trail is not super flowy, fast and has almost no jumps.

But it drains well, has great dirt for climbs, fun roots and rock features, and plenty of bridges for crossing.

Plus I saw a bear on it today that went running off when I spooked it while it was eating the ripe Oregon grapes about 3 miles in from the lower trailhead. The bear alone took it from 4 stars to 5 for me. It's also not a black it's just really really long.

[Reply]

blindstuff

VKBC (Jul 30, 2019 at 16:24)

This trail does not deserve the praise it gets. Yes it's incredibly beautiful, yes the water is clear beyond belief and yes, the waterfalls are cool, but the riding is terrible. Super flat, the only fun section is full of hikers and you can get absolutely no flow. Definitely not the best in America, not even the best in Oregon.

If you're interested in the scenic part of this trail, leave your bike at home, park by the blue pool and hike it. You'll get all this trail has to offer.

[Reply]

dirthyshirtmil

(Jul 19, 2019 at 18:55)

Awesome trail, everyone needs to ride it at least once. Spectacular scenery along the way! Does get congested around the pools and falls but to he expected. There was a couple downed trees along the route.

[Reply]

CopperCore (May 22, 2019 at 11:11)

Only went a third of the way from the bottom up. It has small gems and good scenery. Meh. Oregon has better riding.

[Reply]

bendorrigan

(Oct 15, 2018 at 13:19)

Great scenery, horrible riding. Flat, boring, and no flow. And prepare to get lots of dirty looks from hikers.

[Reply]

matux

(Jul 27, 2018 at 21:32)

Hands down my favorite trail to date, but my wife (who normally likes rocky and technical) hated the lava and loved the rest. The lava fields are scattered from mile 1.7 through mile 2.2 (then they are randomly paved) and again later even more intense for from above the Tamolitch Falls (Blue Pool) and over a mile after until about mile 8.6 where it changes to super easy 4ft wide flat path chucked full of hikers for another mile. I’ve never seen so many hikers for the two miles between Tamolitch Falls (Blue Pool) and the parking lot below. We visited 14 waterfalls during our trip their and it was one of our least favorite and most crowded. If your looking for a blue pool, the best is called Great Spring at mile 1.4 where the trail juts put away from Clear Lake (which the lake is really blue too). I didn’t mind the lava or getting stuck when it bulged up hill, but for intermediate riders like my wife, you can ride to mile 1.4 see the blue pool and double back to the Clear Lake trail for an ultra easy way around the lake and ride down tell roughly mile 6, where the lava is back until mile 8.6 much of it is near non-stop lava far worse then along the lake. I loved the lava, but was shocked for my wife at how crazy technical it was. I tried to take lots of pictures, but pictures shrink everything down and it looks whimper in photos. We didn’t continue past the parking at mile 9.7 (broken chain) but I’ve read the trail gets easier the lower you go.

[Reply]

dthomp325

(Jun 12, 2018 at 11:44)

I rode a lollipop from the Blue Pool trailhead up around Clear Lake and back. The riding itself didn't have much elevation change and wasn't all that great, but the scenery was spectacular. Blue Pool and the various falls are not to be missed and worth the ride. There were a lot of hikers around the Blue Pool area, which is kinda unfortunate because that was the most interesting part of the trail from a riding perspective, with ~1mile of cool volcanic rock terrain that made some fun slow-speed tech moves. Scenery: 5/5, riding: 2.5/5.

[Reply]

rockystumpy

(Jul 24, 2016 at 17:16)

There is an easy and a hard route around Clear Lake (near the start of the MRT). The harder route is not shown (yet).

[Reply]

rockystumpy

(Jun 13, 2017 at 20:19)

Trailforks has been updated to show the Clear Lake option (blue trail) on the west side of the lake.

[Reply]

ACLakey (Aug 2, 2015 at 20:49)

Scenery is amazing, great photo's around every corner. The upper portion of the trail is rocky and technical but the lower half is fun and enjoyable. A great trail all around.

[Reply]

burn1 SHORE CORPS (Mar 21, 2015 at 18:00)

This trail is in my top ten of all time . The scenery is spectacular . Has it all from crystal clear lakes , old Lava fields , blue pools , to endless miles of trail .

[Reply]

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McKenzie River Trail

Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of McKenzie River Trail

Details

Local Trail Association

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

More Stats for McKenzie River Trail multi-use trail trail

McKenzie River Trail Trail Reports

Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

Past Week

6 Months

All

Technical Trail Features (TTF)

Photos

Trail Products

Links

20 Reviews & Comments

Videos

Nearby Trails

McKenzie River