"You can take your thumb out of my a** any time now, Carmine."--Marion Wormer ;)

The 2012 edition of Cycle Oregon stayed just outside of Cottage Grove. Started and ended in Sisters. Went through Bend to La Pine, then to Diamond Lake for two days, where we rode up to Crater Lake and around on the "rest day." From there we went to Cottage Grove. The day from Cottage Grove to Oakridge utilized some recently paved U.S.F.S. road that was more like a bike trail through the forest. Really neat ride. Oakridge to Rainbow via Aufderhide. Then back to Sisters via McKenzie Pass. I still have the maps if you would like to see them,

The ride from Lodsden to Falls City on my list of rides to do this year. My sister inlaw lives in Toleto Oregon and I'm in South Salem. It'd be a long day so I figured I'd camp up near Valsets and head out the next morning.

Indy - I've ridden that route from Cottage Grove to Oakridge too. I agree with your assessment. I betcha that's the route Doug plans on using. I think we saw one truck after we turned off of Brice Creek. We did see a few Harley's as the motorcycle crowd has discovered it too :).

Does closed during fire season mean closed to motorized vehicles, or closed to everyone? (not counting active fires).

I know the McKenzie Pass is technically closed during the winter, but ODOT seems to welcome bicycles on the mountain (but no signs to that effect). When I was up there in February, I saw a few ODOT vehicles, and they all waved at me like they expected me to be there.

That certainly would be something worth clarifying (and would be worth posting).

If one doesn't smoke, and uses a sell contained camp stove (no open fires), then the fire risk from a bicycle is low.

It would be nice to be up in the mountains with not a car or 4x4 in sight. And, with my hiking, I've noticed in many places, get 5 miles in from the trailhead, and there is just nobody. I assume biking is similar.

Thanks, but I'm pretty familiar with the area. However, a lot of it will be a first on the bike. We were not planning on going to go through Oakridge, but with 2 good recommendations for the route, we may have to reconsider.

A lot depends on the land ownership when closing land during the fire season. In my experience the private lands are the most restrictive, usually prohibiting any entry. There are also times when any open fire is prohibited on public lands except in established campgrounds. It is pretty variable.

Me and my goat like dirt and forests.

Today, 50 degrees, day trip'in/tour'in/enjoy'in the outdoors

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I'd be curious about your routes through Oakridge.

I've driven on the road North of Lookout Point between Lowell and Oakridge, but it has been a while. Gravel. I don't think traffic was too bad, but it was a good road, so speeds might be higher than one might otherwise expect.

I think there are bike paths on at least part of Jasper road.

Yeah, the roads in my area get closed to any public entry. Even though there are many square miles of public (BLM) land up there as well. It really irritates me. I got stopped by a state cop up there once when I was running with my dog and told I couldn't be there. My property is surrounded on 3 sides by Weyerhaeuser so I could honestly tell him I didn't see the sign at the gate of the road I was running on, as I just go from my skid road onto their road system.

They started getting really restrictive several years ago after a guy was plinking with a 50 caliber ***** shooting tracers (is it still "plinking" if you're using a 50 cal?) and started a forest fire. That was a little ways off of Valsetz Road, in an area called Cold Springs, near the peak of the coast range.