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Umpqua River Trail

Mountain Biking in Oregon with Western Spirit Cycling

Highlights

  • World class- smooth perfect trail tread with excellent traction
  • Incredible scenery: diverse forests of mountain hemlock, western cedar, and the mighty Douglas Fir
  • An unforgettable trip along the Umpqua River

Full Description

Our 5-day Umpqua River trip is truly world class.

For much of the trip we follow the North Umpqua River downstream. But don't be fooled there is plenty of climbing as we flow through the forest.

While we contour through the mountains, we are often high above the river, and falling to the downhill side would result in a very long tumble. The Umpqua River trail is smooth and flowing, but singletrack experience is a must. This trip is not to be missed.

Riding Surface: Singletrack, mostly firm pack, some loose pumice, smooth pine duff, and rocky sections. A few sections of grassy, rocky trail with exposure. Some dirt roads and a few miles of pavement.

Technical Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult.

Physical Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult.

Altitude: 4,000 - 6,500 feet.

Includes:

  • All meals from lunch on first day to lunch on last day
  • Support vehicle
  • Guides
  • Campsites

Excludes:

  • Rental fees
  • Gratuities for your guides
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Applicable sales tax

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1

After a three hour shuttle we begin our trip on the shores of Lemolo Lake at the northern end of the Umpqua Trail. Lemolo Lake is remote, with just a few campgrounds, and crystal blue water. We'll unload and have a quick lunch before our ride. We will pick up the Umpqua Trail right away on a contouring section that is a great warm-up and precursor to the week's ride. The Umpqua is named after the Native Americans who made this area their home. Some think the word Umpqua means satisfied---as we know you will be by the end of this week. The trail is cut into the steep wooded hillsides of the Umpqua River canyon, and while the trail surface itself is not very technical, the challenge is in maintaining good balance to keep your bike on the trail. Today's trail section is cut in the wooded northern slope of the lake snaking between the enormous pines that Oregon is famous for. We'll loop around a lush little stream, which is the very headwaters of the Umpqua River, and return on the same trail to our beach side camp on Lemolo Lake. TOTAL MILEAGE - 16 miles

Day 2

Today is the big day, more for the name's sake than the mileage. Our trail section today is called Dread and Terror and you'll see right away what they mean. Our favorite forest service ranger deems this section his favorite; it is profound, dramatic and thrilling. The Umpqua River cuts through a gorge and our trail is etched into the edge. Though very well constructed and maintained there are some exposed moments. We'll pass Lemolo Falls, a 135 foot horsetail waterfall pouring over a wall of basalt. Here the gorge is so tight and the riding is so mesmerizing that we've had some riders miss the falls completely! Don't let that happen to you. Dread and Terror traverses across forested slopes, through grassy flats, steeply crosses a few streambeds and has generally been voted the most technical section of the trip. We pack a lunch to enjoy in the canyon and eventually meet the van for a refreshing soda. We'll resume riding the Umpqua Trail at the hot springs, a spur option off of the trail. We ride another 3.5 miles to our open meadow camp just up from Toketee Lake. There is a great side trip to the dramatic Toketee Falls for the extra energetic and a handy swimming option right from camp. TOTAL MILEAGE - 17 miles

Day 3

From Toketee Lake we go east on the North Umpqua Trail, the Deer Leap Section. This is impressive trail building at its best with lots of ups and downs through massive hemlocks, cedars and Douglas Fir. We contour our way high above the river and get great views of the surrounding valleys. This trail is truly a dream. We'll break for lunch at the Soda Springs Dam where we can see giant schools of Coho and Chinook salmon. In the afternoon we ride the Jesse Wright section of the trail. Jesse and her husband Perry Wright homesteaded in this area in the early 1900's. Their outdoor lifestyle and dedication to the land of the North Umpqua is quite inspiring. After all of this spiritualness and inspiration, we arrive at Horseshoe Bend, our national forest campground on the river, with a true sense of "umpqua" or satisfaction. TOTAL MILEAGE - 18 miles

Day 4

We continue on the North Umpqua River Trail back at the Marsters Bridge. This section includes some challenging ups and downs with great views of the river. There are some fun side canyons that we contour through as we follow the river east on the way to the ocean. If you pick a strategic resting spot and have a bit of patience, you will be rewarded with the heroic efforts of a very large salmon hurling itself skyward as it makes its way up river to spawn. Back on the trail, we continue to the Calf Creek Trailhead and the next section of trail. At the Mott Bridge we are going to leave the North Umpqua and head across the river to the Riverview Trail, a great cruise to our camp at Bogus Creek. From camp we have the option in the afternoon to lounge riverside or get back on the bike for a short but spectacular loop to Falls Creek Falls. TOTAL MILEAGE - 14 miles, optional additional 6 miles

Day 5

We have saved some of the best trail and the best challenges for today. We will be hitting the trail early to head for the Tioga section of the trail. This includes 15 miles of rollicking through the forest. The first part is similar to the last few days with a few steeper pitches, both up and down. There is bit of a climb to negotiate Susan's Creek, but the real killer is Bob's Butte. The trail heads for a rocky outcrop and some wicked switchbacks before we top out in the trees for a well earned picnic lunch in the forest. For the grand finale we get a ripping descent back down to river level. Huge trees and big patches of vine maple make this twisty turny section a hoot. We finish our ride at a giant swimming hole with a beautiful granite beach. We'll load up and shuttle back to Medford. TOTAL MILEAGE - 15 miles

About The Operator:

Western Spirit Cycling

Headquarters:

Moab, Utah

Established:

January 1989

The History of Western Spirit

"Back in the day", as our oldest guides say, Western Spirit Cycling was founded by a charismatic mad bike rider named Lu Warner. It was 1989; Lu couldn't get enough of riding his bike and decided he should impart some of his joy on the masses. He acquired a Suburban, dubbed "the burb” and a couple of guides and started taking people around the White Rim. Now Lu can be found in some semi-state of retirement in Crested Butte, CO, but his vision was just the beginning.

Just for the record, yes, we still have the burb. It's retired. And those "couple of guides" are our finest Rachel & Johnny - no sign of retirement there!

Then the Mid-90s

Ashley Korenblat bought Western Spirit in 1997 and since then has spent many days riding unknown trails (with a headlamp in her backpack, just in case) creating the plethora of trips that Western Spirit now offers. Ashley is a graduate of Dartmouth and Tuck Business School, a former bike racer, former Wall Street captive and possessor of entrepreneurial spirit. She was president of Merlin during the Titanium mountain bike heyday and served as the IMBA President working to sustain trail availability to everyone. Combine all that with the desire for a Moab lifestyle and an alternative view of a fulfilling career path, and you have the perfect recipe for the owner of a cycling tour company.  Enter Mark. Mark is our charming, wicked-fit, voice of reason, miraculously lured from his ski town tradition to live in the desert. Ashley and Mark got married in 1999 in Moab and now run the company together.

Well, actually Kip runs the place. Kip is Ashley and Mark's young boy and he has his own bike helmet and chariot. He is also beginning to tear it up on the dirt with his training wheels.

Our office staff is comprised of mostly gals...and Mark. Thank goodness for Mark! Mark is our bike junkie and can be seen pedaling on a daily basis. Ashley makes the best backcountry bacon you will ever have, but definitely burns off those calories towing the little Kipster around town in his trailer. Anne Clare loves riding her road bike and hiking in the mountains. Sheri and Tonya both love the water and do their best to kayak 365 days a year. Emily is pretty "green". She is the founder of a non-profit organization, Community Rebuilds that promotes affordable and eco-friendly housing.

All of us have worked outdoors and are familiar with what you will experience on a Western Spirit trip. At any given time when you call you can talk to someone who has been on any trip that interests you. That's because we love to be out there too!

Our Philosophy

In our busy world, we often don't get to be outside enough. Even if you do, there's some phenomenon that just makes you want more. Nothing like going somewhere to make you realize all the other places you still need to go! Traveling outside makes you see Mars when it's the closest to earth it'll ever be, makes you smell the fragrant lupine covering the mountain slope, makes you feel the wind, see the perfect sunset, catch an eclipse of the moon, experience the herd of elk in the alpine meadow, and start to tell time by the location of the moon in the night sky.

What's that all worth in our busy world? Well, it is our world.

On all of our tours, we strive to protect our fragile mountain and desert environments. Many of our campsites are remote and unimproved, and we seek to leave them better than we found them.

Meals

Food is one thing we take pretty seriously. Our guides are great backcountry chefs and your trip includes all meals from lunch on first day to lunch on last day.

Support Vehicle

Our customized trucks and vans carry all of your gear as well as many camper comforts! We have the coolest custom F-450's in the industry. Our guides have incredible backcountry experience, but the best part is that they are all super friendly and look forward to a week of riding with you.

Campsites

We camp primarily in pristine locations where it's quiet, dark and peaceful. The finest morning view comes with a hot cup of cowboy coffee. All shuttles are included from our meeting place to the start of your ride. At the end of the trip we shuttle back to our meeting place.

Permits

Western Spirit Cycling, Inc. operates under special use permits from the USDA Forest Service in the Boise, Coronado, Dixie, Grand Mesa, Gunnison, Kaibab, Manti La Sal (Moab and Monticello Ranger Districts), San Juan, Sawtooth, Sierra Vista, Uncompahgre, Challis, Clearwater, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Caribou-Targhee, Black Hills, Mount Hood, Umpqua, Nantahala, White Mountain, Monongahela, and Pisgah National Forests and by Dakota Prairie Grasslands. As well as under permits issued by the Bureau of Land Management in the San Juan Resource Area; Henry Mountain Field Station; Moab, Arizona Strip and Grand Junction Field Offices; Grand Staircase National Monument; and by Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon, Crater Lake and Blue Ridge Parkway National Parks. Western Spirit is a concessionaire in Canyonlands National Park.