Featured Ride: North Umpqua IMBA Epic, Oregon

If you like endless singletrack through old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, then the 72-mile North Umpqua IMBA Epic is for you. The route is a long-distance adventure best ridden in sections or over the course of multiple days with a support vehicle. For the hearty and fit, the route can be done in two days.

For those who have the time, 4-5 days is very enjoyable. Campgrounds with facilities are plentiful along the route – one reason to make this a multi-day adventure. Supplies can be picked up along the way as needed. There are 10 major trailheads that provide access to the trail.

This ride is located near Oakridge, close to the southern terminus of the mighty Cascade Range and features a dramatic landscape following the North Umpqua River. The ride is broken down into sections, no more than 16 miles in length. The trail can be ridden in either direction. Downriver is a mostly downhill version of the trail and perhaps the most fun.

Local trail advocates first envisioned the North Umpqua Trail in the 1970s. Construction began in 1978 and was completed in 1997 through the cooperative efforts of many dedicated volunteers, the Umpqua National Forest, Roseburg District Bureau of Land Management, and Douglas County Parks Department. If you like it, thank the Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association.

Photos courtesy of MTB Project.