Explore the best rated trails in Kelso, WA, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Frenchman's Bar Trail and Salmon Creek Greenway Trail . With more than 43 trails covering 309 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
We stayed at the Columbia River RV Park and rode out of the park along Marine Drive for .8 miles and picked up the trail. If you look at the Traillink map the 3 sections are not joined together. But we rode the road between sections with no problems. There is a designated bike path on the road (not as wide as I would like it) but we are both 79 and average riders and did it with no real problems. The distances are short between the sections. The bike path is sometimes right on the river up on a "dike" and then crosses Marine Drive for periods on the other side. We had no problem following the path and enjoyed it all. Only saw about 6 other bikes. Really very few walkers except for a special 3K event by the police dept but it was no problem.. So we did not quite finish the third section - went a total of 12 miles and turned around. So probably another 3? miles to the end. The river was like glass this day. Any ride with water is a great ride for us.
My wife and I were concerned about the reviews that we read about this trail regarding the pavement being in poor shape.
We rode from Banks to the State Park (cannot remember the name of it). The state park is about 10 miles into the trail from Banks.
Most of the trail was in decent shape. There are roots that have elevated the pavement to make bumps, but they are mostly avoidable.
There is one section where the trail is in really rough shape. It was even bumpy on a mountain bike. But still very rideable.
We did see several people on thin tired road bikes. So it does not scare everyone away.
I personally would not ride it on a road bike.
From mile 5 to 10 it is a steady up hill grade. We were able to average 6 mph on this section without a lot of effort.
Coming back was very fast. I hit 21 mph at one point.
Overall it was an enjoyable ride. I would ride this trail again if I was in this area again.
Overall this is a very nice but in need of better maintenance. I echo those that would love a new surface, but fully understand the challenge of finding funding. I rode the Vernonia to Stubb Steward state park section the other day. While some efforts have been made to improve the bridge approaches several still need additional work. And efforts to demarcate other trail hazards (dips, root bumps etc) should be repainted to highlight them for safety’s sake. Due to the shade/sun nature of the trail for much of its length old eyes don’t adjust as quickly as the once did and the faded paint warning are not as affective as they were when first new installed
I’ve trained on this paved trail for years! It’s well maintained, safe, and doesn’t have crazy elevation. The pedestrian 205 bridge is the most challenging uphill, but it’s also good elevation practice without taking up too much of the path. Intersections are hit or miss, but the gaps in between are still good stretches of trail. A great urban trail if you live around here.
Came to do a long run. Couldn’t finish because the hills are so intense. But, it’s a beautiful trail and well maintained!
A perfect autumn day on a wonderful trail. Beautiful paved, 15 mile round-trip trail. It had a small homeless camp in a small cluster, but nothing scary. Felt completely safe, and the rest of the trail was spotlessly clean and well maintained by the City of Vancouver. Old growth forest, ferns and so much more!! Don’t miss this ride - it was wonderful.!!
A sunny Saturday but only one other person on this trail full of historical markers about the Tigard/Tualatin area.
Thanks to your mapping it was easy to follow! Only on the road a bit! Beautiful views and a gentle ride. Loved it!
So enjoyed this ride until I made a critical cycling error and got my tire stuck in a rail while turning and had quite the crash. Loved the views of this ride beautiful sights, lovely stores and eateries along the path.
Some of the complaints about the trail from earlier in the year seem to have been resolved. There are new approaches to some of the bridges and attempts made to partially fill the worst of the cracking in the pavement. Bumps and dips are well-marked, so often avoidable if you're paying attention. So thanks to whoever is doing this good work! A tree across the path on our way to Vernonia was - surprisingly - completely cleared by the time we biked back, so someone is paying attention! Great ride!
Rode this trail from one end to the other and back on Mountain Bikes and had no issues at all. Some of the previous reviews make it sound dangerous on bikes but I did not find that to be true at all. Maybe they've improved the boardwalk sections since those reviews but yes there are small gaps between some boards but none are wide enough to cause issues for bikes. Yes you need to be careful of the rail crossings and do stay away from the rails themselves as they have gaps. That said, using common sense this is a super fun trail. Don't let the negative reviews deter you!
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