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Four of us rode this trail on a beautiful Sunday in August. We drove 415 S. Ivon Street to park and started the ride from. Where we parked, there were two tents pitched by outdoor living people. We got on the trail and immediately appreciated the good quality of the trail, the nice width, the number of people using the trail and how courteous trail users were. We had a good lunch at "Cartlandia" where we found a huge assortment of food carts. Perfect for cyclists who want to have lunch on the bike path. Past Cartlandia, near SE 101, we encountered several circumstance of people living outdoors by the trail. The first group was under a viaduct and the next group further on. There were obvious signs of camps, along the way. It was unfortunate but we continued along the path which has an abundance of blackberry bushes in all directions and other lush vegetation. It was delightful! We stopped at Gresham Park, rode into town for a snack and then rode back to where we started--32 miles round trip. We recommend it to bikers looking for an urban ride, away from cars. It's a wonderful bike path and flat the entire way. We saw people of all ages, great fun.
My wife and I rode this trail for the first time July 20 and 21, 2017 (a Thursday and Friday). Our plan was to ride Banks to Vernonia, stay overnight in Vernonia, and return the next day. On Thursday we drove from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington to Banks, arriving around noon. We were shocked to find that the State allows no overnight parking in the trail head parking lot. Besides that, the parking lot which holds about 30 vehicles (about half for compact cars) was full and there was only one compact space left which we could not use b/c we drive a minivan. We discovered a bicycle shop "Banks Bicycle Shop" 503-596-2433 adjacent to the trail head where we received some suggestions of where we could park from the very helpful staff which solved our problem. We have heard that the shop will actually come out on the trail to provide assistance. We also visited the Sheriffs office where we were told by the office staff that they thought we could park on the street for 48 hours without a problem. Our bikes are hybrids and we ride with a handlebar bag, trunk bag, and for an overnight ride, panniers. We noticed most of the bikes on the trail were road bikes with no gear at all, so their experience may be different than ours. The trail is black top all the way and scenery abounds. Yes, the trail has a number of root bumps, but most are well marked with paint stripes. Also, the beginning and ending of the bridges have significant bumps, but you just have to be aware of this. The first 4 or 5 miles are flat, or perhaps a very slight grade. However, the next 7 miles is a steady, unrelenting 5% grade and by the time we got to about the 12 mile point, we were very disappointed. About that time we met another biker who told us we were nearly at the top and we would soon begin the descent. Just before arriving in Vernonia there was a slight upgrade, but nothing much. We arrived at our B&B, "The Carpenter's House" and spent a very comfortable night. The next day we looked forward to "payback time". We rode the gentle incline to "Hilltop" and then had a magnificent ride back to Banks. Had we known the extent of the upgrade on the first day, it would have been easier because we would have known it would not extend all the way to Vernonia, but most of the reviews speak only of switchbacks and steep incline, which are very short and insignificant for us in comparison to the unrelenting upgrade for 7 miles. The bottom line is, it is a beautiful trail and a beautiful area and the answer to the question of whether we would do it again is "Yes!" because we would now be forearmed with knowledge of the trail layout.
I rode this trail north from Pioneer Park - just past the park, after you cross the river, it is gravel, as noted before - coarse dark gravel that I think is brought in, as it is deeper to the edges. Anyway - I have a hybrid bike, so my tires are barely 1.5 inches or so as noted in the other review. Most of the trail was fine, but with my tires and gearing, there were hills I elected to walk up - and one that I chose to ride up, my back tire spun a lot in the sand/gravel. That said, I loved the trail and would do it again in a minute. Great views and well marked. I saw very few other cyclists or hikers on the trail.
On the next day, I was going to do the south end. We went to Farewell Bend park and could not find parking so parked in a side street. My husband brought up the parks and rec map of the trail, and it had several places on the west side of the river marked as no biking. The legend on the map just said unpaved, so it was confusing to say the least. Based on this and various other factors, I elected not to ride the south end, so I really don't know what the no biking areas are.
I've been walking the logging road for over 30 years. I've had many walks with my cats and dogs.
Over the last 10 years there's been some good and bad changes to the road.
The city of Canby bought the road then paved it. That was a good thing.
Now that it's paved the police can travel on it much faster now without braking the car there driving.
But worse than that is the bike riders. Yes bike riders!
They feel as if they own the road. I'm not talking about the mom and dad with kids bike riders. I'm talking about the ones that have the tight pants and Ricky rocket helmets.
They feel as if it's there road. They travel at speeds sometimes making them nothing but a blur. At those times
I've seen them yell at the moms and dad walkers with kids, "hey keep your kids under control ". To keep them out of the way. To this one. they actually hit and tried to run someone over. That reason was, " you were walking on the wrong side of the road". I didn't know there was a wrong side of the road because it started as a WALKING TRAIL not bike trail.
But other than the rude bike riders you will sometimes meet
You can meet some of the nicest people.
Nice dog people as well.
Great ride, lots of flowers and great smells Boring to down town Portland.
We just mountain biked this trail (in May) and it was really beautiful! It was a pretty hot day, so we didn't go as far as we would have liked because our water supply was running low. It's really hard to stay cool out there because there's absolutely no shade, so be prepared! We also stayed on the path and still managed to run into TWO rattlesnakes! Bring plenty of water, a snake bite kit, and know your stuff! The view of the river is breathtaking, as well as the abandoned buildings and minty green sagebrush! We're gonna go back as soon as it cools down.
The description of this beautiful trail needs to be updated. You can now ride from Oregon City or Gladstone all the way to downtown Portland and out to Boring. ALL ON TRAIL! (There are just a few short rides on quiet neighborhood streets to connect the segments.) The Trolley Trail has been extended to connect with the Springwater Trail (which connects to the Eastbank Esplanade and I-205 trail) so the trail network stretches from Gladstone to downtown to Gresham/Boring to Marine Drive.
Trail access:
Gladstone - Stringfield Family Park on Naef Rd. is a great starting point, especially for families. This avoids having to cross McLoughlin Blvd.
Oregon City - Starting at Funkity Park at the end of Hwy. 213 takes you across the Clackamas River, through a bit of Gladstone and to the Trolley Trail start. Crossing McLoughlin is necessary but no big deal.
Milwaukie Riverfront Park is also a good access point - go south to Gladstone or north to connect to the Springwater.
I entered the trail by turning onto 1st NW from Portland Ave NW. There is limited parking but easy access. We traveled North from this point. The surface is almost all fine gravel or sand, 1.5 inch tires or wider preferred. Several steep but short climbs over the next few miles made more difficult by the loose surface. However, the scenic views are worth the trouble. We are glad that we took the time to seek out this trail.
We began at the Hatfield Trail head near Mosier. The trail is well maintained, paved with beautiful views of the Columbia River. However, it was a very difficult to ride with my Cat trike. After 2 miles of uphill climbing at 3 mph, we decided to coast on back. I would only recommend this trail section for riders in good shape with low gear experience or ebikes.
great trail, but I keep getting lost southbound at hwy. 224. Some signs would be good. Even painted on the sidewalk. Anything! The trail just ends and -- bang-- you're face to face with highways going every which way.
Gladstone seems to be particularly unfriendly to bikes. Don't they understand that bike traffic brings money-spending traffic without congesting roads?
I love walking the esplanade during my lunch on sunny days. It has great views of the river and the city and can be just about as long as you want depending on which bridges you cross over. The only downside is that some of the cyclists take the trail way too fast for how crowded the path can get and that makes it a bit on the hazardous side if you're not really paying attention.
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