Trail:Sandy Ridge Mountain Bike Area
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| Name | Sandy Ridge Mountain Bike Area |
| Tech Rating | Template:0Star |
| Grunt Rating | Template:0Star |
| Singletrack | 90% |
| Fire road | 0% |
| Paved | 10% |
| Total trail | ?? mi. |
| Alt. change | 1160 |
| Latitude: | 45.3796372236739 |
| Longitude: | -122.027435660384 |
| Nearest medical: | Not set yet |
| Adopted by: | No one yet |
Trail Overview
The Sandy Ridge Trail System provides new recreation opportunities for hikers and mountain bikers to explore the foothills of the Cascade Range. Located on a ridge just west of Mount Hood and above the Sandy River, the trail system winds through a typical Western Oregon forest of Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, and various hardwood species.
See current map at http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/files/brochures/SandyRidgemap_August2012a.pdf
How to find it
From Portland: Drive HWY 26 East. After passing through the town/speedtrap of Sandy be on the lookout for Windell's camp on your right. After passing Windell's take your first available left. Follow this around a left hand bend and take a right across the river. Follow this road east along the north side of the river until you see the parking lot on your right. There is a yellow gate and probably will be many cars in the lot.
Enchanced directions
From HWY 26
Continue east ~11 miles past the town of Sandy. After passing Windell's Camp on your right, take the first left on Sleepy Hollow Drive. Take the next right onto East Barlow Trail Road. Follow this road across the Sandy river and keep right at the immediate intersection. The trailhead is about .25 miles ahead on your left.
Typical Conditions
Can get wet in places during the winter. Please do not ride new construction in damaging conditions.
Current Conditions
3/12/2013: Some remaining snow drifts on the top of Homestead Rd., but only a couple hundred feet of walking. Trail was snow-free from info kiosk down. Scattered puddles on the tread, but overall in good shape and well-drained despite the moisture. Trail crews have done a nice job re-grading berms on lower Hide&Seek and the flow is great. Kudos to the trail designers who put together a trail that drains so well!
10/30/12: I was pleasantly surprised at how well the trails have held up. Rock Drop, Communication Breakdown, and QPF were in great shape. Upper H&S was good but with some short sections in need of repair-nothing to disrupt the flow just not pristine. Lower half of H&S had a lot of leaves on the trail but surprisingly good traction. Might be sketchy when wet.
8/31/2012: Rode Rock Drop to Quid Pro Flow to 338 to Two Turntables to Hide and Seek. Everything is in good shape, though you can tell Two Turntables is a new trail, it's a little loose and not packed down quite yet, great trail design and execution. Regarding the second half of Hide and Seek (after the bridge) the upper part of that section still has a lot of loose gravel in the corners, but the lower part (after the outlet to Road/Little Monkey) is in AWESOME shape. Fast, smooth with a great flow. Little monkey is getting some pot holes on the landing zones of a few of the kickers, beware.
5/10/2012: Some wonderful early May weather has created awesome trail conditions at Sandy Ridge, there's still a drainage problem just ahead of the big bridge on Hide & Seek which has created a 40 foot bog but everything else is in great shape. Most of the really loose rock aggregate on Hide & Seek is now packed in or brushed off the trail (but not all of it). Two Turntables and a Microwave is not open but the new parking area is!
4/16/2012: Some snow patches on the climb from top kiosk to 338 and the Rock Drop. A couple downed trees on Quid Pro Flow after the jump line before 338 intersection. The rest was butter!!! There's a TON of new gravel on Hide N Seek near the powerlines, all dumped into the berm and lines leading into the berms, so don't come in too hot and brake really early.
4/14/2012: Trail Open
3/17/2012: Sandy Ridge TEMPORARY CLOSURE (3/17/2012-??): "Heavy snow pack and subsequent rainfall has led to undesirable trail conditions within the Sandy Ridge Trail System (SRTS). The BLM will be closing this trail to public use, effective March 17th, 2012. In order to fix problem areas and address undesirable trail conditions, the BLM will be performing priority maintenance. Over the next several weeks the BLM will be enhancing drainage, armoring sections of the trail and completing priority maintenance projects. The BLM will continue to monitor trail conditions and reopen portions of the trail as appropriate." BLM Website
3/7/2012: Snow levels low, beginning about 1/4 up the road climb, as reported by trail crew worker.
2/29/2012: Even more snow, more than a foot was reported past mid-way up the road, per BLM. Saturday 3/3/2012 trail work day is CANCELLED due to the winter resurgence.
2/25/2012: Snowed out!!! Snow everywhere. Thick snow. Good luck making it to the top. It was really thick up there and my group were the only people to have ridden 338 and H&S. Road was really thick. Slippery on the trails. The upper stuff was thick enough to provide traction (on trail). Recommend waiting until it warms up a bit to not waste the gas on out there.
2/12/2012: Great conditions today, exceptional for February. Great dirt. Rode 338 rock drop to Quid Pro Flow back down Hide & Seek. Some new gravel on the open/powerline section of lower H&S, so watch out. Should be fine w/ some rain to help bed it in. Primo conditions!
6/27/2011: This morning at the TH I learned of a big ol mama bear hanging with her two cubs near the road between the two Hide and Seek entrance points. Be careful in this area, which is full of wild berries on both sides of the road. Also, be extra careful if you have dogs. The dirt was absolutely perfect!
6/5/11: Some boggy wet spots on the upper 318 loop and on Hide-n-seek. Otherwise very rideable and a must ride if you are in the Portland area. The two lower freeride trails TnT and Little Monkey are also good to go, although some of the lips on the jumps are a little off after a winter of rain.
Maps and Information
Bureau of Land Managment Website
Local Points of Interest
Food and gas is available nearby in Sandy. Going eastbound, Thai Home has great Thai food and there is a small brewery going westbound (Sandy River Brewery and Public House.) Momentum bike shop is also on the westbound side. Look out for speedtraps in town. Windell's, aka NWSOF, is a pretty cool spot as well. Check out their website here: http://nwsof.com/
In the Brightwood area off of Hwy. 26 further east, El Burro Loco is the best Mexican place around and has a great beer selection.
Misc. Information
Advocacy Information
Northwest Trail Alliance volunteer trail steward for Sandy Ridge is Tom Slovak (mailto:toms@nw-trail.org)
Trail construction is ongoing during 2010. Once finished, the system will contain more than 15 miles of single-track trail and provide a variety of difficulty levels. The system was designed and built with assistance from the International Mountain Biking Association. Input was also solicited from user groups and local stakeholders during the multi-year Sandy River Basin planning process. Download the Updated Sandy Ridge Trail System Map and Guide for more information.
