Stub Stewart: Mountain Bike Adventures Close to Home

Photo by: Dan Katten

Have you ever wondered where the trails you ride come from?  New to Stub and want some route suggestions?  Curious about what’s coming up at Stub? Then read on! We’ve got you covered.

Just 30 minutes west of Portland, the Stub Stewart MTB system is comprised of more than 15 miles of trail, ranging from green to double black.  These trails are generally open year round and have a little something for everyone!

Each year, volunteers contribute more than 1,000 hours of their time to build and maintain the MTB system.  Join us and become part of the team that makes mountain biking accessible for YOU!

Local Stewardship Teams

NWTA’s mountain bike trails at Stub are nurtured and maintained by our dedicated Stub Stewart local stewardship teams.  The trails at Stub would not exist had it not been for the efforts and passion of former team leads Joe Rykowski and Ryan McLane.  Joe and Ryan have since passed the LST torch and our efforts at Stub are now tirelessly led by LST co-leads Dan Katten, David Rogers and Chris Rich.

Meet LST co-lead David Rogers

David Rogers started mountain biking 13 years ago when he explored a network of steep trails in Penang, Malaysia used by local farmers to get to mountainside fields and bring crops to market.  When he returned to the U.S., he was discouraged by the lack of nearby trails. After several years off the bike, a friend suggested that he check out the new trails at Stub Stewart and then David was hooked.

David was riding the Stub trails a couple of times a week and decided that it was time to start helping out with the trail maintenance so he started volunteering at NWTA work parties.  He became more actively involved a couple of years ago following some nasty winter storms that felled dozens of trees and required several weekend work parties to clear.

When he’s not working as a computer engineer at Intel, David is riding his Specialized Stumpjumper hardtail (loaded with tools) to work on the trails at Stub.  When it’s too dry to dig he’s out getting shreddy on his Ibis Ripley. And when he’s got time for the drive you can find him jumping down Springboard at Alsea Falls.

As an NWTA Stub LST, David’s focus is primarily on the cross-country trails at Stub and he is committed to ensuring that the trails at Stub are in tip top shape for everyone to ride.  Although it varies season to season, he’s generally out doing focused trail work most weekends and makes additional forays to the trails for mid-week inspections and light work (removing fallen trees, etc.).  Over the last year, David has been out on the trails doing work in some capacity 50-70 times.

Why would someone spend this much time and effort as a volunteer?  

“It is great to see the the growing number of riders at Stub Stewart, especially families, making use of the trails.  Having the trails in good condition makes the difference between riders having a good experience or not. I get a lot of “thank you’s” from riders who genuinely appreciate the effort it takes to keep the trails rideable all year.”

– David Rogers

Next time you’re riding at Stub and you see a guy with ear protection and a weed whacker doing some solo brushing, that’s likely David.  Be sure to thank him for everything he does to make the trails rideable for you.

Meet LST co-lead Chris Rich

If you’ve ridden Stub recently and enjoyed Greenhorn or Driptorch, you should be buying Chris Rich a beer.  Although he spends his days as a software engineer to support his mountain biking habit, in his free time he’s out on the trails doing some long overdue maintenance to the wooden features that went in years ago.

Chris started mountain biking about 20 years ago but only seriously got into it in the last five years.  When he’s not out building trails FOR YOU, you can find him on his Specialized Enduro 29er on some of the best downhill in the Pacific Northwest, including the ACTA in Oakridge, Jabberwocky in Ashland or on OTG at Tiger Mountain.  

Chris is the LST lead on the freeride area at Stub and spends more than 30 days a year out digging, clearing and stewarding those trails.  Why’s he do it? For the reward of making new friends and seeing the smiles on people’s faces both while riding the trails he makes possible and at dig days that he coordinates.  Those smiles make even pulling out pesky stumps worth it.

What’s coming up at Stub?

We’ve been hard at work this spring getting the trails at Stub in shape for the season.  Already this year we’ve racked up nearly 300 hours of volunteer time at Stub. And there’s still more to do!

We have a number of trail improvements and new trails in the works this year.  Projects range from improving the existing trails to be more fun – addressing some problem areas that are muddy and challenging during winter conditions and dialing in jumps and berms on the freeride trails – to adding a new skills area called Brush Monkey and a new down hill trail called Rail Yard.  We are also working with partners such as Trailkeepers of Oregon to significantly improve a couple of miles of multi-use trails to be enjoyable singletrack. And this fall, we’ll be focusing on building up Drip Torch to make it more progressive, bigger and faster!

Join or renew your NWTA membership today and become part of the team as we continually improve the Stub Stewart MTB trail system.

Upcoming events

05/12 – Cascade Bikes Transition Demo day. Cascade Bikes will be out at Stub on Sunday with Transition demos. Pick up a demo and then scope out the trails ahead of next weekend’s Lapquest!

05/18 – Lapquest 2019. It only happens once a year so you don’t want to miss it. We put on this super fun, non-race every year to celebrate the hard work that NWTA volunteers have put into the trails. You do need to be a current NWTA member to join. So make sure your membership is up-to-date and register for a day of biking, BBQ, drinks and all around good times.

05/19 – WTFBikexplorers Dig Day. The NW Trail Sisters is partnering with WTF Bikexplorers for a day of trail stewardship at L.L. Stub Stewart State Park.  Join us and bank some trail karma with some rad folks.

06/08 – Wilson River Dig Day. Although not part of Stub, the Tillamook Forest MTB trails are super close and make a great second stop for a packed day of riding. Join us on June 8 as we get the Wilson River Trail in shape for the season! More details and registration here.

New Trail Page

Check out our updated trail page for Stub Stewart for more information about the history of the system, the trails and route suggestions for the Stub Stewart Curious.


Become an NWTA Supporter & You Could Win!

“NWTA is an effective advocate for improving and increasing mountain bike accessibility to great trails throughout the region.  It is great to have an organization that supports a wide range of activities that makes our sport much more enjoyable for the entire community – racers, recreational riders, families, and kids.”

– David Rogers, Stub Stewart NWTA LST
(Be like David and join or renew your NWTA membership today!)

When you join or renew your NWTA membership, you join a community of 1,500 passionate mountain bikers.  Help us reach our membership goal of 3,000 members by the end of the year. The more members we have, the louder our voices and the more trails we can build!

Join or renew your membership during May and you’ll be entered into IMBA’s drawing to win a new Pivot bike or a bike adventure vacation!

Become a sustaining member by May 28 by signing up for an auto-renewing membership and you’ll be entered into NWTA’s chapter-level drawing for Mountain Bike Oregon tickets, passes to Timberline Bike Park, a day trip with Trans-Cascadia Excursions, RockShox service and more!

So, JOIN US, and let’s bring more mountain biking to the Pacific Northwest!