The Sandy Ridge Trail System just gets better and better. The trail network, already a huge hit with off-road biking enthusiasts around the region (check out our coverage of it here), has just added a new bridge and a new section of trail.
According to the Northwest Trail Alliance, a temporary closure of the area ended on July 24th and is now re-opened “with some very welcome additions.” The new features include a bridge over Little Joe Creek and a brand new section of trail. A new, 2.25 mile loop has been added to the Three Thirty Eight trail and it includes a technical, rock drop section and a bypass for less experienced riders who’d rather avoid it.
(Photo: Michael Whitesel)
The new bridge was built by the Bureau of Land Management to the tune of $60,000. The NW Trail Alliance says the bridge will help by “saving wear and tear on the streamside and keeping rider’s feet dry.”
With this new addition, Sandy Ridge now has 6.5 miles of trail. The BLM, working with NW Trail Alliance and the International Mountain Bicycling Association, continues to add trails and eventually plans to have a total of 16-18 miles of singletrack.
In addition to being an extremely popular destination for mountain bikers throughout the region (it’s about a 40 minute drive from Portland), Sandy Ridge will also play host to the Oregon Super D downhill racing series. The Sandy event is slated for September 5th. Contact Brandon Ontiveros at brandon[at]oregonsuperd[dot]com if you’d like to volunteer for the event.
You can download a PDF of the updated Sandy Ridge trail guide via the BLM website.