The Holy Mountain

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Clackamas County, OR, US

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Route Overview

Our Mother The Mountain

Bikedancing and Routecraft

58 mi.

6,391 ft.

THE HOLY MOUNTAIN IS A 47 MILE MIXED-TERRAIN GRAVEL + SINGLETRACK LOOP WHICH CLIMBS 5356 FEET OVER THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDES OF WY'EAST.

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Route Details

# THE HOLY MOUNTAIN IS A 47 MILE MIXED-TERRAIN GRAVEL + SINGLETRACK LOOP WHICH CLIMBS 5356 FEET OVER THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDES OF WY'EAST. A VISION QUEST OF SORTS, UNDERTAKEN IN OBSERVANCE OF THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, THE HOLY MOUNTAIN FEATURES A CATHARTIC CROSS SECTION OF GRAVEL + PRIMITIVE ROAD CLIMBS, SMOKIN' SINGLETRACK DESCENTS, PAVEMENT, JEEP TRAIL AND EVEN MORE CHALLENGING SINGLETRACK DESCENTS!

The Holy Mountain starts at the @poi[ZigZag Ranger Station](2403278), on the south side of Hwy 26 across from Lolo Pass Road. Initially conceived as a group ride and camp event, the route can be run in several configurations, starting/finishing either at the Zig Zag Ranger Station or @point[near the Sandy River up on Muddy Fork](d,0.44), the latter option adding roughly ten miles and a couple hundred feet of climbing to the day. Additionally there is a version that includes a climb to Timberline Lodge via West Leg Road and a longer singletrack descent via Timberline to Town Trail, details of which can be found below.

The ride begins by picking up a tasty bit of trail leading directly out of the far east end of the ranger station parking lot. This segues into a bit of Old Highway 26 in the process of being reclaimed by forest. This short stretch of lost highway runs into East Faubian Loop and onto 26 for less than a mile before picking up Still Creek Road and @slice[climbing gently for 14 miles](d,9507.71,32098.35) toward Trillium Lake. We bear right onto 2613 toward Kinzel and Veda Lakes. The next three miles pitch up into a bit more of a rocky jeep trail reminiscent of Abbott road or Barlow before intersecting the Veda Lake and Dry Fir trails.

From here we head left down the sublime + underutilized Dry Fir trail for a bit of descending. Dry Fir has a nice, smooth, fast loamy surface w/ just the right amount of overgrown feel. NF2656 leads us back to Tarmac near Trillium Lake and on up to 26. We cross 26 directly into the SnowBunny parking lot and jump onto East Leg road, a saucy bit of chunky stuff that climbs up to intersect and cross Timberline Highway onto an unnamed doubletrack forest connector leading to upper West Leg road. Take a right onto West Leg, which climbs the remainder of the way to Timberline Lodge. At the far west end of the parking lot you will find the trailhead for @point[Timberline to Town](d,57722.11), a blazing circuit of singletrack leading back down to Government Camp. Those on CX bikes will do well to choose their lines very carefully as the trail is techinically a mountainbike trail and is optimized for fatter tires, but is actually quite wonderful on 38-40's.

We @slice[follow Timberline to Town](d,57719.98,65795.36) to a right-hand turn onto the Crosstown Trail just above Government Camp and onward to the Pioneer Bridle trailhead. Continue on Pioneer Bridle until the trail passes through the stone tunnel at Twin Bridges road at which point there are two options.

Anyone rolling less than 40c tires would do well to jump on the pavement here and bypass the rockier sections of upper Pioneer Bridle via Twin Bridges and Kiwanis Camp roads, the latter of which intersects Hwy 26 just south of the Pioneer Bridle crossing, this makes it easy to sidestep most of the really rough stuff then jump back on Pioneer Bridle as it crosses to the south side of 26.

Those on 40+ or MTB can simply continue through the tunnel along the remainder of Pioneer Bridle trail, which intersects several crossroads, driveways and National Forest parking areas, so keep alert in this section.

Pioneer Bridle rejoins 26 at mile 39.2. We cross 26 once again onto East Henry Creek and ZigZag River roads, returning to gravel again around mile 40 at Road 19, which rambles a bit before reconnecting w/ the west side of ZigZag River road and Lolo Pass. Head right up Lolo Pass road, right again onto Muddy Fork road. The route as shown here starts and finishes at Muddy Fork camping area, but can just as easily be configured to start and finish at the Zig Zag Ranger Station.

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The Holy Mountain

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