O'Leary Mountain Loop
Mountain Biking Trail
Details
25.63 mi
6,757 ft
Loop ride on O'Leary Mountain that qualifies as an IMBA Epic route.
Rumors of an epic ride located somewhere in the Cascades between Eugene and Bend, Oregon, had been swirling around for a few years. Eventually, those rumors coalesced, and the International Mountain Bike Association bestowed its venerable “Epic” designation on the trail, shoving it into the spotlight on the center stage of mountain biking.
The trail in question? O’Leary Mountain.
The O’Leary Mountain Trail is a sublime singletrack trail high in the Cascade Mountains. This euphoric mountain biking experience offers up stupendous views of the surrounding mountain range coupled with endless sinuous singletrack running through a lush Oregon forest. The trees tower overhead, and the steep strip of black dirt allows you to rocket downhill at Mach 10… until you reach some sections of severely-exposed singletrack with a long, long fall below you and a stacked set of tight, rocky switchbacks. The character of the trail changes throughout the descent—just when you think you have it figured out, you'll encounter a set of berms, or some delightful jumps, or the aforementioned switchbacks. The variety is part of the appeal!
During the first half of the ride, you’ll have the opportunity to leave your bike on the trail and scramble to the top of Macduff Mountain. The quick scramble up the hillside is well-worth the break in the downhill action. From the top of the 5,040-foot mountain, you’ll enjoy expansive 360-degree views of the region that have to be seen to be believed! But for a taste, check out the pictures attached.
While O’Leary Mountain is steep and fast and does have a few exposed sections, there are no brutally-technical stretches of trail. Most fit and competent intermediate riders should be able to complete this ride, if they’re willing to step outside their comfort zones a bit.
There are three different ways to ride O’Leary Mountain: as a shuttle, a partial shuttle, or an entire loop. Technically, the partial shuttle option gets the IMBA Epic label, but that option isn’t mapped here. Rather, we’re giving you the two most logical options: full loop or full shuttle.
The route mapped here is the full loop option, providing a totally human-powered loop of O’Leary Mountain. The route mapped here is not for the faint of heart. You’ll have to climb a whopping 6,155 feet of vertical in this 25-mile loop. Read as: get ready for an ass kicking. While you’ll have to pedal up some road sections to reach it, you’ll enjoy a delightful stretch of singletrack missed by the shuttlers: the climb on the Olallie Trail.
If you can brave the brutal climb, you’ll be rewarded with a symmetrical 6,155 feet of high speed downhill shredding! The reward is so worth the effort—if you haven’t ridden O’Leary yet, start planning your trip right now! Written by Greg Heil
Rumors of an epic ride located somewhere in the Cascades between Eugene and Bend, Oregon, had been swirling around for a few years. Eventually, those rumors coalesced, and the International Mountain Bike Association bestowed its venerable “Epic” designation on the trail, shoving it into the spotlight on the center stage of mountain biking.
The trail in question? O’Leary Mountain.
The O’Leary Mountain Trail is a sublime singletrack trail high in the Cascade Mountains. This euphoric mountain biking experience offers up stupendous views of the surrounding mountain range coupled with endless sinuous singletrack running through a lush Oregon forest. The trees tower overhead, and the steep strip of black dirt allows you to rocket downhill at Mach 10… until you reach some sections of severely-exposed singletrack with a long, long fall below you and a stacked set of tight, rocky switchbacks. The character of the trail changes throughout the descent—just when you think you have it figured out, you'll encounter a set of berms, or some delightful jumps, or the aforementioned switchbacks. The variety is part of the appeal!
During the first half of the ride, you’ll have the opportunity to leave your bike on the trail and scramble to the top of Macduff Mountain. The quick scramble up the hillside is well-worth the break in the downhill action. From the top of the 5,040-foot mountain, you’ll enjoy expansive 360-degree views of the region that have to be seen to be believed! But for a taste, check out the pictures attached.
While O’Leary Mountain is steep and fast and does have a few exposed sections, there are no brutally-technical stretches of trail. Most fit and competent intermediate riders should be able to complete this ride, if they’re willing to step outside their comfort zones a bit.
There are three different ways to ride O’Leary Mountain: as a shuttle, a partial shuttle, or an entire loop. Technically, the partial shuttle option gets the IMBA Epic label, but that option isn’t mapped here. Rather, we’re giving you the two most logical options: full loop or full shuttle.
The route mapped here is the full loop option, providing a totally human-powered loop of O’Leary Mountain. The route mapped here is not for the faint of heart. You’ll have to climb a whopping 6,155 feet of vertical in this 25-mile loop. Read as: get ready for an ass kicking. While you’ll have to pedal up some road sections to reach it, you’ll enjoy a delightful stretch of singletrack missed by the shuttlers: the climb on the Olallie Trail.
If you can brave the brutal climb, you’ll be rewarded with a symmetrical 6,155 feet of high speed downhill shredding! The reward is so worth the effort—if you haven’t ridden O’Leary yet, start planning your trip right now! Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Rd. heading east | 0.62 mi | 171 ft | 5.2% |
| National Forest Development Road 1993 Climb | 2.13 mi | 801 ft | 7.1% |
| National Forest Development Road 1993 Climb | 0.71 mi | 607 ft | 16.1% |
| National Forest Development Road 1993 Climb | 0.65 mi | 410 ft | 12.0% |
| Toasty Brakes | 1.88 mi | -1,145 ft | -11.5% |
| Toast brakes no road | 1.88 mi | -1,076 ft | -10.8% |
| Magical woods | 0.32 mi | -331 ft | -19.3% |
| Castle Rock Descent | 3.49 mi | -1,670 ft | -9.1% |
| King Castle Descent (480 to TH) | 3.18 mi | -1,319 ft | -7.8% |
| Last Bit o King's | 1.68 mi | -774 ft | -8.7% |