Grasshopper Mountain Trail (OR)

After seeing photos on social media of a trail crew clearing Grasshopper Mountain Trail, I knew that I wanted to get on it before the end of the season. From the photos, it appeared to have the same style of riding as the nearby Chucksney Mountain Trail, with some sections that rode through large grass meadows. Although I had already done the section of Grasshopper between the Chucksney Mountain turnoff and the Box Canyon trail, as a climb (ride report, here), I hadn’t done the upper section of trail that followed along the ridge to the west. From what I could gather, it looked like a real adventure style ride, which happens to be one of my favorite types of riding.

The following weekend, Emily (my wife), floated the idea of doing Grasshopper, which I immediately jumped on. Of course, not everyone likes this style of riding, so I figured that pulling together a crew might require some effort. To my surprise we ended up with a team of 7 willing participants, which included Erin Hooten, Evan Lawrence, Kim McGovern, Randy Rimby, Danika Williams, Emily and me. There was also another crew planning to do it the same day as us, but they were getting an earlier start.

Regarding logistics and according to Derrick Bell, who had led the trail work crew to revitalize the Grasshopper trail, the best way to start the ride was as a shuttle, starting at the west end (by driving up NF-1940 / NF-1929) and ending at the bottom of Box Canyon. Poring over the map of the area, it looked pretty straightforward. From Eugene, we caravanned up Hwy 58 to Westfir. From there, we continued driving up the NFMF Willamette about 30 miles to the lower Box Canyon trailhead. After dropping Erin’s car off, we headed back down the paved road (~ 7 miles) to NF-1940, where we began the long gravel road climb to the Grasshopper Meadows trailhead (#3314).

At the trailhead, we found a few vehicles that were obviously from the first crew that had gotten an earlier start. Once everyone had geared up we started up the crude trail, which quickly began to climb. As we made our way up the hillside, our progress was slow as we alternated between pedaling and pushing our bikes up the steep pitches. Along the way, we were treated to some wide sightlines and amazing views, facilitated by the treeless meadow that we were climbing along. By the time we reached the first trail intersection (with Grasshopper Mountain Trail; #3569), we had climbed about 800 vertical feet in just over a mile – whoa!

"Hey there's a sign... Shoot it!

The trail started off mellow enough

Evan starts up the first meadow

The start of the hike-a-bike

Catching some shade before continuing on

One of the rideable sections of the climb

Setting a pace up the hill

More hike-a-bike near the top of the Grasshopper Meadows Trail

Since we had planned to summit Grasshopper Mountain, we turned left and headed north along the ridge. After riding for another ½” mile or so, we reached an obvious overlook that presented a nice view of the Three Sisters. Unfortunately, the trail did not lead all the way to the summit, so we were forced off of our bikes to bushwhack the remaining 200 vertical feet to the top. Although it was rough going, I do feel like the extra effort was worth it, both for the vista and the sense of accomplishment. Once we were done taking in the view, we hiked back down to our bikes to continue the ride.

Taking a short side trip to Grasshopper Mountain

Amazing panoramic views, early in the ride.

Randy closes in on Grasshopper Mountain, seen in the distance.

Taking in the Three Sisters from the viewpoint

Three Sisters -- not much snow hangin' on.

Hiking (sans bikes) to the summit of Grasshopper Mountain

"Um... Where's the trail?"

We made it! Lola too!

Proof

Now back at the intersection, we continued south on Grasshopper Mountain Trail, where it soon turned to the east and followed along another ridge. From here the trail continued to climb up toward Grasshopper Point, which some in the crew had stopped at to take in the view to the south. Just past this point, the trail dropped steeply and roughly down a few switchbacks which required solid technical skills to ride cleanly. As the trail continued to traverse along the ridge, it alternated between dark forest settings and wide open meadows. It also went through fits of short climbs and descents, which I find to be quite common on ridgeline trails. The meadows provided some more unobstructed views to the south, but the rough trail surface required my full attention, forcing me to put a foot down anytime I wanted to take them in. The trail also led through dense fields of Beargrass, whose dried out stocks smacked into us as we rode past.

Evan starts back south

Lola, in hot pursuit

Randy enters a tricky technical pitch 

Emily rounds the corner, wondering where to go next.

Cruisin' past a small cliff band 

The start of the Beargrass

Typical trail conditions 

Route finding

Kim enters another large meadow

One of the coolest parts of the ride occurred where the trail dropped down a technical rock section and entered a massive meadow. The trail was hard to follow at this point, but luckily the crew before us had tamped down the grass, showing us the general direction of where we needed to go. Of course, what goes down must go up, and we soon found ourselves faced with another climb, through an equally impressive meadow. We did get to enjoy one more descent before the trail again pitched upward, this time in earnest. Over the next mile the trail would climb 700 vertical feet, cresting at the intersection with the Chucksney Mountain Trail (#3306), which headed off in a northerly direction.

Evan, showing Lola the way.

Randy drops down some tech

More expansive sightlines

The mega meadow

Free-ranging mountainbikers

Lovin' it!

An example of the awesome trail work that was done!

Settling in for another climb

Fresh tracks

In and out of meadows was the story of the day

Navigating the walls of Beargrass

Some parts of the trail, like this, were more reminiscent of Oregon singletrack 

Randy just about to start one of the tougher climbs

Making our way up, slow and steady.

Our crew now had a decision to make, continue down Grasshopper or detour onto the Chucksney Mountain Trail. Since I had done both a few times in the past, I knew that Grasshopper was more traveled and probably a better descent. However, I also felt like the Chucksney Mountain option provided better views and more of an adventurous feel, which was the whole purpose of doing this ride, correct?! With that, my vote was for Chucksney, which everyone eventually agreed to.

Since I wanted to grab some more photos, I jumped out ahead of the group so that I could find a good place to set-up. Almost immediately I came face to face with more dense Beargrass, only this time it was much worse than what we had experienced before. As I plowed my way through I was clubbed rapidly and repeatedly by their stalks, filling all of my uncovered orifices with their seeds. The on and off beatings lasted for about a mile until the trail reached another large meadow, this time adorned with silver tree trunks that were the result of a fire.

The summit of Chucksney Mountain was now clearly in view, which the trail itself does not actually climb to. Instead it takes you to a nice vista and eventually drops you down the saddle to the east, starting the descent toward Box Canyon. We decided to hang out at the viewpoint for a bit and relax, since this was one of the main reasons we had decided to come this way. Everyone was pretty tired at this point, so I didn’t dare suggest that we hike up to the summit on Chucksney Mountain. However, the view from our current lookout was unobstructed and gave us little reason to actually make the additional ascent.

Erin, somewhere in the burn section.

Chucksney Mountain comes into view

Chucksney Mountain -- The high point in the background

Rest stop

Taking in another amazing view of The Sisters

Once everyone had a chance to regain some energy, we headed off down the trail and continued our day’s adventure. From this point on we’d be mostly descending, losing about 2700’ in 6 miles. The first part of the descent was rough and fairly overgrown – you really had to go slow and be on the lookout for hidden dangers that were located directly on the trail. Eventually the foliage peeled back a bit and allowed for some higher speeds, but even then you had to be cautious of what lurked just around the corner. At one point the trail gave way to a deep rut that was filled with large / loose boulders, and it was pretty easy to fly into this section unknowingly. There were also a few climbs along the way, with one of them being more substantial than the others. Although it only climbed about 100 vertical feet, I was pretty spent at this point and it certainly felt like more. Before long the climb topped out at a small viewpoint, which once again looked out onto the Three Sisters.

Danika starts the descent, down from the saddle
(photo from a previous trip)

A little overgrown in sections
(photo from a previous trip)

More obscurity

Emily, still in good spirits

Between this viewpoint and Box Canyon, the trail dramatically changed character as it traversed along the hillside along a relatively manicured trail surface. We were now able to open it up a bit, which I’m sure was a relief to the whole crew and probably produced some much needed enthusiasm. All too soon, Chucksney Mountain Trail teed back into the Grasshopper Mountain Trail, where we turned left, and shortly after that, made a right onto the Box Canyon Trail. Immediately, the trail descended steeply down to and across the creek at the bottom of Box Canyon. The last time I had done this trail, there were a couple of logs down, which made it impossible to even attempt cleaning this section. However, this time it was all clear and completely rideable, making for a fun little challenge!

One of a couple of steam crossings on the best descent of the ride.

Lots of sidehill traversing on this section
(photo from a previous trip)

Dropping to the bottom of Box Canyon, steeply.

On the other side of the dry streambed, the trail made a short climb and then started heading down once again. Between here and the end of our ride was a great little descent. We did have to hike around a blowout in the trail at another dry stream crossing, but it was pretty straightforward and we were soon back on track. With the sun starting to dip toward the horizon, we rounded the last few switchbacks and finally reached the car, bringing an end to our ride, which was bittersweet. Since we still had a couple of cars up top, our day wasn’t over. It ended up taking us another hour so just to run the back shuttle and by the time we were done, I was ready for some food and a soft couch.

The blowout that required a hike-around

Emily rounds one of the final turns, at the bottom of the Box Canyon Trail

Conclusion:
This ride is a true adventure, of which I loved almost every aspect. The abundance of views from the many meadow sections is simply amazing and the scale of it is unlike anything else I’ve ridden in Oregon – it’s extremely unique. Even all the steep hike-a-bike and overgrown sections of trail weren’t enough to ruin the experience and (arguably) added to its charm. It’s hard not to draw comparisons to the other more obscure adventuresome rides in the area, like Bunchgrass and O’Leary, to which it offers both similarities and differences. It has been many years since I’ve been down Bunchgrass, but I would say it’s about on the same difficulty level, from an endurance, skillset and route finding standpoint. It does seem like Grasshopper has a bit more hike-a-bike, but once again this is going off of memory.

As stated earlier on in the ride report, you’ll have a choice on whether to descend on Grasshopper or Chucksney Mountain Trail. If you’re looking for some more adventure and stellar views, go with Chucksney. On the  other hand, if you’d prefer a rippin’ descent, you’d probably be better off with Grasshopper – really, you can’t go wrong with either! Another option of note comes at the end of the ride, where you can cross Aufderheide Rd. and collect another ~4 miles on the river trail, heading west (North Fork - Segment 5; #3666). According to the crew that started a littler earlier than us and decided to give it a go, it was fairly overgrown and hard to find in spots – basically, more adventure riding for those who haven’t had enough.

With all of that said, this trail will not appeal to everyone. If you like yours manicured and don’t like to push or carry your bike for long sections of trail, you are advised to go elsewhere. However, if adventure biking lights your fire and you’re willing to go through some hardships in exchange for an extremely rewarding experience, than Grasshopper Mountain Trail is for you!

Finally, a big thanks to Oakridge local Derrick Bell and the rest of the work crew who resurrected this trail – adding yet another classic adventure ride to the area!

Here is a Google Earth look at our ride, as well as the Garmin tracks:

Update:
Having now done this as a loop with no shuttle, I would say it's certainly my preference. It's a reasonable "full-day" ride and you don't have to deal with the shuttle BS. Here is our tracks, as a loop:

Mount Fromme - North Shore (BC)

Having been to Mount Fromme (North Vancouver, BC) once before, I highly recommended it as one of our ride days during our 4th of July mountain bike trip to Bellingham, WA. Mount Fromme is one of the three main riding areas of the North Shore (aka “The Shore”), with the other two being Mount Seymour and Cypress Mountain. Fromme is located smack dab in the middle of the other two and according to the guide book (here), considered the crown jewel of the three. Although I’ve not been to Cypress, my experience has been that Fromme feels a bit more polished than Seymour. Fromme is also the only one that requires you to earn your turns, by pedaling (or pushing) your bike up a gravel road. In fact, you also have to do a steep road climb up Mountain Hwy and out of the neighborhood just to get to the trail staging area; although this is about to change, since they're putting in a new parking area at the trailhead to accommodate the different user groups of this area.

After riding at Galbraith on day one of our trip, we felt a bit warmed up, but I also knew that The Shore was on another level and was going to test our skills and fortitude. Instead of beginning on one of the easier trails, we decided to start off the ride with a bang, riding to the top and dropping in on Upper Oilcan. The climb itself (including the paved section) ascended ~1,600’ in just under 4 miles – luckily, the grade was friendly and the large trees shaded much of the road along the way. By the time we got to the top, we were all sweating and wheezing a bit, but the excitement was still high, as we knew we were about to drop into some of the most classic technical downhill on the planet.

While the others armored up and unlocked their suspension, I jumped out ahead to set up for some photos. Upper Oilcan started off in earnest, dropping down the hill on a narrow technical path of rock and woodwork. This is the type of trail that will let you know how good your technical riding skills really are, with its relentless terrain that does its best to force you off the pedals. I eventually found a good place to pull over and take some shots, and soon after this, Chris and Roman came crawling down the trail, with an intense look in their eyes. Although I had done my best to explain what the trail would be like, if you haven’t ridden this type of terrain before, it’s almost impossible to describe. About all I could say at this point was, “Welcome to The Shore!”…

Chris gets acquainted with Upper Oilcan  

Ridin' it out

Roman studies the next part of the puzzle

The three of us continued down Upper Oilcan, with me in the lead so that I could stop and take pictures at the more exciting stretches, of which there were plenty. There aren't many resting places on this trail, only less steep/technical spots to put a foot down. We were able to ride most everything, sans some of the more burly alternate routes. I did attempt to ride a few of the big ones, but I wasn’t feeling warmed up and ended up chickening out, partway through. Before long we reached the road, which we had originally climbed up on, signaling the end of Upper Oilcan. The trail had dropped ~300 vertical feet in about a third of a mile. Although it would be considered very short for a trail segment, it packed a big punch and felt quite a bit longer – I’m sure this would change once you knew the trail and could rally it without stopping.

Finding balance

Chris on a fun root drop

More roots & rocks

Chris, somewhere on Upper Oilcan

Next on the ride agenda was “Espresso”, which I had heard really good things about. We quickly rode down the gravel road to the trailhead, where we found Scott awaiting our arrival. Just like Upper Oilcan, Espresso started off with a bang, this time in the form of a steep up & over wood ladder bridge. Just below, the trail dropped down a steep/rocky pitch, which proved a bit difficult to line up for, after exiting the ladder bridge.

The author drops into Espresso
(photo by Chris Arnold)

Chris takes his turn

Below the initial plunge, Espresso made its way over (or past) many man-made wood skinnies and ladder bridges. Almost all of them were just off the ground, which made for good practice opportunities without serious consequences for a botched line. There were also a few taller skinnies/bridges, which were optional and beckoning anyone who was feeling spunky. It should be noted that some of the optional ones were fairly dilapidated, so if you haven’t done this trail before or recently, it would be wise to scout the line before attempting them. All of us were having a good time, riding most everything and sessioning some of the bigger ones, which allowed for some good photo ops. Espresso eventually smoothed out a bit and allowed for some higher speeds as we made our way to the bottom of the trail. I’m not sure I’d call it flow trail, but it did contrast the technical riding that we encountered on Upper Oilcan and the top half of Espresso. Before long, Espresso tee’d into the Baden Powell, a mixed use trail that was built by the Boy Scouts back in the 1960s.

Typical terrain at Mount Fromme - steep & techy

Up & over

Roman on one of a few fun ladder bridges on Espresso

Chris, on the same bridge

Focus

The author takes one of the optional lines
(photo by Chris Arnold)

Chris on one of the rare rock slabs on Espresso

Although Baden Powell is a wide/mixed use trail with both small ups and downs, make no mistake, it is very technical and provides plenty of challenges, even for seasoned riders. Since we were heading back to the Mount Fromme staging area, we turned left, riding in a easterly direction. Much of the trail had us crawling along both rocks and roots, but without the assistance of gravity that we had on the previous trails. As we neared Mountain Hwy, the Baden Powell did descend rather rapidly, providing some very entertaining pitches and plenty of smiles along the way – super fun stuff!

Roman on a typical section of the Baden Powell Trail

By the time Baden Powell dropped down to Mountain Hwy, I was feeling a bit tired but not ready to call it a day, especially since we hadn’t ridden the trail I was really interested in, “Ladies Only”, considered one of the classic Fromme trails and rated as double black. Neither Roman nor Scott were particularly interested in climbing back up for that one, but Chris was game. On my previous trip to Fromme, I had ridden both Floppy Bunny and Bobsled and I knew that Roman & Scott would love them. Figuring it would be a great opportunity to get in some more miles without the commitment factor, I suggested it to them, which they excitedly latched onto. With that, we split into two groups and headed out on separate rides.

Regarding Floppy Bunny & Bobsled, both are relatively short trails that require an equally short climb up the gravel road to access. Floppy Bunny is rated as a black diamond; although it’s technical in nature, it’s not overly difficult and could also be enjoyed by less advanced riders. In my opinion, it should be rated as blue, at least by Shore standards. Bobsled, on the other hand, is a flow trail, with lots of banked turns and roller jumps to play around on. This trail, which is rated as green, can be enjoyed by almost anyone who knows how to ride a bike; even expert riders would have a good time on this aptly named trail.

Emily finds a fun root drop on Floppy Bunny
(taken on a previous trip)

Floppy Bunny has some good ladder bridges to practice on
(taken on a previous trip)

Another fun ladder bridge on Floppy Bunny
(taken on a previous trip)

The author exits a wooden berm, on Bobsled
(photo by Emily Pfeifer; taken on a previous trip)

The second climb up Mountain Hwy was definitely at a slow & steady pace, and luckily the trees were still proving some shade from the afternoon sun. By the time I reached the picnic table at the top of Ladies, I was pretty glad to be done with the climbing for the day. Once Chris showed up, we hung out for a bit and rested, before dropping into the final descent of our ride.

Ladies started off fairly tame, but I knew it was only a matter of time before the bottom dropped out. Sure enough, a little ways into the trail, it happened. Although it wasn’t necessarily steeper than the other two descents we had done, almost everything was mandatory, unless you got off of your bike and walked. As it made its way down the hillside, it alternated between steep pitches of rocks/roots and wood ladders/skinnies. The action was non-stop but I somehow managed to find a groove, dropping into things that I would have normally scouted – things were just clicking! Of course there were a few bigger and/or more complex puzzles that I wasn’t able to put together, but all in all, I was happy with how much I was able to actually ride. I did have one good crash along the way, where the trail went up and over a fallen log, via a planked bridge. Basically, I didn’t muster enough speed and stalled out at the top. Unable to keep my balance or get in a pedal stroke, I fell about 3 or 4 feet to the ground below. Luckily no damage was done, other than to my pride…

Chris, discovering what Ladies is all about

The author on a wooden roller-coaster
(photo by Chris Arnold)

The author drops down a steep rocky pitch, somewhere on Ladies Only.
(photo by Chris Arnold)

Chris goes up and over another fun ladder bridge 

A typical stretch on Ladies Only

Just after the crash site, the trail made a short climb up to a bench, where it split in two different directions. It was at this point that I realized that my Garmin GPS was gone from my handlebars, apparently knocked off somewhere along Ladies Only. I assumed that it was probably back where I had crashed, but a quick search of that area turned up nothing. Since a new GPS was not in the budget, I knew that I would be hiking back up the trail, hoping it had fallen off in a highly visible location. Although I was not super stoked to be hiking up the trail, it did allow me to study the amazing trail work that had gone into creating such a masterpiece – an impressive amount of work and ingenuity has gone into building this trail! I was also taken aback by how steep and technical it was, which once again made me feel pretty good about what I was able to actually ride. Unfortunately, finding my GPS didn’t go nearly as well, and I soon found myself at the top of the trail and the picnic bench that marked the trailhead. It wasn’t until about halfway back down the trail that I caught a glimpse of it, laying on a pile of rocks, and barely visible from the confines of the trail. Relieved, I quickly jogged back down the trail, hoping to meet back up with Chris before he started getting worried.

Now back with my bike and Chris at the top of the small hill, we decided to go right at the trail intersection, since it appeared to be the most traveled. This section was very short, but provided a few more fun turns before reaching the Baden Powell trail at the bottom. Both Chris and I were feeling pretty spent by the time we got back to Mountain Hwy, where we had planned to meet back up with Scott and Roman. After finding no sign of them, we gave them a shout on the walky-talky and found out that they had already headed back to the car. With that we headed down Mountain Hwy, where I ended up walking my bike, so I wouldn’t burn through my brake pads – the road is wicked steep!

Once back at the car, we changed into our street clothes, before heading out in search of some food. Surprisingly, it took us some time to actually find a decent restaurant. After dinner, we headed back to our rental house. Although I won’t go into all the details, getting back across the border and into the US proved to be a daunting task. Both being behind a family that was detained with guns drawn, and having our own car searched after tying to transport avocado and eggs across the border, it took about two hours just to make it across. I guess it was somewhat understandable since it was America’s birthday…

Conclusion:
Riding Mount Fromme, for my second time, confirmed that it is truly a world class trail network. Due to its location in North Vancouver (BC), it could easily be considered as a destination, if combined with either Bellingham (WA) or the Squamish/Whistler areas. In comparison to Squamish and Whistler, I would say the trails at Mount Fromme are of the same (but different) build quality. However, the other two areas have a lot more trails and variety to choose from, even when you include the other two Shore areas, Seymour and Cypress. Although I can’t speak for Cypress, from my experience, Fromme is a more polished riding area than Seymour, and if I was going to suggest a North Shore area to a friend, it would certainly be Fromme.

As for the trails we did, all were a fantastic technical playground, which the planners and builders should be extremely proud of; I certainly wish we had this type of a trail network in our area. Ladies Only is considered one of the classic Shore rides, and although I haven’t ridden everything there, I can’t imagine it getting much better. You won’t find any huge single drops, but its relentless nature will challenge the focus power of just about anyone, especially if it’s your first time riding the trail. The Shore will definitely be on my ride agenda anytime I’m in the area, which for me is the highest praise you can give!

The tracks from our ride: