The Bat Country Trail is the latest addition to the Drift Creek MTB Area in the Tillamook State Forest. Located west of Portland, Oregon, the trails are designed, built, and maintained by volunteers from the Westside Trail Federation, an all-volunteer group of mountain bikers that has partnered with the Oregon Department of Forestry to explore, create, and maintain new trail opportunities, with a focus on gravity fed downhill mountain biking.
TLDR;
What it is: A 1.8-mile Black/Double Black Diamond Downhill Mountain Bike Trail.
The Bat Country Mountain Biking Trail is a technical downhill mountain biking trail in the Tillamook State Forest in the Drift Creek MTB Area.
Note: Cell service in this area is spotty. Ride with caution, as contacting emergency services can be challenging, depending on your location.
Find it:
Accessed from the Upper Fear and Loaming Trailhead Parking Lot, Bat Country starts at the Fear and Loaming Trailhead and ends on Drift Creek Road. Find the starting point on the left side after a short pedal following the end of Fear and Loaming Zone 1.
Top of shuttle: 45°39’30.8″N 123°25’04.9″W
Trailforks Map Link
The Drift Creek trails are designed, built, and managed by riders of the Westside Trail Federation, an all-volunteer organization of mountain bikers that banded together to create, maintain, and advocate for advanced-level gravity-fed trails.
Riding the Bat Country Trail
A downhill-only trail, you’ll need a shuttle vehicle or to pedal up the logging road to reach the top of the trail. Bat Country has a little of everything a downhill mountain biker might want: steep grades, loam, roots, berms, optional A/B lines, and some big jumps and drops.
If you love steep loamy trails and sweet jumps, make it a priority to get out and explore the Bat Country as soon as possible.
The best bike to bring? We saw riders enjoying the trail on bikes ranging from downhill race bikes to enduro bikes to long-travel trail bikes. A 6-7 travel mountain biking with good angles makes for a fun time; like Fear and Loaming, there are a few pedaling sections which make the trail/enduro bikes optimal.
The trail opened with a final build day to polish things off and an official opening party on May 28th, 2025. Trail conditions were changing rapidly as the party train of riders descended the trail. Like any advanced freeride trail, riders are encouraged to be extra cautious on their first lap before attacking the trail at speed.
Wearing the proper safety gear is highly recommended. Cell service is spotty in the area, and the access roads are currently unsigned, which could make it difficult for emergency services. We recommend downloading both the trail info as well as the access road info if you’re not familiar with the area.
Ebike vs Shuttles
You can certainly pedal up the road to access the downhill trail on ebikes, but it’s way better (IMO) as a shuttle due to the grades of the logging roads, which drain batteries quickly. The Westside Trail Federation has plans to add climbing trails in the future.
One of Four Epic DH Trail Options
With the addition of Bat Country, the Drift Creek Trail Area now has 3 downhill shuttle trail options. (Four, if you count nearby Raven’s Ridge, the OG downhill trail, now adopted and maintained by the group.) Fear and Loaming and Gnarstow can also be accessed from the top parking lot, though they all have different exit points.