Pacific City is a scenic coastal town in Tillamook County, Oregon, known for the massive beachfront sand dune at Cape Kiwanda and is a popular surfing destination. Recently, that last bit has expanded into also becoming a mountain biking destination thanks to the Buzzard Butte Trail Network.
TLDR;
Buzzard Butte is a modern, purpose-built bike park-style trail system with a mix of flow/jump trails and narrower, technical terrain.
Unlike other regional trail systems, the trail system is more like a bike park experience and less like cross-country trails, offering a unique destination experience on the Oregon Coast.
- ~7 miles (with more in progress) of built trail (green through black), with a long-term vision of 30+ miles
- Built by TORTA (Tillamook Off-Road Trail Alliance), formed in 2018
- Trails span beginner flow to expert-level jumps in addition to narrow, steep, technical, “rake and ride” terrain
- Includes an adaptive mountain bike trail
- Big Pacific Ocean views from the west-facing slopes
- Pro-built lines from Carson Storch, Christian Rigal, and Cam McCaul
Find It
45°16’22.5″N 123°55’30.9″W
(Google Maps Link to location of the parking lot)
The official map of the area is posted to Trailforks. However, it doesn’t list all the trails yet, so I created this page on RidewithGPS.com that may be useful.
Located about 2 hours southwest of Portland, Oregon, the Buzzard Butte Trail Network sits in the Siuslaw National Forest, east of Sand Lake, between Cape Kiwanda and Cape Lookout — just outside Pacific City on the Oregon Coast. Access runs off Forest Service Road 1004.
Caution: Cell service out here is not good. Ride smart, because if you break yourself off, you’re not getting help for a while.
Note that while there is a green flow line, most of the current trails are rated blue or above.
The trails at Buzzard Butte are built and stewarded by TORTA (Tillamook Off-Road Trail Alliance), a nonprofit founded in 2018 by local landscaper/rider Josh Venti and Marty Wisehart.
July 2026, Ride Report
In the last ten years, the Oregon Coast has begun to transform into a mountain biking destination with trail systems developed in Seaside, Coos Bay, Newport, and now Pacific City.
We made our first visit to the site in July of 2026 to discover what feels like a fully realized trail system. It’s amazing when you consider they’ve only been in the works for maybe a year of actual dig time. A big part of that is the use of the Kobota excavators for the heavy lifting, as well as grant funding that’s empowering a top-level build crew to make dreams become reality.
Having grown up on the Oregon Coast (Astoria), there were never any real mountain biking opportunities, though the terrain is full of potential. It’s amazing to see this potential realized in Pacific City by a trail crew of this caliber.
If you crave the bike park-style flow and jump trails experience or root-filled loamers, you owe it to yourself to plan a trip to ride the trails at Buzzard Butte.
Although we’re lucky to have some good jump trail options in the Portland area, there are not many options that offer the bike park-style progressive jump lines you’ll find here. There are jump trails at Sandy Ridge and Cold Creek, but if you want to loop back up for back-to-back practice laps, you’re in for serious pedaling. Family Man at Post Canyon comes the closest to fulfilling this experience, but the more advanced jump lines are spread out over miles. There are blue-rated jump lines at Sandy Ridge, but the jumps are too short, and riders need to limit their speed to ride them safely.
The buzz around Buzzard Butte has been coming from video edits of well-known freeride pro riders ripping huge jumps and berms, but there is plenty to appeal to us “non-pro” aspiring riders. In addition to the amazing black and double-black jump lines, there are currently 3 blue-rated jump/flow trails with sizeable jump options and side hits that cross over into the “black” territory.
Not only do the blue flow lines allow you to progress at your own pace, but it’s easy (and fun) to repeat laps until your skills and confidence level up to prepare you to try the next one.
The gravity trails are easy to shuttle, with all the trails accessible off Forest Road 1004, but I found that my eMTB gave me the most laps, as I could hit jump lines on repeat until I was hitting the jumps at the pace and hitting the boost button.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Buzzard Butte trails are on Forest Service land, which has very relaxed rules regarding dispersed camping outside of developed recreation sites. (yay, free dirtbag camping!)
More to do in Pacific City
Being a 2+ hour drive from Portland, we made a weekend of our riding trip to Buzzard Butte. Should you bring the family, there is a lot to do and see in the area.
Buzzard Butte is reason enough to make the trip, but Pacific City earns a full weekend on its own. A few things worth saving time for:
- Cape Kiwanda dunes — a genuinely massive sand dune right in town, worth the climb for the view alone, and yes, you can sandboard down it
- Haystack Rock — Pacific City’s own version, with tide pools worth poking around at low tide
- Sand Lake ORV Area — down the road from Buzzard Butte; several businesses offer the option to rent a quad or dune buggy
- Surfing at Cape Kiwanda — a popular surf destination
- Dory boat watching — genuinely unique to this stretch of coast: flat-bottomed fishing boats that launch and land straight off the sand, no dock required
- Nestucca River paddling — flatwater, mellow, a good SUP or kayak session if your legs need a rest day (we’ve got a whole guide to Oregon paddling spots in the works if you want to make a weekend of it)
- Pelican Brewing Co. — right across from the beach, and suitable post ride destination
Full write-ups on these are coming soon — for now, consider this your excuse to turn a trail day into a full Pacific City weekend.