If you’re traveling on Highway 101 along the Oregon coast, make sure to put the Whiskey Run mountain bike trails on your to-do list to check out. Located in the Coos Country Forest, the trail network lies south of Coos Bay, just north of Bannon, Oregon.
The name of the system comes from the road you drive onto from Seven Devil’s Road, Whiskey Run Lane. (Not to be confused with the Whiskey Town Trails in Northern California outside of Redding.)
TLDR; Whiskey Run Mountain Biking Trails
Maps Address for Navigation for Parking:
E Humphreys Rd, Bandon, OR 97411
Types of trails: cross-country trails for all skill levels ranging from beginner-friendly to advanced black diamond and jump lines. Trails are well-signed with green, blue, and black ratings
Shuttleable: Yes
Land Manager: Coos County Forest
Local Bike Club: Wild Rivers Coast Mountain Biking Association
eBikes allowed: signed “No”, but not enforced
The terrain
The riding experience is somewhat similar to the other Oregon Coast trail systems like Klootchy Creek and the Newport trails, with lots of machine-built flow style trails mixed with rooty, loamy tech, with Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced level designations. There are also some jump lines.
A few years ago, there weren’t a lot of options for mountain biking on the Oregon coast. Growing up in Astoria, Oregon, coming home to visit and get some riding meant wandering moto trails near the Astoria Column, exploring a limited number of natural surface trails near Fort Stevens State Park, or riding Norm’s Trails. Today, the situation has improved dramatically with trail systems near Seaside, (Klootchy Creek) Newport, and Coos Bay. (Whiskey Run)
On a recent road trip coming up the 101 on a coast road trip, we stopped in to explore the trails. In what was an amazing coincidence, it was also the same weekend the Ride the Dirt Wave event was taking place. With Saturday being a day of guided rides as well as. Pre-riding for the race taking place on Sunday, our timing was ideal for experiencing the trail system and soaking up the festival vibe.
The Ride the Dirt Wave event takes place over the whole weekend, with group rides on Saturday with a time trial downhill race on Sunday. I would have loved to stuck around to do the downhill event, but I’ve recently been cleared by my doctor to do light cycling after recovering from surgery to repair my unstable shoulder and just started riding again after a few months of healing. Happily, it turns out my shoulder is strong enough to enjoy new trails so I started my day slowly, following the beginner ride long enough to snap a few photos. I then ventured off to explore the rest of the trail system.
As luck had it, I ran into Mike Bronze from southern Oregon, an old riding buddy who was gracious enough to show me around. Both Mike and I were riding Specialized Turbo Levos, and it was a fun way to experience the entire trail system without the hassle of organizing shuttle rigs or wiping ourselves out on the climbs. Although the trails currently are listed as off-limits to eMTBs, according to the locals it isn’t enforced. (There is even an eMTB category for the Ride the Dirt Wave event)
Beginner-Friendly Green Routes
The trail system at the Whisky Run Trail featured trails suitable for a range of skill levels. In our experience, We’ve found green trails are often unexciting afterthoughts when it comes to trail experiences or worse, simply gravel roads. (a double-track road is NOT a trail thank you very much. My partner Amanda took part in a guided beginner ride at the event and had a great experience.
Coming across the Ride the Dirt Wave event in the middle of our 101 road trip was a fun coincidence and a great opportunity for me to take part in a guided beginner ride. The guides (one of whom owns the Blue Sky bike shop in Coos Bay) were knowledgeable, patient, and kind. We jumped right to a green trail from the parking lot and did a couple loops through the forest. I was surprised to learn that my favorite trail, Sour Mash, was a blue! It was helpful to have several options that were accessible to me as a novice, risk averse rider.
– Amanda Morris, novice mountain biker
When to go
According to the locals the trails are rideable year round and drain well. Like anywhere on the Oregon coast, temperatures are usually around 10º less than anywhere inland. With wild fires and warmer temperatures increasing during the summer riding season, combining a trip to the Whiskey Run trails as well as the Newport trails makes for a great getaway when conditions are less ideal everywhere else.