Level: Intermediate
Length: 15 mi (24.1 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: Network
Elevation: +1,316/1 ft
Total: 196 riders
Mountain Biking Sandy Ridge
#6 of 300 mountain bike trails in Oregon
#138 in the world
Updated Description 7/714:
The Sandy Ridge Full Tour is comprised of three different downhill runs and is an excellent way to see most of the trail system.
Starts with a pedal up Homestead Road to the lower trail-head to the upper kiosk.
First run: Jump on Follow the Leader (like eating dessert first!)and get your thrills on the very first run. Although it starts mellow with a few big boulders and a couple of scree fields, the excitement and challenge ramp up quickly after fording Little Joe Creek. From there, the trail drops 350 feet in the next mile with some exposure and big grade reversals.
At the bottom make a right and dump out to Homestead and pedal back up to the top.
The second helping will have your your legs and arms burning by then end. Tackle Rock Drop, a short climb to access Communication Breakdown. Settle in for a bit more pedaling - you'll be rewarded with a couple of stellar views and a steady descent to Quid Pro Flow. From here enjoy some jump action with big tables, rollers and a few hips.
Roll into Three Thirty Eight for a short connection to Two Turntables and a Microwave. Drop in off a shallow rock slab and then whip through a few tight berms. From there the trail stretches out and travels pretty fast into a big berms. The bottom portion of the trail is fast, loose and tight. Have fun and hang on tight!
Join Hide and Seek briefly above a major creek crossing. Check your speed before rumbling over the wet armored section that make a tight right hand turn into a bridge. From here, ride the Hide and Seek connector back out to Homestead Road.
And now for the finale!
Turn left and pedal up a short distance to the Flow Motion connector. Take a right and pedal up a bit and then bear right again.
Ready for some fun? Charge down Flow Motion, a trail with incredible soil and more than fifteen berms. The trail drops 275 feet through a Douglas Fir and Hemlock forest.
Finish the ride by transitioning to long carving tuns of lower Hide and Seek.
Previous Description:
Three trails have been completed so far for a total of about five miles. Hide and Seek is an intermediate, four-mile descent dropping from an elevation of 2,280 feet to 1,120 with roots, rocks,rollers and jumps built into the trail. Laura's Loop is a 0.75-mile beginner circuit near the gate with smooth, easy trails but some moderate inclines. The Three Thirty Eight loop at the top is about 2.25 miles and features advanced and intermediate terrain.
First added by elevationoffroad on Aug 22, 2010. Last updated May 11, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: yes
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: yes
- Fat bike grooming: unknown
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
From Sandy, go east on U.S. 26 for 11.4 miles.Turn left on the second turnoff for Sleepy Hollow Drive, across from the Windells camp. Take the second right onto East Barlow Trail Road.After one mile look for a locked gate on your left and park. This is Homestead Road. Trails intersect with Homestead Road about three miles up the paved road. Cars do not need a Northwest Forest Pass to park.
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I like taking the longer route, even though I struggle with this climb. A lot. But the trail is very enjoyable once I get over Communication Breakdown's last bit of climbing. There are some vistas along the way.
| ThankRunning really well! Few puddles but no mud
| ThankAs everyone else has stated, the initial climb is broootal, but the ride down is sublime singletrack with excellent flow. If you are in the area you would be hard pressed to find much better downhill without the crowds.
| ThankKiller network full of great singletrack - flow and technical. The ride up the road is no fun, but it's through cool OR forest, and the DH is worth it. Did Communication Breakdown - Quid Pro Flow - Three Thirty Eight - Two Turntables and a Microphone - Hide and Seek. Definitely ride here if you're around.
| ThankUpstate NY mtb'r visiting for a day, rented a salsa horsethief and it was the sweetest ride of my life. Well done PNW, well done...
| ThankThe upper part of Hide & Seek is a little rough for hard tails, but enjoyable. If you hit the midway cut off you can swing into Flow Motion then drop back into a very enjoyable and smooth ride on lower H&S. The hardest part of the climb is the initial part then maintains constant grade after the power lines. Excellent job by the volunteers who maintain the trail system! I enjoyed it so much Inwent back for a second time later in the day. Check out the MT Hood Express shuttle and it might be possible to ride Sandy, then hop on the shuttle and get taken up to Timbeline Lodge for Timberline to town and Pioneer Bridle Trails.
| ThankFun for beginner to expert. I tried Follow the Leader and had to turn back at the boulder jumps. After changing course I decided on Hide and Seek, and it was amazing.
| ThankAmazing trail system. Brutal climb to the top but you earn your downhill thrills totally worth the climb my favorite loop is rock drop to quid pro flor three thirty eight to two turntables to lower hide and seek the best loop with the most trail riding
| ThankI was a little set back at first at the idea of a 3 mile climb up a paved road but it was worth it. See our full review and video here:
| Thankhttp://getsomeadventures.com/pnw-mountain-biking-the-new-stuff-sandy-ridge/
Interesting concept: ride 4 miles up a paved road, then choose your own downhill adventure. In theory, you could ride up the trail, but you risk serious injury to those coming down as it is fast in most sections so please, do not ride up unless you're the first car there in the morning. What a paved uphill does offer is the ability to get back up quickly to drop in again and again. I can usually fit 3-4 downhill runs in under 2 hours. Awesome trail. Favorite among Portlanders.
| ThankRode the paved Homestead road to upper trailhead kiosk. Made a couple trips around Three Thirty Eight Loop, a nice challenge for an intermediate rider. Jumped on Hide and Seek for a thrilling downhill ride. The upper half is tough and technical. Think dark, dark blue if not black. After crossing the bridge at the mid way point the trail becomes fast and fun. Well placed banks and berms allow you to ride without the need to brake or pedal. Additionally, I made a couple of tours of Laura's Line trail ( .25 mile).....likely the most fun beginner trail in creation.
| ThankRode there today for the first time. Great trail system. Made the grueling 3 mile trek up the paved road, but was worth it once at the top. Headed down hide and seek trail which was awesome. Pretty technical for a newer rider, but could manage taking my time. Once I hit the bridge it became a lot more flowey with some great turns and fast sections. Can't wait to hit it up again!!!!
| Thank"Enduro"-style riding. Grind 3 miles up a paved road and haul @ss down. A good variety of trails, mostly flowy stuff, but the advanced trails are interesting. Two Turntables was the trip favorite. TNT has some big jumps, and Follow the Leader has some gnar. Not a lot of stuff on the "expert" end of the spectrum, but pretty good overall.
Fitness will be rewarded, as you'll want to get more than one run in per day. Just settle in and grind out the climb.
The parking lot was FULL on a Friday morning, but we didn't run into many people on the trails. We were mostly riding the blacks though. I imagine Hide and Seek gets pretty heavy traffic. Seemed like most people did one run and left, or spent most of their time hanging out at the trailheads.
| ThankRode Hide and Seek today, the only true top-to-bottom run at Sandy Ridge, Wicked Fun!.The upper section above the bridge is fast with sharp turns, roots, and a few drops, a little technical but loads of fun. The lower section, after the bridge, is fast, it's composed of quick berms with tight singletrack. Added Laura's Loop finishing at 7.5 miles, mountain biking at its best. Love this trail!
| ThankYeah, a very nice, well-maintained trail system; however , it can get very crowded. If you're a weekend warrior and head to Sandy Ridge, try to go early in the morning to beat the big wave that will eventually come. The trail system has a little bit of everything for everyone.
| ThankPretty much has it all!!! Fun technical spots, fast flowy spots, and some great airs. Not to mention a paved climb is the icing on the cake. My new favorite spot.
| ThankRode Sandy Ridge for the first time today. When I reached the bottom I was speechless. What an incredible ride. I don't ride that often and this track had a good mix of technical and flow sections. I only got a chance to ride Hide and Seek but I will most definitely be back to ride then other trails. The trails are maintained really well and the people taking care of and building new trails all the time deserve a ton of credit! The climb to the top is tough but it is well worth it.
| ThankWas awesome I am Only 12 and it was a blast nice down hill and paved rode up. It says its closed but its not. Its just closed to cars on the road up.
| ThankThis is a true flow trail, similar to what you'd find at any great DH resort style trail. Bermed corners, jumps, rollers, you name it! The climb up the paved road is well worth the effort.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, trail construction cost since 2009 has been $1 million (!) and about 25,000 riders a year hit these trails.
| ThankThis trail was worth the 3.75 mile up hill climb to the top of Hide and Seek Trail head. Single track the whole way down. 1000 foot desent.
| Thank