Course
55 miles of mountain biking including four of Oakridge’s best trails.
A note about the course: This course is very technical and challenging. In many places there is serious exposure, there are steep sections, and tight switchbacks. Due to the length and remoteness of the course many of these challenging areas may not be marked. It is up to you to be responsible for your safety and to ride this course and these trails with the knowledge that the consequences for riding off of the trail or crashing are serious. Ride within your skill set. Get off and walk where you need to.
You are riding in some remote areas, much of the course has no cell access, and evacuating an injured rider may take a while and could prove to be difficult. That said, these trails are awesome. The views are amazing, the trails have a little bit of everything wonderful, the support is solid, and I promise to do my best to make this a great day on your bike.
Eugene Cathcart ~ Director FAT 55
2011 FAT 55 turn by turn:
Start/Finish at Greenwaters Park (48362 Oregon 58). The race will start right in front of the amphitheater in the park. Riders head west across the grass and turn onto the trail adjacent to Salmon Creek on the east side of the creek. Pass under Hwy 58 and enter the trail. Follow this levy trail along the creek, under the old railroad bridge, and take a slight right following an old dirt road. Intersect Fish Hatchery Rd near the fish hatchery itself. Turn left on Fish Hatchery Road, cross Salmon Creek, and turn right on Salmon Creek road after crossing the railroad. Follow Salmon Creek road east to the Rigdon Work Center trailhead. Follow the trail aprox 300 yds to intersect Salmon Creek trail. Turn left to follow Salmon Creek trail all the way to Salmon Creek Falls campground. (This trail is braided, stay left at the trail intersections. Stay straight on the dirt road, and follow it to it’s end where you rejoin the trail for a brief section before hitting the pavement for about 100 yds. Look for the trail to pick up again on the right and follow it from here all the way to the campground.)
Return to Salmon Creek road still heading east / upstream. Take a right on Rd 2408 and cross Salmon Creek. Continue up 2408 aprox 2.2 miles to Rd 5871. Turn right at this intersection onto road 5871. Follow 5871 up to it’s highest point, where it intersects the Eugene to Crest trail and road 327 comes in from above on the left.
This intersection is Aid Station #1. From here take a very sharp left onto road 327. Climb Rd 327 until you reach a saddle and begin to descend just as the road crosses to the south side of the ridge. Descend a couple hundred yards and take a sharp right onto singletrack. This short trail steep trail descends to intersect the Eugene to Crest Trail (ETC), it is a mandatory dismount as dictated by our USDA Forest Service permit. Take a right on the ETC and begin working back towards Aid Station 1. This section of trail is one of the most rugged and steep in the course. Follow the trail up a steep short climb before descending a series of steep switchbacks. Watch out for the notch between rocks shortly after the switchbacks, it is steep and rocky on the other side. I crashed last time I tried to ride it. From here the trail smooths out a bit, and it is a fast flowy ride back to Aid Station 1.
Refuel at Aid Station 1 and get pumped for more technical singletrack beginning with a steep drop in right off of 5871 departing the aid station. Once on the trail follow it along the ridgeline to the top of Heckletooth mountain at 3571′, more than 2000′ higher than the race start. Descend Heckletooth-watch out for the exposure here, and the numerous tight switchbacks- don’t be shy to hop off and walk to make it through safely.
Continue west following ETC trail to Dunning Rd. Turn left at Dunning road onto a fast paved descent to Fish Hatchery Rd. Stop and look or follow the flagger’s directions before crossing. Traverse old mill property west to south side Salmon Cr. levy trail. Turn left at the levy and continue to Greenwaters Park, Aid Station #2.
Greenwaters is Aid Station 2 and the approximate midpoint of the race. Park here in the morning, sign in, drop your race supplies at the aid station, and prep what you want to have handy after the race
From Greenwaters/Aid Station 2 cross the Middle Fork Willamette River on the footbridge. Stay right at the intersections in the park and ride park trails south to Rd 5852. Turn left at 5852 and continue east to Rd. 21. Turn right to climb Rd 21 to Rd 2102. Turn right again to Ascend Rd 2102 to Rd 101, Aid Station 3. Turn left at Aid 3 on Rd 101. Traverse and climb up Rd 101 to Larision Cr. Trail. (This is a long and winding road, don’t be surprised if it keeps going and going before you finally reach the trailhead!) Descend Larison Cr. Tr to Rd 21. Ride with caution on Larison Cr. Tr. There are numerous steep switchbacks about 1/2 a mile down from the top and a few spots where the tread has eroded away near the creek.
Turn left at the end of the trail onto Rd 21, north back to Rd 2102. Turn left to climb Rd 2102 again. Pass Aid Station 3 the Sunnyside Sports Station for the second time. Continue to a right turn at Larison Rock Tr. Descend Larison Rock Tr. to a right onto road 5852. After about a half mile turn left to return to Greenwaters via footpaths in park. FINISH!
