eBIKE DESTINATIONS TOUR | SEASON TWO
KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON
WORTH A VISIT
When it came time to look at the map and filter through the requests of places to visit for our 2nd Season of the eMTB Destination Tour, we didn’t expect to be finding such an unknown gem just two hours away from Bend, Oregon. Klamath Falls sits about 20 miles north of the Oregon-California border on the shores of the Upper Klamath Lake, just south of the world renowned Crater Lake. We’ve driven through Klamath Falls countless times and never made the stop, despite hearing rumors of some fun trails nearby. Thanks to the help from this year’s sponsors and Discover Klamath, it was time to make it happen.
For 2023 we were lucky enough to hook up with some amazing partners to keep the gas tank full, burritos in our bellies and keep the camera guy paid. Without their support, these types of projects wouldn’t be possible, so we’d like to extend a huge thank you to Pivot Cycles, Endura Clothing, ABUS Helmets and Locks and Maxxis Tires.
ABOUT THE TOWN
Originally founded in 1867, Klamath Falls, originally named Linkville, has an interesting history from the first Native American settlers to the arrival of the Applegate Trail in 1846, which brought more settlers in as it was a means to find a safer route west for emigrants than the Oregon Trail. Agriculture and logging took hold and the population began to grow in this waterside community on the sunny side of Oregon. Still a relatively small town, Klamath Falls has just over 21,000 residents but is aggressively marketing itself to the thousands of mountain bikers who drive right through town as they travel on Highway 97 to and from Bend, Oregon and other nearby biking hubs like Oakridge, a town we visited in last year’s tour.
The city of Klamath Falls is a bit spread out and has different zones that offer very unique feels to those passing through. Closest to Highway 97 is the historic downtown, which sits on the waterfront and has some old buildings, historic murals and the only bike shop in town, Zach’s Bikes. There are some restaurants, Rodeo Pizza, which we highly recommend, and businesses, but it’s a pretty sleepy downtown for sure. Spreading out are newer strip mall developments that offer more dining options, but we found ourselves visiting The Falls Taphouse more than once. It’s an outdoor taphouse with a few delicious food trucks and a killer view of the setting sun.
ACCOMODATIONS
As far as lodging goes, there are a number of options available but we were lucky enough to stay at the Running Y Ranch Resort. The Running Y is about 10 minutes from downtown Klamath Falls, and about halfway between town and Spence Mountain, our main riding area. It’s also about five minutes from Moore Park and Moore Mountain trails, which is our second favorite place to ride in Klamath Falls.
The Running Y will forever be our spot to stay as it’s a pretty dialed spot with clean rooms, restaurant and grocery store on site; and a variety of activities within its grounds to keep you entertained without the need to travel. There’s a beautiful golf course; equestrian rides; a sports center with pool and pickleball courts, and much more.
TRAILS
Obviously the main reason we came down to Klamath Falls was to check out the mountain bike trails, most specifically, the trails at Spence Mountain. The county recently acquired the 7,500 acre parcel and have made it open to the public with eMTB access posted as legal. There are currently 50 miles of purpose-built mountain bike trail with another 20 slated for the near future. Spence Mountain has a wide variety of trails from greens to black diamonds and groomed jump trails to gnarly rock gardens. Scenic vistas overlook the Upper Klamath and neighboring mountains to the west or the basin to the south. It is an awesome place to ride and the trails are well built and maintained by the Klamath Trails Alliance and their contractors.
There are two trailheads, one on the southern edge of the mountain and another at Shoalwater Bay, which is where we stage out of as its at the bottom of our new favorite trail, Nighthawk. It’s an awesome mix of tech, flow and jump trail and we couldn’t get enough of the speeds and chunk on offer. Another favorite is Speed King, which is their flagship jump trail and offers jumps that will please very experienced riders to newer riders who just want to get comfortable on smaller hits and berms. We accessed these trails from the scenic and fun ridge trail that runs five miles before hooking up to Spence Peak trail, which is another six miles and connects north to south ends of the trail network.
We’re sure the trails at Spence will keep you entertained for at least a day, but if you’re looking add some diversity and ride a little different flavor of trails, nearby Moore Park and Moore Mountain are well worth a visit. It’s a beautiful park at the edge of the lake with a huge grass field that turns into green forested mountains. Down low are nicely cut flow trails that could be ridden on a gravel bike or beginner level riders with ease. A skills park has various size table top jumps and wooden drops to get beginners comfortable with some air time. Above the park sits Moore Mountain, which has a number of narrow, handcut and raw trails that we absolutely loved riding. Side hills, bench cut and tight, the trails at Moore were very fun and offered some amazing views of the Upper Klamath as well.
Final Thoughts
After countless trips driving through Klamath Falls, this stop has transformed the town in our minds from a gas station fill up stop, to a place we can’t wait to get back down to. Being so close to Bend, our crew will be making plenty of day trips down there when we’re in need of a place to test, ride or film, especially since our own local trails and riders are still fighting the future and resisting eMTB access. For those traveling further than just a couple of hours, the nearby offerings aren’t quite on-par with major tourist destinations, but it’s a quaint town that will offer more than enough to keep you and your family entertained for a long weekend. There’s a ton of water-sports, a marina, beautiful parks, hikes along the Link River, Crater Lake, Zip Lining, a canoe tour water-trail, and a couple of museums as well. You can even find some more options here.
The Klamath Trail Alliance, Spence Mountain and Discover Klamath have done an awesome job taking what many have considered to be a drive-by-town and made it a “Must Hit” destination if you’re driving anywhere near Central Oregon. The trails are fun, offer a wide variety of terrain and features that will challenge experts, entertain novices and help beginners build confidence. Be sure to check out Zach’s Bikes or visit KTA’s website here to get the trail map and lowdown on the land before you head out. Whether you’re on an eMTB like our super-capable Pivot Shuttle LT’s or pedaling a non-E mountain bike, you’ll be plenty comfy on anything from a 120-140mm bike up to a 170/160mm enduro rig depending on what trails you want to hit and what sort of experience you’re out for.
We’d like to thank Pivot Cycles, Endura, ABUS and Maxxis Tires for making our 2023 eMTB Destination Tour series possible and allowing us to help share eBike friendly locations to our readers. After having traveled long distances only to arrive and find out that eBikes are not welcome, we wanted to do what we could to prevent others from similar frustrations. Hope to catch you on the highways or the trails.
If you’d like to see us visit and share more places, please leave a comment or suggestion so we can keep this series going.
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