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Trail Description
E-bikes NOT allowed on Tumalo Creek
The Tumalo Creek Trail runs from Skyliner Snowpark to Tumalo Falls. The trail is very fast when descending, so be careful as there are some short sight lines due to the fast growing vegetation. This trail provides great views of the ridge across Tumalo Creek and access to the bottom of the Southfork and Northfork trails. It’s also a fairly popular hiking trail and a good nordic trail in the winter that is shared by snowshoers, skiers and fat bikers.
For winter riders, many ride the road to or from Tumalo Falls. This allows for a loop as opposed to an out and back. Please do not ride on XC ski tracks if you see them. This can be hard on Tumalo Creek trail — but you have lots of room on the road to carve your own path.
This trail is maintained by Central Oregon Trail Alliance.
It’s all good.
White tightrope of decently packed snow. Deeper and looser from trail apex to falls. Smoothest it’s been this season.
Some ice before first bridge. And again up by falls. Not too bad.
Trail is very rough from boot prints, but rideable.
Rideable snow on a fat bike.
Fat bike’d 2/18.
A few icy puddles.
Very icy from sno-park to first bridge. Ice again on last ramp up to road by falls. In between, boot packed, super bumpy, rideable snow. No trees down!
Some shiny spots that might be slick before first bridge. After that, firmly packed boot pocked goodness.
Riding great today, thanks to 4-6″ of fresh. You can tell there’s ice under some parts, so use caution in the next few days
Icy from the Sno-Park to the first bridge. Decent from there to the falls, where there is ice by the viewpoints. Riding very well otherwise.
Perfect. Might be a patch of ice on lower sections close to sno park. Once last first bridge, perfection.
1/2” new snow over bomber grip = soooo good!
Perfect. Might be a patch of ice on lower sections close to sno park. Once last first bridge, perfection.
Past first bridge*
Rideable early this morning. Some slush/refreeze action during the first 1/3 mile or so. After that pretty dry with a couple inches of new snow on top.
1-3 inches of new snow from yesterday on top hard pack this morning. By mid day it was fully packed in again. Riding great!!
Perfect right now.
Firmly packed. Slightly slick until past the first bridge. It’s as firm a base as we’ve had this year. Should still be rideable with a bit of fresh on top.
We snowshoed this yesterday, and it was surprisingly good except for the lower 1/4 which was deep wet slush. Anyone without snow shoes was breaking through and postholing, so please, don’t. Won’t be rideable again until we get some good hard freezes.
How fast conditions can change! Appears that it rained up there last night then froze. I’m sure there are sections that may ride well, but overall treacherous. I don’t have studs so I didn’t even bother riding. Had to hike with yaktraks.
Soft, rideable snow. Low PSI suggested.
Hard packed, pretty wide, just slightly pockmarked by boots; this is about as good as it gets, which is really, really good.
Boot packed and post holed. Chunky.
Hard packed “white tightrope” (great term!), with pockmarks, but as of two days ago, not real post holes. Trail is harder packed than the road.
Two bikes to the falls and back 11/30. Deep rideable snow. Left a white tightrope of packed snow.
5″, maybe more of freshness this morning. Rideable, for the most part. More so now.
Perfect conditions for fat biking.
According to new (to me) signage at the Skyliner TH end Tum Creek (or at least a portion) is open to E-Bike Pedal assist.
I don’t think this will go over well with the walkers, but I suppose we’ll find out!
That can’t be correct. Nothing in the USFS inventory is open to ebikes. Maybe a fake sign?
That’s what I thought! As to the sign, you can see it for yourself here:
https://twitter.com/GoldeenOgawa/status/1577024712244613121?s=20&t=eIjbrwDbPzXNj8xfM7gbPg
Thanks! We will send to the USFS people and see what they say (and cota).
COTA has confirmed it’s their sticker – but the “NO” has been sharpied out twice. They are working to correct.
New bridge is complete! Thanks to all the volunteers who made it happen.
Repost from facebook: “Just a heads up for folks: the Southfork bridge near Tumalo Falls is slated to be replaced in the next month. Demolition is tentatively planned for October 19, and the new bridge should be constructed the week of November 2. There will be closure signs put in place. The new bridge will be wider and safer – particularly good to have it in place for the upcoming winter season.”
Rode past the handwritten signs saying “bridge out, trail closed” and got yelled at. Looks like they started on the 30th.
All clear. Lots and lots of bikers and hikers out here since the road to the Falls is still closed. Everyone is using this trail it seems!
Trail is completely clear of snow – get it before it gets dusty
Hiked the Tumalo Creek Trail on Friday. Still a few significant patches of ice and snow (and wet mud), but it seems like it’ll be ridable on an MTB by next week. Ridable on a fat bike right now.
Rode this on Feb 16, 2020 at noon after last nights snowfall. Lots of walkers on the trail, chewing it up and a few post holes but managed to ride it. Coming back it was even more chewed up. We need more snowshoers or riders to pack the new snow down. Go early if you ride because the warm afternoon made the snow slippery.
The new bridge near the lodge is completed. It’s a beauty!
The trail description needs to be updated to reflect that the bridge is in place.
Thanks Bruce! Just updated the description.
No trees. Well packed. No ice of consequence on the trail.
Large tree down (20″+) maybe 20 yards past the first road crossing coming from Skylines TH.
There is still a bit of snow/mud above the new bridge (with the cable handrail), but only for very short, rideable sections. Lots of hikers and dogs out so we just took it easy and enjoyed the views.
Snow and mud are fairly sparse but might require some hike a bike at higher elevation.
The trail is a combination of ice, slush and wet snow. Almost impossible to stay upright with the amount of post holes from hikers. Took the road back and it was a sheet of ice. Not worth riding at the moment, look elsewhere.
Actually quite nice and not icy. Continued 2/3 of a mile up North Fork, but found deadfall.
It’s a slushy mess, don’t recommend riding it right now.
Total skating rink today since it froze overnight. Unrideable unless you have studs…
Fatbike bliss all the way to Tumalo Falls!
Lots of ice. Not much snow. May get covered in snow this evening.
No other fatbike tires on the trail just hikers boots, a tad bumpy but rideable.
Clear no issues.
Had a large bear run in the trail in front of us this morning. We were about 1 to 1.5 miles downstream from Tumalo Falls.
nice!
There is a new bridge across the South Fork. I wonder if the first crossing has a bridge now. I took the detour today.
Not as of a couple weeks ago…
Still a few of those snow patches today you can easily skirt by while staying on trail but only one you need to ride through about 5 feet. Mostly note that you should take the Tumalo Tie route as the bridge is still out by the lodge close to the parking lot.
Riding great. A few micro snow patches that will be gone tomorrow. Looking up Southfork was a different story. Patches started right away, so I didn’t go any further than looking uphill.
Mostly riding well with several snow patches and a few hike a bike.
Mar 2: albeit not perfect, riding well enough; tumalo falls road is hard pack and somewhat bumpy
The trail is about as perfect as can be right now. Trails up to the top and base of the falls are also packed in nicely.
Suggestion: rather than Tumalo Creek, climb up Bearwallow Road to NF 4601 and beyond. It is well-packed, but not highly-trafficked or icy. Go fat.
Aside from occasional hikers, trail is riding well and no deadfall.
Great tiding. The little bit of rain yesterday kept the trail dust free!
Confirmed. Skyliners to the upper overlook is completely clear and snow free. You could probably go farther towards Happy Valley, but I stopped at the upper overlook.
Tumalo Creek trail from Skyliner to Tumalo Falls is snow free and cleared (this according to hiker report). Not confirmed
I’m not familiar with the Tumalo Creek Detour but the Tumalo Creek Trail is in excellent condition. I just rode up to Tumalo Falls from the Skyliner trail head and it was well packed and very fast.
Jan 22: Tumalo Creek Detour is deep snow, therefore rode up the road to Tumalo Falls. Unfortunately, more mud than snow. Suggestion: wait for more snow to fat bike it and maybe the you can loop around Tumalo Creek, which is a nice ride.
Hey Joel, What is the detour? The road? Or the ridge to avoid the creek?