This is one of your more out-of-the-way paved roads. Even though it is only 40 miles from Eugene, probably 2 out of 3 people have never heard of it. The beauty of this ride is that it is away from just about everything: no stores, no traffic, no water, no phones, no gas. Just you and rural Lane County. This is BLM country so you find symptoms of timber harvest around every bend.
The condition of the road surface makes a wide tire mountain bike the ideal choice. However the ride can be done on a road bike. For the big mileage rider, start in Eugene. For a more casual ride, drive to Alma Junction.
To get to Alma Junction, head west on West 11th in Eugene. At Green Hill Rd. go south on Crow Road. Crow Road Ts on Territorial Highway. Go Left and take the first right on Wolf Creek Rd. About 25 miles from Eugene you will come to the intersection of Wolf Creek and Siuslaw River Rd. Go right. Down the hill you will come to the Alma junction. Alma Junction is nothing more than a Y in the road highlighted by a big BLM area map.
This is a good place to park. The road begins to climb for about 2 miles. After that the road follows the meandering and slow moving Clay Creek. It is 9 miles to Clay Creek Recreational Area. In the summer months there is water but there may not be other times of the year. A worthwhile extension to this ride is to go to Whittaker Creek Recreational Area which is another 15 miles from Clay Creek. Whittaker Creek Rec Area is about 2 miles south of Highway 126.
Keith Nelson
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