Ashland Watershed Loop

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Ashland, OR, US

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The Siskiyou Saddle Tramps

Seeking quiet and beauty in the Southern Oregon and Northern California outback.

45 km

1 057 m

This is a classic Ashland ride that climbs above and around the Reeder reservoir on dirt roads. You'll climb for ten miles before topping out at 5,000 feet, cruise along for a bit before a ripping fun descent back to town.

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This ride, while physically challeneging, is a great way to experience the Ashland Watershed if you're not looking to ride technical trails. Deep in the woods, with grand views of the surrounding mountains, it is hard to believe you're less than ten miles from downtown.
# Route
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*This route is laid out to ride in a counter-clockwise direction, but can be ridden in either direction, and both ways are equally fun.*
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Start out at Lithia park, climbing up Granite Street past the Granite Reservoir staying right onto Ashland Loop Rd. There is a steep switchback with a yellow gate accross it. Go around the gate and you're on the 2060. From here there will be few places to turn off and the route will be fairly obvious. You start climbing right off the bat, and you'll @slice[climb for roughly ten miles](d,0,16600.82). The climb will be mostly gradual, but there will be some short steep pitches. After the bulk of the climb there are several miles of "rollers" and you can cruise along at whatever pace you see fit before the fast and fun @slice[descent](d,33266.24,44643.32).

## Clockwise 
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Riding clockwise it will be a little bit trickier getting to the 2060 and you'll want to follow the GPX track closely. You will climb for roughly ten miles encountering several trailheads and parking areas along the way (which most likely will be the only times you'll see other people). Once you get to @poi[Four Corners](5498261) (there is a gravel parking area and a kiosk) the Loop Road turns hard right and you'll ride around a gate. At this point you've completed the bulk of the climbing and you have passed most of the intersections. Several miles of rollers will afford you a well deserved rest before you descend back down to Lithia park. 
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Don't forget to stop and admire the views of Wagner Butte, Mt. McLoughlin, and Mt. Ashland. There are @poi[several creeks](5498263) that the road crosses over. In years of good snow pack some of @poi[these creeks](5498262) run all year and you can filter from them if your bottles are running low. 
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## A bit more
If you are riding a mountain bike, you can incorporate some of the single track trails into your descent. Riding clockwise you'll see two marked trails once you get to @poi[Horn Gap](5498264). One will be **No Candies**, the other **Horn Gap Trail (1014)**. 
* **No Candies** will climb a little bit more and eventually start to meander down to FR2060-400 where if you go right you will run back into the 2060. 
* **Horn Gap trail** will take you to FR 2060-200, go left on it to meet back up with the 2060.

If you rode counterclockwise you can get on **Catwalk trail** at @poi[Four Corners](5498261) and ride mostly trail back down to Lithia Park. From **Catwalk** down the trails are signed and to get back to the park you can go in the following order: Catwalk > Toothpick > Caterpillar > Lizard > Jaberwocky (or Caterpillar-BTI).

*Both Jaberwocky and BTI will spit you out onto Waterline which descends back down just above the Granite Resrvoir and Lithia Park.* 
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## **Important remiders**

This route tops out at 5,000 feet in elevation so keep this in mind when planning your ride.  Find out what the snow level is before you ride this if its late fall or late spring. There are lot of sections of road that don't get much sun light and snow can stick up there well after it has melted in town.

Watch your speed on the descents, there are several sections with tight corners covered with loose gravel and it is easy to go too fast.

The Ashland Watershed is off limits to motorized use, thus E-bikes are not permitted on this route.

Tell someone where you're riding, while you may not be far from downtown Ashland as the crow flies, this route is on seldom used roads and because of the motorized use restriction it is common not to see anyone out there.

Closest bike shop to this ride is the [Ashland Cycle Sport](https://www.roguecycle.com/) on Oak Street. If you need to rent a bike get ahold of [Ashland Mountain Adventures](http://ashmtnadv.com/).

## **Equipment**

This ride is almost entirely on hard pack, decomposed granite roads and is doable on a cross bike, but you'll want at minimum a 32mm tire. While doable on a cross bike, a gravel or mountain bike with wider tires will not only increase your comfort but provide more assurance on the loose steep corners on the descent.

## **Post Ride**

It is a good thing @poi[Ruby's](5498266) and [Gil's](http://www.gilsofashland.com/) (two businesses side by side) have ample bike parking because it is a common site to see a dozen bikes parked outside. It is a great spot to grab a bite and a beverage after your ride. Their downtown location has two food menus to choose from and a stellar tap list full of unique beers and is always rotating.

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Ashland Watershed Loop

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