Ashland Watershed Loop

Monday, June 5, 2023

Elevation Profile

Image Gallery

Ride Description

Nothing about this ride is ordinary; the road is single-lane decomposed granite, the route is remote (like cycling in the wilderness), and the surrounding landscape is breath-taking. You'll ride for hours through Southern Oregon's best managed forest; where motorized vehicles (this includes electric bikes) are prohibited. It is a ride that you will never forget.

The City of Ashland is surrounded by 14,500 acres of National Forest and another 1,000 contiguous forest acres owned by the City. The forest (i.e. watershed) is the source of the vast majority of the City's drinking water. The Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project is helping lower the risk of wildfires through thinning and controlled burns while also protecting water quality, creating jobs, and educating local students about restoration forestry and ecosystems. Due to the inherent risk of controlled burns the roads/trails in the watershed are sometimes closed. Check http://www.ashland.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=13336 for current closures.

About

The steepest part of the ride (going counter-clockwise) will come at only 3 miles into the climb and is 16%. The entire climb is about 9 miles and then you will top out and have some rollers for about 10 miles. The road is easy to follow and traverses much of the Ashland watershed. Going clockwise you'll have about 5 miles with an average grade of 10 percent with a pitch or two at 15-16%.

Equipment:
You'll want plenty of chain-inches and wider tires. The width of your tires is dependent upon your bike handling skills. The less confident you are the wider your tires should be. A mountain bike or cross-bike are not needed. You'll be on a relatively smooth road with a few loose patches along the way.

NOTE: The gates leading into the watershed are almost always closed. They are designed so you can ride around them but only at a couple miles per hour. There are three of them on the route; one at the beginning of FS -2060, one about half-way up Ashland Loop Road, and another at the end of FS-2060 near Four Corners (Coggins Saddle).

Directions

Counter-clockwise: Go out the backside of Lithia Park and follow Granite Street until it becomes dirt. Stay on this and within about a 1/3 of a mile this will become FS-2060. This will turn into Ashland Loop Road after about 17 miles. You will start coming down at Four Corners (Coggins Saddle) which is where two other roads intersect (see paragraph below) but if you continue down at the intersection you can't go wrong. The drop is dramatic as you come down 2500' in about 5 miles. There is a section where the decline is 15-16%.

Clockwise: Follow Granite Street (as above) but stay left at the Reservoir. Follow Glenview Drive for about 0.5 miles and then turn right onto Ashland Loop Road (the climbing starts here and doesn't end for about six miles). Ashland Loop is paved at Terrace Street for 0.3 of a mile until it intersects with Morton; stay right and back onto the dirt. At Four Corners (Coggins Saddle) make a sharp right onto FS-2060 for follow it 17 miles back to Granite Street (i.e. the beginning).

At Coggins Saddle (if you are standing in the parking lot and facing uphill) the center roadway will take you up to the Mt. Ashland Ski road just below the ski area. The left-hand fork at the Saddle will connect to Tolman Creek Road and eventually come out on Hwy 99 in south Ashland about 1/2 mile south of the Hwy 66 junction. The right-hand most road is FS-2060.

Traffic

Traffic isn't a concern since most of the route is closed to motor vehicles (including electric bikes). The lower elevations of the route are frequently used by other cyclists (especially mountain bikers accessing the many single-track trails in the Watershed, walkers who seem to always have their dogs off-leash, and runners/joggers.

Scheduled Rides

View All Scheduled Rides

Monday, Jun 5
- Monday Coffee Ride
 
 9:30am: Meet at Colver Park in Phoenix
 
 25-30 Miles, Moderate / Brisk (14 - 18+ mph), Some Hills
 
 Contact: Dennis Cramer - 541-773-5804
 
 {"id":676,"title":"Monday Coffee Ride","description":"The ride includes moderate to brisk riders who travel along a fairly flat route from Phoenix to Jacksonville. The route includes mostly lower volume roads without shoulders or those with moderate traffic with moderately wide shoulders. The exception is on ODOT's OR238 (i.e. Hanley Road) where there are no shoulders and the volumes are moderate. \r\n \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/ridewithgps.com\/routes\/19152561\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/ridewithgps.com\/routes\/19152561<\/a> \r\n \r\n","start_location":"Meet at <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/oNb33UeC755DmBmd8\">Colver Park in Phoenix<\/a>","unprefixed_start_location":"<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/oNb33UeC755DmBmd8\">Colver Park in Phoenix<\/a>","pace":"Moderate \/ Brisk (14 - 18+ mph)","terrain":"Some Hills","distance":"25-30","ride_leader":"Dennis Cramer","phone_number":" 541-773-5804","email":"scramer5804@charter.net","formatted_time":{"hour":"9","minutes":"30","meridiem":"am"},"time":"9:30am","date":{"timestamp":1685982600,"formatted":"Monday, Jun 5","midnightTimestamp":1685948400,"dayOfWeek":"Monday"}}
Thursday, Jun 8
- Thursday morning Ride
 
 Start time Varies: Meet at Jacksonville Library
 
 20-40 Miles, Moderate / Brisk (14 - 18+ mph), Hilly
 
 Contact: John Fries - 541-973-1586
 
 {"id":6916,"title":"Thursday morning Ride","description":"Tony Hayes and I are starting a regular Thursday ride for vaccinated members who like to climb hills. Routes will be 20 to 40 miles ridden at a brisk-light pace with 1500-3000 feet of elevation gain. \r\nUnless specified, rides will start from the Parking lot across the bridge from the Jacksonville Library. The planned starting time for September 1st is 8:00 AM, however, starting times may be delayed or canceled due to poor weather or air quality conditions. I will endeavor to send an email notice by 7:00 AM when these situations occur. Although this is a \u201cshow and go\u201d ride, initially I will appreciate notification by email if you plan to participate.","start_location":"Meet at <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Jacksonville+Public+Library\/@42.3151272,-122.9694233,825m\/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x54cf78f236921923:0xc6d49959ea1e3a9e\">Jacksonville Library<\/a>","unprefixed_start_location":"<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Jacksonville+Public+Library\/@42.3151272,-122.9694233,825m\/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x54cf78f236921923:0xc6d49959ea1e3a9e\">Jacksonville Library<\/a>","pace":"Moderate \/ Brisk (14 - 18+ mph)","terrain":"Hilly","distance":"20-40","ride_leader":"John Fries","phone_number":"541-973-1586","email":"friesj@sbcglobal.net","time":"Start time Varies","date":{"timestamp":1686293940,"formatted":"Thursday, Jun 8","midnightTimestamp":1686207600,"dayOfWeek":"Thursday"}}
Saturday, Jun 10
- Velo Melo
 
 Start time Varies: Start Location Varies
 
 25-30 Miles, Mellow (11-14 mph), Some Hills
 
 Contact: Lisa Brill -
 
 {"id":6284,"title":"Velo Melo","description":"Start time and location vary. 25-30 miles, Mellow pace (11-14 mph). Some hills.","start_location":"Start Location Varies","unprefixed_start_location":"Start Location Varies","pace":"Mellow (11-14 mph)","terrain":"Some Hills","distance":"25-30","ride_leader":"Lisa Brill","phone_number":" ","email":"lisa4bikes@gmail.com","time":"Start time Varies","date":{"timestamp":1686466740,"formatted":"Saturday, Jun 10","midnightTimestamp":1686380400,"dayOfWeek":"Saturday"}}
- Brisk Ride
 
 Start time Varies: Start Location Varies
 
 50+ Miles, Brisk (>18 mph), Hilly
 
 Contact: Dennis Cramer - 541-773-5804
 
 {"id":674,"title":"Brisk Ride","description":"Brisk rides are for strong riders who want to ride at a brisk *average pace, with occasional sprints, and brisk climbs. The route and starting point will vary - expect some climbing and, in fact, on most days, a lot. Riders should know how to make repairs. Riders are expected to review online and understand the planned route. The Brisk group is NOT a no-drop group, slower riders are discouraged. \r\n*Average Speeds \u2013 The speeds listed are average speeds maintained for the entire ride, not the minimum or maximum speeds. To maintain the average ride speed, riders will ride far faster and far slower at times. While not required, a cycle-computer is helpful to judge average speed. In some situations, leaders may feel the conditions justify a slower average minimum speed.","start_location":"Start Location Varies","unprefixed_start_location":"Start Location Varies","pace":"Brisk (>18 mph)","terrain":"Hilly","distance":"50+","ride_leader":"Dennis Cramer","phone_number":"541-773-5804 ","email":"scramer5804@charter.net","time":"Start time Varies","date":{"timestamp":1686466740,"formatted":"Saturday, Jun 10","midnightTimestamp":1686380400,"dayOfWeek":"Saturday"}}

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