Tillamook State Forest

Part of the trail by Browns camp is a bit overgrown. Otherwise it was great have ridden the loop twice this week.

Started at Storey Burn trailhead day use area. Headed towards Gales Creek Campground. First section was AWESOME smooth downhill on a scenic exposed ridgeline and past a small water fall. Took a right over the bridge headed towards the Gales Creek Campground. This first section was smooth, drops in moderation but enough to comfortably gain speed for the majority of the run! Tons of fun! From the camp ground the trail picks up again just to the right behind a trail information sign. This is where, if you wanted to avoid a brutal climb, you could shuttle a car (from the campground) or possibly even hitch a ride on the weekends when theres campers there. If you do not shuttle and want to make it a loop, continue on the trail towards the summit trail. This is one heck of a climb and I hiked my bike most of the ways but it was still a blast and a good work out! You will eventually come out on highway 6 and see the gravel road that you drove on to get to the Storey Burn Trailhead. While the climb and small section on gravel road was not nearly as much fun as the beginning downhill section, it was definitely worth it. In total, the loop took me roughly 2 hours or so.

Little wet and still fun...

Today we started from the GC campground picnic area.... 0.8 mi up to the junction... then 2.3 miles up story burn leg... lots of up hill, not a fav., lots of heavy walking / pushing up hills.

Great track out and back. Definitely some uphill sections to be taken seriously no matter your ride level.
The Reehers descent is a blast, but gets steep at points, forcing a guy/girl to use his/her brakes a bit more than going back. I reached the 9.5 mile mark at the bridge just before the last 1.7 mile section to Reehers Camp, and found the trail to be mushy, not well used, and kind of boring for the first half mile, so I turned around. Coming back up out of Reehers can be a bit daunting if you aren't well conditioned, and if you don't have good tires. I find that my hard tail has a hard time getting up over some of the tree roots due to lack of flex. Full suspension riders shouldn't have a problem. Would help if my legs were stronger too. :)

The descent back into Gales Creek is almost completely down hill flow, with the exception of a few uphill sections towards the end. During the rainy season, there tends to be muddy sections on corners, so be careful that you don't hit a blind corner too fast if its wet, or you may just end up on the ground, likely in pain.

All in all, its a fantastic trail, and amazing for conditioning and strengthening the legs. I would not at all consider this to be a beginners track, though. If you're a beginner, I would do something more like Elk Creek, or Wilson River. Unless you already train in the gym, and do tons of leg work, fitted into a circuit style session, I suggest going elsewhere, unless you're brave. I rate it at intermediate to difficult due to uphill sections.

Road from Gales creek campground to storey burns trailhead and back. Only about 6 miles total but plenty of climbing to storey burns TH and then flew back down. I've absolutely loved every trail I've ridden in Tillamook forest!

If you like riding singletrack through a canopy of trees, then this is the trail for you. About 45min to an hour from Portland. Not crowded at all when I have been there.

I rode this today as a counter-clockwise loop starting at the Summit Trailhead on Hwy 6 (near Storey Burn Rd). I rode down the Gales Creek Trail past the campground to where it connected with Storey Burn Trail then over the hill and back down to Gravelle Brothers Trail and back up to Hwy 6 and my starting point. The loop was 8.4 miles on my odometer and 7.8 miles on my GPS.

The Gales Creek Trail from the highway to the campground is mostly downhill and fast. It was in great shape although there was a recently fallen tree blocking the trail in one spot. I took the right fork into the campground but wished I had taken the left once I got through to the road.

The track from Gales Creek Campground to Storey Burn TH is mostly uphill. I had to dismount and walk several times, especially where the trail was steep and rocky. Otherwise, I geared down all the way and tried to keep low on the bike so I had enough weight on my back wheel for traction and my handle bars to steer.

The trail down from the Storey Burn TH was a blast. very fast and fun, although narrow and steep. I managed to biff it on one corner about mid-way down where I was trying to avoid the steep drop on one side and caught the side of the hill with my handle bar.

I don't know how, but I didn't notice where the trail went under Hwy 6. I guess I was having too much fun to notice.

I didn't see any other bikers - only a pair of hikers near the campground. Between this loop and the Gravelle Brothers - Wilson Wagon River Rd - Nels Rogers loop I preferred the latter although both were a lot of fun.

I haven't ridden the entire loop as described, but I have ridden the Storey Burn trail from Gales Creek Campground to the intersection with Hwy 6 as an OAB and also the Gales Creek trail as an OAB and both are tons of fun. I prefer Storey Burn since Gales tends to be overgrown. It's a solid climb from start to finish as an OAB and the downhill coming back is fast, well paced and just technical enough to keep your inner speed demon at bay.

did this trail a few years ago and it was awesome, sadly i have not made it out that way (to bike) in a really long time. good climbs and weeving in the trees. just be mindful that there are other people out there

Plenty of singletrack to explore here as long as you aren't bothered by the ATV riders in the area. Stick to the singletrack trails the ATVs don't use and ride the fire roads to connect everything.

I just rode the Wilson River Trail ans it was terrible, poorly groomed, 6ft stinging nettles and blackberry briers accross the whole trail just ripping at your skin. It looked like the trail hadn't been groomed all summer. If the trail was more maintained I might have enjoyed it a little more, but like I said the whole trail was a jungle. Won't be going back there anytime soon.

A really fun and fast trail. Great single track with switchbacks through the mountain side. A good amount of up and down no matter which end you start from, but a much greater vertical drop overall if you start at the Storey Burn trailhead/day use area. The trail is fairly easy with few obstacles, but the potential for high speeds combined with the tight corners can make it more suited for intermediate riders.

This is a great trail. Its fast, fun, challenging, and overall a great ride. I have only ridden a small portion of the trail system in this area, but from what I have experienced I can't imagine the surrounding trails being any different.

This is a really nice set of trails. Wilson River is well groomed and beautiful singletrack. There are some good climbs of several hundred feet, followed by some fun, fast swirly decents. Watch out for hikers! This past weekend has sketchy weather, and by noon there were droves of bikers and hikers. Go early, go hard.

Also, Try a Gales Creek --> Storey Burn addition which climbs up 1500 ft or so (maybe more?)