Trail Length

15 miles

Trail Start and End Details

Row River Trail begins at Trailhead Park just off Highway 99 in Cottage Grove, Oregon, just a short distance off I-5. The trail ends at the Culp Creek trailhead. There are five other trailheads along the route.

Description and Tips

This BLM-maintained trail is paved and wide enough to accommodate bikers, hikers, and equestrian users. The six-mile segment from the western trailhead to the dam is a steady climb, but after that, the trail is flat. You can easily avoid the climb by parking at the Dorena Dam trailhead and either shuttling to the Culp Creek trailhead (10 miles) or making a 20-mile round trip. Along the way you will pass by the reservoir and ride through shady wooded areas and beautiful open meadows, old orchards, and rural farmland. During an autumn ride you are apt to see signs of bears, as they forage the orchards for apples, though actual bear sightings are probably rare. There are stops along the route to enjoy a picnic lunch and several rest stops with vault toilets. There are two campgrounds near the trail: Schwarz Park (UA Army Corps of Engineers) just west of the dam, and Baker Bay Campground (Lane County Park) on the reservoir’s south shore.

Submitted By

William and Susan Huff