Tubb Springs / Shaniko

Development Route / Shaniko, Oregon / Published: Apr 2025 / Directions

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Route:

Lollipop | 34 mi

Gain:

2,895 ft

Surface:

~ 35% gravel, 65% paved

Technical Difficulty:

Moderate

Navigation:

Straightforward

Locale:

Rural

Tire Suggestion:

45 mm+

Options:

Shorter

Starting in the historic ghost town of Shaniko, this ride dives deep into Oregon’s high desert and ranch country. You’ll roll through wide-open landscapes on quiet paved roads before descending into the hidden gem of Antelope. From there, the loop begins tracing the contours of Antelope Creek, King Creek, and King Canyon—remote and scenic. Expect big skies, rolling terrain, and a healthy dose of solitude.

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This route guide is currently published as “In Development“. We are working to develop more detailed and accurate information. However, we have ridden this entire route and love it!

If you do this ride, please give us feedback on what you find. You can do so in the Comments block. And … we would love to receive pictures!

Map

Brown = gravel / dirt road

Blue = single track

Red = paved road

Purple = paved bike path

GPX Download Version 0.1

Highlights & Remarkable Spots

Shaniko

In the early 1900s, Shaniko served as a transit hub for the Columbia Southern Railway. At the time, the town lay at the center of 20,000 square miles of wool and wheat land. By 1901, Shaniko was Wasco County’s fifth largest city. It had the largest wool warehouse in the state, in which 4 million pounds were stored and sold. It was 1903 when Shaniko gained the nickname “Wool Capital of the World.” That year the town shipped over 1 million bushels of wheat and over 2,000 tons of wool. This amounted to some $3 million in wool sales alone. A year later in 1904, the wool sales were up to $5 million. Shaniko saw conflict in Oregon’s Range Wars, and was one of the rare places where shepherds fended off the cattlemen.

Ref: https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/ghost/Pages/transportation-shaniko.aspx

Credits & Acknowledgements

This development of this ride guide is funded in part by Visit Central Oregon.

Ride Details

Terrain & Riding

Wide open landscapes. Rolling hills and grasslands. A hidden canyon. Basalt cliffs.

The Start

Lat / Long: 45.003497, -120.753922

In the town of Shaniko. Look for some type of public parking.

Food & Water

None.

Notes & Options

Route Notes

Red blinky ligh.

Route Options

Shorter
Start in Antelope.

Comments

Have you ridden this route? Got a question? Join the discussion!

Help Make this Guide Better!

This route guide is a work in progress—and we need your help to make it great.

If you’ve ridden all or part of this route, your insights are invaluable. Let us know where you stayed (campgrounds, hotels, etc.), where you grabbed food (restaurants, convenience stores), and what challenges you faced on the trail. The more detail, the better.

We’re also looking for photos! Scenic shots, tricky sections, campsites—anything that brings this route to life.

And yes, we need your support. Maintaining and improving long-distance gravel routes like this one is increasingly falling on non-profit organizations like Dirty Freehub. Federal agencies can no longer keep up with the work required to maintain soft surface trails.

Leave your feedback in the comments below—and if you can, please consider donating. Together, we can keep this adventure rolling.

Love Where You Ride! Learn More

This is ranching and farming country, the life blood of rural Oregon. Please allow famers and ranchers easy passage. Wave, put a foot down to allow trucks, trailers, and tractors to pass.

Podcasts

Tractors, Bulls and Lycra

In this podcast, we talk with Daarla K who is a rancher and farmer in northeast Oregon. She and her husband operate a 1000-acre farm that has been in his family since 1886. Learn how to safely pass by big tractors and combines, how to get through a cattle drive, and what aggressive behavior [...]

Keep it Local! Learn More

Stay Shaniko!

Stay in Antelope (shorter option) or at the Shaniko hotel.