Portland,OR overlander newbie

[LittlejohnLifestyle]

Hello everyone. I’m an overlanding newbie based in Gresham. Would love to learn some trails up on Mt. Hood and find some good free camp spots around my area. Have a 2017 Tacoma and building a 8’ cargo trail trailer for my family.

Would love to chat with some people in my area and pick your brain.

 

[Jedi]

Welcome to Overland Bound @LittlejohnLifestyle! A 2017 Taco is a great overlanding platform, so you should be able to go out and explore without too much trouble. The south Washington / North Oregon area has been pretty active with member meetups and runs the past few months. I see that you already made it over to the NorthWest Region forum [link]. That is a great place to find out what is coming up and also to share your experience. You can also take a look at the Rally Point system [link] to find what events are currently organized.

I look forward to seeing you out there! If you need anything, feel free to hit me up on the forums: @Jedi.

 

[RainGoat]

The Portland & OR area is full of great places to explore. Look at Trails.com & check out Tillamook SF. Most definitely hook up with the Overland Bound crew down there, they have an active group. @STPICKENS is down in that area.

A 2017 Taco is great out of the box. Get some inexpensive recovery boards like the X-Bulls (~$65 on EBay) & maybe upgrade the tires if the Taco doesn’t come stock with ATs. (We just refreshed with a 2018 4Runner which comes with OK ATs. We’ll wear them down & replace with BFG KO2s).


Here is some info:
Oregon Forest Service Fire Rules for Vehicles
Shovel 8+" blade & 26+" handle
Fire Extinguisher 2.5# or 1g H2O


Maps, etc.
http://www.lastgreatroadtrip.com/maps/

Tillamook State Forest comprise a most excellent off-road trail system, with (according to the 2014 guide and map) more than 250 miles of OHV trails at all skill levels, for everything from motorcycles through four-wheel drive buggies. Managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), TSF OHV areas also include multiple campgrounds and trailheads:
• TSF OHV map
• TSF OHV trail reports
• TSF blog
• TSF volunteering
• Oregon state OHV guide

 

[Razor Rodriguez]

Welcome! I'm down here in Eugene, OR - if you ever plan on going anywhere down this way, hit me up!

 

[Terry Pickens]

Welcome, I'm over in Vancouver, WA and there are lots of trails around. As stated earlier Tillamook State Forest and Mount Hood are great places for wheeling. And https://www.trailsoffroad.com/ is a great place to start as @RainGoat has stated. They rate the trails, have photos and videos so you can see what your getting into. I'll send this to my son @STPICKENS since @RainGoat mentioned him, he is kind of busy with the holidays and 2 young ones so hasn't checked in lately. And make sure you get an Oregon State Class II OffRoad permit, required for the Tillamook area, available at some offroad, motorcycle shops around. https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/atv/pages/permits.aspx#ATV_Permit_Information

 

[RainGoat]

I'll send this to my son @STPICKENS since

Ha, your posts frequently catch my eye since I know Shaun but I didn’t realize you were his Dad! I see it’s genetic with you two as well!

 

[Quicksilver]

Greetings and welcome, neighbor! We're just starting to explore the Mt. Hood National Forest ourselves. Most of our explorations thus far have been either closer to home, or over in central/eastern Oregon.

 

[Smileyshaun]

welcome !! mount hood will be nearly impossible to explore untill the road restrictions are lifted but soon as the snow melts there's lots to explore , heading up the clackamas river and shooting off on forest service roads can lead to some real amazing views. yesterday we headed up to hideaway lake ,it was quite beautiful covered in a blanket of snow .
Essentially pick any direction and your likely to find something to keep you occupied and get the tires dirty .

 

[Bam]

Howdy neighbor. I'm located in Oregon City but used to live in Gresham. Silverfox and La-Dee are great trail spots. If you're in the Molalla area, go down Sawtell Rd until it becomes Family Camp Rd and there are TONS of trails and shooting spots up there.

 

[Gabriel Bozeman]

Welcome from Washington!!

 

[TronYota]

welcome !! mount hood will be nearly impossible to explore untill the road restrictions are lifted but soon as the snow melts there's lots to explore , heading up the clackamas river and shooting off on forest service roads can lead to some real amazing views. yesterday we headed up to hideaway lake ,it was quite beautiful covered in a blanket of snow .
Essentially pick any direction and your likely to find something to keep you occupied and get the tires dirty .

I live 15 min from the mountain and been up driving in the snow regularly. As of last week most roads were still driveable with minimal mods. Heading up today to explore Lolo pass and some of the adjacent roads.

 

[Smileyshaun]

ya this year has been crap for snow so far usually most the roads on the mountain have a couple feet of snow . Be carful what roads you travel on during the winter , the forest service closes quite a few of them , and gettibg cought on them can result in a fine .

 

[LittlejohnLifestyle]

ya this year has been crap for snow so far usually most the roads on the mountain have a couple feet of snow . Be carful what roads you travel on during the winter , the forest service closes quite a few of them , and gettibg cought on them can result in a fine .

Good to know thank you