Falls Creek Hinterland: Riding the Gifford Pinchot with Friends

We rolled out of Carson, Washington under fast‑moving clouds and a forecast we chose to believe in. This ride follows Forest Road 68 through the Falls Creek hinterland (extra light) in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, one of the finest stretches of gravel you can ride in the Pacific Northwest. Perfect surface, big climbs, shaded ridgelines, and long, fast descents all wrapped into a 40‑mile day with about 4,000 feet of elevation. If you’ve ridden out here before, you know how special this zone is. The dirt has its own texture and personality, the forest feels endless, and the views of Mount Hood give the whole route a sense of scale. We started in Carson to feel that transition from town to forest, climbed fourteen steady miles up FR 68, and then looped back down past Panther Creek on some of the smoothest gravel we’ve ever seen. This route is a great option for anyone looking for: Gifford Pinchot gravel riding Falls Creek / Forest Road 68 conditions Carson, WA gravel loops Long climbs with consistent surface Summer gravel in Washington (day trip from Portland) Forest road exploration in the PNW Whether you’re planning your own ride or just looking for some relaxing forest‑heavy POV, hope you enjoy the miles. Thanks for being here and I will see you on the next one. Music: The music this week is ALL DEBUSSY Claude Debussy - Nocturne - L. 82 (https://www.classicals.de/debussy-l82) Debussy Pour le Piano - L. 95 (https://www.classicals.de/debussy-l95) Prelude Sarabande Toccata Another shout out to classicals.de for having high quality classical music to use for videos - I think that's very cool, and am working on trying to not use Dvorak in every single video (it's hard work). Bikes: Surly Midnight Special 2021 Soma Double Cross (purple) with a spork Wilde Rambler (2024) Forest Road 68 Gifford Pinchot gravel Carson WA gravel PNW gravel ride Washington gravel biking Pacific Northwest cycling gravel bike POV mountain gravel roads forest road cycling summer gravel ride PNW adventure cycling gravel climb gravel descent POV