Banks-Vernonia State Trail — Attraction in Vernonia

I’m no “cyclist” — just a person on a bike. I’ve always wanted to do this trail, so I went with a friend from Banks to Vernonia and back. Decided to go on a Friday to avoid possible mobs of people. That was mainly successful — there were a handful of people and a lot of mile stretches where nobody else was encountered. The gradual uphill climbs aren’t difficult, but they aren’t a joke for the casual bike rider either. Carry plenty of water and recharge food. Oh, and bug spray! You will also need to watch out for the bumps from roots, etc, which are generally marked, but sometimes not very visible due to sun blindness. The trail is 99% paved — you will want to watch out for the areas where there is a 2-3” shoulder so that you will not eat it like I, and another person we encountered, did. Overall, it’s a great ride through some beautiful...

I found difficulty in finding the trailhead which turned out to be in the city of Banks at NW Banks and NW Seller road intersection. Google maps kept directing me to the shoulder of hwy 26 when I tried getting to this state park so hopefully they add trailheads to this amazing trail.

I loved this scenic bike trail even though I got started late at 3pm and rode through the dark to complete. It's very gorgeous just take your time and bring along a picnic because there are many rest stop benches or tables. I don't live close enough to the trail to say at what interval the trail is maintained though I could see someone had moved downed limbs from the trail within roughly a week. Plenty of bathroom stops along the trail maybe...

Note that this is a review of the trail-head and not of the trail itself. This trail head was built in recent years on the location of the old Banks Cannery and Mercantile Exchange. The place provides convenient location for setting your biking gear and parking your vehicle prior to charging into the 22 mile bike ride to the old Vernonia sawmill pond. As much as the trail-head is constructed and positioned well at the west end of the city of Banks, parking spaces during weekends and holidays become scarce very quickly. Early birds have the advantage here to find a good parking place before the place get mobbed. Though as you may know the second mouse gets the...