Popular with mountain bikers, Knebal Springs Trail #474 teams up with Bottle Prairie Trail #455 for a 9-mile loop, with views of Mt. Hood along the way. Riders start at the Knebal Springs Trailhead, a grassy parking area inside Knebal Springs Campground at about 3,850 feet, reached from Oregon Highway 35 by Dufur Mill Road.
The trail heads uphill to the southwest, crossing four forest roads before it meets both the Eightmile Loop and Bottle Prairie trails. From there, a 0.1-mile stretch continues south to a trailhead on Forest Road 44 for riders who set up a shuttle, or the loop returns to camp on Bottle Prairie Trail. The 44 Trails Association helps maintain it.
Trail map & elevation
- Trail class
- Class 3 of 5
- Typical grade
- 12-20%
- Surface
- Native material
- Tread width
- 18-24 inches
- Ranger district
- Barlow
Connects to: Bottle Prairie Trail #455, Eightmile Loop Trail #496
Line, length and trail class: U.S. Forest Service trail data. Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Difficulty is our estimate for hiking it out and back (once around for a loop), from distance and total climb. Lines can be off by a few hundred feet; carry a real map and check the official page for closures.
Getting there
From Hood River, OR
- take Oregon Hwy 35 south 26 miles, approximately 0.15 mile past milepost 71, to Dufur Mill Road (Forest Road 44).
- Turn left (east) on Forest Road 44 and travel 5.3 miles to Forest Road 17 (signed for Knebal Springs Campground).
- Continue straight on Forest Road 17 (Forest Road 44 curves right).
- After 0.5 mile, take the right fork onto FS 1720, (signed for Knebal Springs) (Forest Road 17 goes left).
- Stay on Forest Road 1720 for 2.7 miles to Forest Road 1720-150.
- Turn right onto Forest Road 1720-150 and drive 0.2 mile to enter Knebal Springs Campground.
- Bear left through the campground to park on the left in an open grassy area at Knebal Springs Trailhead.
From Dufur, OR
- To reach the east end of the trail, go west on Dufur Mill Road (Forest Road 44) for 16.7 miles to Forest Road 1720.
- Turn right (north) on Forest Road 4430 and travel 4.5 miles to Forest Road 1720.
- Turn left (southwest) and travel 0.9 mile to Forest Road 1720-150.
- Turn right onto Forest Road 1720-150 and drive 0.2 mile to enter Knebal Springs Campground.
- Bear left through the campground to park on the left at Knebal Springs Trailhead.
From the Forest Service
Passes and permits
A valid Recreation Pass is required at Knebal Springs Trailhead.
Ranger office
Barlow Ranger District
Address: 780 NE Court St Dufur, OR 97021
Phone: 541-467-5100
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed 12 to 1 for lunch. (Closed on federal holidays)
Trails nearby
Bottle Prairie Trail #455
9.6 mi
2,073 ft
Very hard
Eightmile Loop Trail #496
6.2 mi
1,314 ft
Hard
Lookout Mountain Trail #450
7.8 mi
1,230 ft
Hard
Cooks Meadow Trail #639
13.4 mi
2,512 ft
Very hard
Surveyor’s Ridge Trail #688
35 mi
6,218 ft
Very hard
Eightmile Interpretive Trail #496A
1.2 mi
106 ft
Easy
Fifteenmile Trail #456
22.4 mi
4,064 ft
Very hard
Dog River Trail #675
10.6 mi
2,565 ft
Very hard
Zig Zag Trail #678
1.8 mi
892 ft
Moderate
