Pumpkin Ridge

No gourds, but tons of history along this stretch of road

Views of Mt Hood from the start of Pumpkin Ridge Rd

Pumpkin Ridge isn't an official community by any of the standard criteria I usually apply. It never had a post office, schoolhouse, or general store. It's not a census-designated place. There was never a train station. It does, however, make for a very nice bike ride full of local history landmarks worth seeing. Since that remains the initial goal of this project, I'm adding Pumpkin Ridge to my map of communities.

First off, the name. There's an oft-repeated story that the name stuck after a poorly-planned potluck at the grange where most attendees brought pumpkin pie. I see no reason to doubt that, but I've also found no contemporaneous first-hand accounts. Pumpkins are a common enough agricultural product in the area, I'd be surprised if not a single farm grew gourds in the past 170 years of western history.

The area is, in fact, a ridge, located between the East Fork Dairy Creek (Snooseville) and McKay Creek (Shadybrook and the road to Dixie) and dotted with farms and forests.

I start in North Plains where the road makes a steady climb until the pavement ends. My first stop is the golf club:

Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course main entrance.

The first course opened in 1992 and is arguably the most feted links in the county. It was here that Tiger Woods won his third U.S. Amateur title and then went pro.

Pumpkin Ridge continues to host professional and semi-pro tournaments on its two 18-hole courses.

From here, I continue up and meet Pumpkin Ridge Road (the golf club isn't so much on the ridge as near it). I'm riding the ridge the rest of the way. It's a few miles to my next stop.

I always stop at the granges when I can. There are 10 surviving grange buildings in Washington County (RIP Kansas City Grange), I'm not sure how this one got to be designated "Washington Grange". It definitely has a unique architecture and stands out from all the wood barns and farmhouses along the route.

Next up is the Arcade Cemetery. It's 140 years old and still actively used.

A little further up is the turnoff to Horning's Hideout. For over fifty years, it's the premier outdoor venue for weddings and family reunions. The entrance is steep, windy, and gravel (I'm on my skinny-tire road bike) so I don't follow it.

A few more miles up, the pavement completely ends. I continue a little until the entrance of the zip line course.

It's out of season and closed. The road continues a few more miles further up the ridge, eventually petering out in some timberlands and small agricultural properties.

People on a gravel bike (but not a car), can hop the gate at the end of the road, ride a short logging road up to Dixie, then continue either east to Skyline or north to Scappoose in Multomah and Columbia counties, respectively (double boo! hiss!)

I'd prefer to stay in Washington County so from the zipline course, I return the way I came, back to North Plains. It's a quick downhill coast the whole way to Shadybrook.

This was my first time riding pumpkin ridge. I'm usually not a big fan of out-and-back routes but the low traffic and picturesque ridge views in both directions make this an appealing day trip, especially for riders tolerant of long, moderate climbs.

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