Back in 1926, legendary filmmaker Buster Keaton chose a stretch of parallel tracks outside Cottage Grove, Oregon, to film The General. Exactly six years later, well, sixty years later, a Hollywood crew returned to that same picturesque corridor to shoot the iconic train-dodging scenes for Stand By Me.
Those historic tracks might be gone today, but what remains is even better for outdoor enthusiasts. The Row River Trail is a gorgeous paved rail route stretching roughly 16 miles from Cottage Grove east to Culp Creek. It winds peacefully along the shores of Dorena Reservoir and the Row River (which locals will tell you rhymes with cow). Managed largely by the Bureau of Land Management as a National Recreation Trail, this route features a gentle grade that maxes out at 5% and gently banked curves designed to keep cyclists cruising comfortably.
What the Ride Is Like
The trail runs 8 to 10 feet wide across a roughly 135-acre corridor, is paved the whole way, and has facilities that meet or exceed accessibility standards. Parking and restrooms sit at two- to three-mile intervals.
From the Cottage Grove trailhead, three city miles bring you to the Mosby Creek trailhead. Another 3.5 miles reaches Dorena Dam, built to keep downstream towns from flooding…