visiting Portland, OR -> route report

[sparky33]

Could anyone recommend a good route near Portland?

I'll be there briefly for a wedding in September, and I'm hoping to sneak in a day/morning of riding, something different than my usual east coast stuff. I'll have a car, so a drive to the start is OK. something 60-120 miles, scenic, mountains .... gps route link would be awesome. Show me the good stuff!!!

Also, debating shipping my own bike vs renting/borrowing (~55 effTT), whadoyathink? Any good place there to rent a respectable road bike?

[KidWok]

My parents have a house in NW and I ride out there a bit...Skyline is always lovely and you can head out to the farmlands on both side of 26 if you want nice open roads. I don't have any specific routes in mind since I was taken out for rides by others.

PM me as you get closer to your trip regarding a loaner bike. I'm in Seattle but keep a few bikes as part of the loaner fleet for my event. There's a 55 sitting in my parents' garage right now.

Tai

[Vientomas]

Here is one I have been thinking about riding for a while but riding for me is secondary to windsurfing when I am in the Hood River area and as a result, I have yet to ride the loop. The start would be about an hour drive from Portland. I have ridden portions of the loop shown (Hood River to the Dalles and back). I would ride the loop in the opposite direction as described so as to avoid a headwind at the end of the ride and to finish the ride with a descent on Hwy 35 back to Hood River.

http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/429882

One more here. I have ridden both the Valley Loop and the Mountain Loop, but not together. The start would be about an hour and a half drive from Portland. I prefer the Mountain Loop.

http://troutlakewashington.com/business/events-2/mt-adams-bicycle-tour/

More options here:

http://thegorgeismygym.com/road-biking/

[miguel]

portland-ripplebrook-portland 200k is a good one
you can find a cue sheet on google

if you dont want to do the full 200, you can turn off at 30 miles (boring-the town), 36 miles(right before estacada), and 41 miles(estacada) to make a 55, 61, or 75 mile route.

[MorganColeman]

The old Columbia Gorge historic hwy is breathtaking:
http://byways.org/stories/74261

I'd also recommend Skyline Blvd if you want to stay close in for a shorter ride. I'd recommend reaching Skyline at it's northern tip via Logie Trail:
http://www.mapmyride.com/us/portland-or/logie-trail-skyline-loop-route-1919571

Morgan

[sparky33]

Here is one I have been thinking about riding for a while but riding for me is secondary to windsurfing when I am in the Hood River area and as a result, I have yet to ride the loop. The start would be about an hour drive from Portland. I have ridden portions of the loop shown (Hood River to the Dalles and back). I would ride the loop in the opposite direction as described so as to avoid a headwind at the end of the ride and to finish the ride with a descent on Hwy 35 back to Hood River.

http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/429882


Looks fantastic, definitely something for a big day. So clockwise is the better direction, right? Tailwind going east along the river at the start.
What's your opinion of this RAMHOOD route?
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2681967
How busy are routes 26 and 35? I seem to remember from a visit years ago that 26 was the main road up there but it had a decent shoulder....? Definitely looking for - hey, don't miss this, and/or hey, don't go there advice.

[sparky33]

I'd also recommend Skyline Blvd if you want to stay close in for a shorter ride. I'd recommend reaching Skyline at it's northern tip via Logie Trail:
http://www.mapmyride.com/us/portland-or/logie-trail-skyline-loop-route-1919571

Morgan

Morgan,
Good idea. A shorter closer ride is on the agenda. Skyline would be perfect.
It is hard to imagine that you have this stuff in your backyard.

[sparky33]

My parents have a house in NW and I ride out there a bit...Skyline is always lovely and you can head out to the farmlands on both side of 26 if you want nice open roads. I don't have any specific routes in mind since I was taken out for rides by others.

PM me as you get closer to your trip regarding a loaner bike. I'm in Seattle but keep a few bikes as part of the loaner fleet for my event. There's a 55 sitting in my parents' garage right now.

Tai

Thanks!
Turns out my coworker has a bombproof hard-case for Fedex'ing a bike. Hoping to bring my own gear, but we'll see.

[MorganColeman]

Morgan,
Good idea. A shorter closer ride is on the agenda. Skyline would be perfect.
It is hard to imagine that you have this stuff in your backyard.

Portland used to be my back yard. I now live on Bainbridge Island, just outside of Seattle. No complaints at all :)

[Vientomas]

.Looks fantastic, definitely something for a big day. So clockwise is the better direction, right? Tailwind going east along the river at the start.

Yes.

What's your opinion of this RAMHOOD route?
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2681967

I have not ridden that route. I have done some of the lower roads in and around Odell and Parkdale and they are OK.

How busy are routes 26 and 35? I seem to remember from a visit years ago that 26 was the main road up there but it had a decent shoulder....?

I believe Hwy 35 is 60 mph and has good shoulders for the most part. There are a fair number of cyclists that use it. Traffic is not bad, especially on a weekday. I don't know about Hwy 26 as I have only driven it a time or two.

[noahgenda]

Best bang for the buck is to crank out to Multnomah Falls

You get gorge riding, one of the largest waterfalls in the nation, crown point views, and riverside noodling.

http://www.mapmyride.com/us/portland-or/multnomah-falls-amp-the-vista-house-route-353421

[sparky33]

I did the Lolo Pass route while visiting PDX recently. Gresham Lolo Vista Hood River - Gresham, OR (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3372447)

I took the Trimet Max blue line train out to Gresham and crossed over the Sandy River riding up to ZigZag along Bull Run Rd and Marmot Rd. This section was really beautiful and involved some nice climbs. After a brief refuel stop in Welches, I continued up over Lolo Pass using NF1828 road - the road is quiet, shaded and a bit mossy. About 5 miles of rough gravel utility road brought me down from the pass to NF16 road which ascends to Vista Ridge. Great views of Mt Hood. Then it was down into Parkdale. There was a tough headwind rolling down into Hood River. Then I rented a car to return to PDX. About 95 miles and 10k of vertical. A tough ride but worth it.
I also did shorter rides in Forest Park (Lief Erikson is a scenic unpaved road) and a quick spin up to the Zoo in Washington Park - both terrific rides. Portland has an incredible endowment of good riding.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3729/9907115384_7e11b27a01.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907115384/)
to the end of the line (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907115384/) by stevep33 (http://www.flickr.com/people/27988383@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2815/9907037245_9122f322a0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907037245/)
rolling (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907037245/) by stevep33 (http://www.flickr.com/people/27988383@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7374/9907121874_fbae3d3991.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907121874/)
Sandy River crossing (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907121874/) by stevep33 (http://www.flickr.com/people/27988383@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3790/9907045905_534f57eb81.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907045905/)
Mt Hood on the way up (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907045905/) by stevep33 (http://www.flickr.com/people/27988383@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/9907223373_1ffaea98ca.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907223373/)
down from Lolo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907223373/) by stevep33 (http://www.flickr.com/people/27988383@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7372/9907233563_243f30eec3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907233563/)
view from Vista Ridge (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907233563/) by stevep33 (http://www.flickr.com/people/27988383@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5459/9907144744_1d455847fb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907144744/)
somewhere view of Mt Hood (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27988383@N06/9907144744/) by stevep33 (http://www.flickr.com/people/27988383@N06/), on Flickr

[William]

Man! I do miss riding in Oregon.



Thank you for sharing!:cool:







William

[Climb01742]

Man! I do miss riding in Oregon.



Thank you for sharing!:cool:







William

+100 on that, brother.;)

[sparky33]

I am truly in awe of the quality of riding that is easily accessible from urban Portland. It's also nice that cycling is seen as a normal part of life there... Why wouldn't I be walking through the classy hotel lobby with a bicycle?

Aside from the amusingly accurate Portlandia moments that confuse my east coast sensibilities, I really felt at home during my brief visit.

Man! I do miss riding in Oregon.

Thank you for sharing!:cool:

William

[Climb01742]

i grew up (to the extent that i have grown up) in portland, and though there are some, um, excesses of hipster funkatude there, of all the places i've lived or visited, the vibe and values in portland, and most of oregon in general, are about as agreeable as i've found. would love to find a reason, or a job, to move back. insert sigh.

very glad you had a good time, sparky. visitors are often converts.;)

[docmaduff]

Oh MAN, I miss riding out in NW Portland. I went to Chiropractic College out there and had a house in Gresham. Stark to Historic Columbia River HWY and all those rolling farm roads our to Sandy and south out to Estacada were staple routes of mine. I thought some of those hills were hard but since I've been racing for a few years here in Colorado, I'd love to go back out there and carve those roads again!

I'll be back in November but that's when the huge faucet in the sky turns back on and doesn't turn off until June!

[sparky33]

Reviving this thread because it occurred to me that I need to visit some friends again, long overdue. A Portland trip would includes lot of riding. So what's new?

Does anyone have thoughts on the VeloDirt (http://velodirt.com/rides/) rides? Seems to be some worthwhile stuff from The Dalles area. Sounds like my kind of routes.

I would also like to get up to Lost Lake...maybe from Hood River, just sounds scenic. Maybe some more stuff west of Portland. Some to the east... Dark Larch (http://www.omtm.cc/the-dark-larch/)? Anything goes at this point.

Alternately, are there any worthwhile organized rides that involve good scenery, gravel or not, not too much fanfare, etc.

Also, can someone give me an idea of which months are a good bet for avoiding closed/risky road conditions due to snow and other bad weather around Mt Hood? I was up around Lolo pass and Vista Ridge in September last time, but I have no idea what the season is in that area.