WA & OR Road Recommendations..

[Burnszilla]

I'm riding up to the Canadian border to take care of some work visa business on Wednesday. This time I'm staying off of the slab. Once I get out of California I'm going to head up the Oregon coast to Portland. On day two, I'm going to head up the east side of the Olympic penninsula on 101 and take the Port Townsend ferry. Then I'll hit the border at Blaine.

I'm looking at taking the Washington and Oregon interior roads back south.
Can anyone recommend some roads/sights I wouldn't want to miss?

[Visian]

Stephen -- one of the best rides I've ever had was in eastern Oregon through the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. (http://www.fs.fed.us/hellscanyon/)

Take WA129 south out of Anatone, which turns into OR3 and features most excellent canyon wall twisties and open road cruising on the way to Enterprise.

Take WA 82 south to Joseph and follow the Imnaha highway east out of town.

Take the sharp right on Wallowah Mountain Road... NFS-39... or you'll soon run out of pavement (which isn't necessarily a bad thing....)

You're in for and ton of twisties that will flat wear you out.

If you're into camping.... *this* is the place.

Ian

[Ridealot]

On your way up 101, about 20 miles past Tillamook is highway 53. You WANT to ride highway 53. Then you will want to turn around and ride it again. It is that fun.
After you get to 26 and are heading to Portland you have a decision to make. Do you really want to go to Portland (yuk) for the night? If not, take 47 to Vernonia and Mist. You WANT to ride this road. You can then spend the night in Longview or Kelso. Enjoy.

[knary]

IF the windy ridge road between Mt.St.Helens and Mt.Adams is open, RIDE IT. It runs from just south of Mt.Raineer to just shy of the Columbia Gorge. It's on my top ten list of roads.

53 is a nice little ride. It's short, but fun.

If you swing to the east, do as Visian says - have fun out by Hell's Canyon. This doesn't suck.
http://conary.org/bike/post/rattle1.jpg

And if you're coming down into Lewiston, neither does this...
http://conary.org/bike/post/oldspiral.jpg


lemme find my maps (still MIA since the move)...............

[Burnszilla]

Thanks guys!
All I have to do is make it to Portland on Day 1 and make
it to the border on Day 2. After that I just have to make it
back home by Sunday.

Planned Route:
http://www.burnszilla.com/images/blog/nw-map.gif

[sgborgstrom]

Santa Cruz to Portland on the route you posted is going to be one long, dull day. 101 through Oregon is slow- lots of traffic and congestion to get in the way and the "sights" just don't make up for it.

I ran the OR coast (both ways) last summer on 101, if I have to do it again I'd rather trailer the bike down I-5 to the OR/CA border and ride south from there.

Steve

[knary]

Santa Cruz to Portland on the route you posted is going to be one long, dull day. 101 through Oregon is slow- lots of traffic and congestion to get in the way and the "sights" just don't make up for it.

I ran the OR coast (both ways) last summer on 101, if I have to do it again I'd rather trailer the bike down I-5 to the OR/CA border and ride south from there.

Steve

Not a bad suggestion. About half the Oregon coast is decent fun, the rest can be slow slogging through traffic. You can cut up to I-5 on 199(?) - from Crescent City, CA to Grants Pass, OR.

[Burnszilla]

Dang! I took the 5 last time thru Oregon and I was falling asleep. They need to put in a north-south motorcycle road in there.

[knary]

Dang! I took the 5 last time thru Oregon and I was falling asleep. They need to put in a north-south motorcycle road in there.

They did.
You head east, hop on 97, and go as far north as you want before cutting over towards Portland. 97 isn't thrilling, but it beats I-5.

[Bob_M]

Rather than go from Cressent city to Grants Pass (if that's your alternative), At gold beach go along the Rogue river to Galice then North to Wolf Creek. a real romp through the Syskiyou Mts. The route you have planned looks good. Are you going to the ralley @ Lewiston on the 30th? (ya better leave right now)
Portland has more breweries than Munich email me if you want company on a pub crawl. :drink

[knary]

Rather than go from Cressent city to Grants Pass (if that's your alternative), At gold beach go along the Rogue river to Galice then North to Wolf Creek. a real romp through the Syskiyou Mts. The route you have planned looks good. Are you going to the ralley @ Lewiston on the 30th? (ya better leave right now)
Portland has more breweries than Munich email me if you want company on a pub crawl. :drink

:thumb

I'm not used to that road being open this early in the year!

[Burnszilla]

Looks like I'll be at that Hells Canyon Rally.
What a coincidence.

[Bob_M]

On the return run Mt. Lassen Nat. Park road is like a bowl of noodles. From there you could work to the north end of Hwy 49 which is also pretty excellent. On the other hand you could go from Redding on 299 to Hwy 36 then south through hayfork to Fortuna on Hwy 101 in the redwoods. Or.... :clap

[Burnszilla]

Stephen -- one of the best rides I've ever had was in eastern Oregon through the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. (http://www.fs.fed.us/hellscanyon/)

Take WA129 south out of Anatone, which turns into OR3 and features most excellent canyon wall twisties and open road cruising on the way to Enterprise.

Take WA 82 south to Joseph and follow the Imnaha highway east out of town.

Take the sharp right on Wallowah Mountain Road... NFS-39... or you'll soon run out of pavement (which isn't necessarily a bad thing....)

You're in for and ton of twisties that will flat wear you out.

If you're into camping.... *this* is the place.

Ian


Thanks for the tip. I got to the the first summit and the road was closed.
Lots of snow! I drove through some of it but then decided to turn around.


http://www.burnszilla.com/photos2005/northwest/med/IMG_0499.JPG

Full Trip Report here (http://www.burnszilla.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?path=photos2005/northwest)

[knary]

This shot looks familiar. :D

yours...
http://www.burnszilla.com/photos2005/northwest/med/IMG_0460.JPG

mine...
http://www.conary.org/bike/post/rattle1.jpg

[Visian]

http://www.burnszilla.com/photos2005/northwest/med/IMG_0499.JPG


Awww... c'mon... you coulda made it though that! And hey, it's not like you were out in the middle of nowhere... ;)

Dang, who woulda thunk that the place would *still* be snowed in?

Off to read your trip report.

Ian