Best Route: PDX to the Coast

A few years ago in Oregon Cycling Magazine, Peter Marsh wrote about the Nestucca River Road. I tried it out last summer and it was a delight!

See the article here:
http://www.catoregon.org/ocycling/toursandtrails/tt/nestucca.htm

I've gone a few different ways:

Highway 30 to Astoria: this is the first route I ever took to the coast. I would not recomend it to anyone else. The road is in good shape, and the shoulders are wide. But the traffic is loud and it just sucks out your will to live to have it roaring by your left ear all day. Also, there are a bunch of really challenging hills.

Vernonia on 202 to Astoria: this is an awesome route. Beautiful country, almost no hills, low traffic road. No shoulders, but again, almost no traffic. There are also places to stay in the middle if you want to break up the trip from Portland into 2 days (Vernonia City Park and Big Eddy County Park, just a few miles later.) Getting to Vernonia is a bit of a trick, though -- I've not ridden the Scappoose Vernonia Highway, but people do. Highway 47 from Forest Grove isn't too bad, and the Banks-Vernonia trail goes parallel to it for a while (but the middle section of the trail isn't paved). Probably the most cycle friendly in terms of traffic would be Highway 8 out of Forest Grove to Highway 6, then turn north at Timber Junction, and follow Timber Rd. to 26, cross 26, where the road becomes Vernonia Rd, and take that into town. That one's circuitous, though. All three routes into Vernonia involv! e a pretty good climb, but both 47 and the Timber route each have only 1 really significant long grade (again, never been on the Scappoose route).

Vernonia on 202 to Jewell Junction, south to Elsie, and the Nehalem River Rd. to Wheeler: as above to Vernonia, follow 202 through Mist and Birkenfeld to Jewell, and then turn south to Elsie. At Elsie head towards Salmonberry, and just beyond you have a lovely camping option at Spruce Run Park. WARNING: the road beyond Spruce Run is gravel for around 9 miles or so! But from a scenery standpoint, it is the loveliest ride of the lot, and navigable if you've got 32 mm tires or wider.

Highway 26 to Seaside/Cannon Beach: this option is strongly derogated. I've never even tried it, but riding in a car to the coast, and looking out the window at the cycling conditions fills me with horror to contemplate such a ride.

Highway 6 to Tillamook: the simplest to navigate. Just get to Forest Grove, get on 8 (Gales Creek Hwy) and take it to Hwy 6. You reach the coast range summit 9 miles later, and then it's all downhill to Tillamook. Note, though, that the wind is generally blowing upstream on the Wilson River. The road is pristine, the scenery is beautiful, and the shoulder is adequate. The traffic is fast, but generally moderate. The downside to this is that if you are heading south, you miss all the incredible scenery from Tillamook Head to Tillamook Bay.

I've heard the Nestucca River Road is incredible. It's my hope to give it a try this summer. The problem with it is that, as above, you miss some great riding on the north Oregon Coast (elliding Tillamook Head to Tillamook Bay, AND the Three Capes).

One more piece of advice: if you end up starting in Astoria, don't go over the Young's Bay Bridge to Warrenton/Fort Stevens and then head south on 101. It's FAR more pleasant to get over to Fort Clatsop and go south to Seaside on the Lewis & Clark River Road. The traffic is lighter, the scenery is better, you can check out the Lewis & Clark exhibit at Fort Clatsop, and it only adds one small climb. You're not missing any ocean views on that section of 101.

Good luck, and have a great time!

-Michael

Jonathan-

I've got no beef with what Jeff Smith posted on the PDOT Web site -- as you can see, his catalogue and mine have a lot of overlap. But his blue route leaves a bit to be desired, IMHO. That middle section on 26 is the most brutal, least bike-friendly piece of road I could imagine. His "alternate" on Highway 6 is much nicer. And both routes would be improved by utilizing the Gales Creek Highway out of Forest Grove, rather than getting immediately onto 6 (which is pretty busy from 26 to Banks.)

I can comment only on the Nestucca River route, as it's the only route I've done. Yes, it's beautiful. But there are some climbing sections as intense as anything you'll encounter before the hills south of Crescent City, California, and I think that for a first day's ride, on a fully-loaded tandem no less, it might be a little demoralizing unless you're one tough team.

I rode Portland-San Francisco solo in 2000. The Oregon coast was my favorite part. Because the Nestucca River route cuts out some of that coast, I wouldn't recommend it for a first time, unless you're in a hurry.

Great! I was planning a trip down the coast too this summer and this info has really helped me with some of my planning. You are all very helpful.

Sorry :(

interesting