hey all,
we just got back from a mini-vacation to the Columbia River Gorge area, one of our favorite corners of the universe, and had a great drive up hwy. 30 over Crown Point and into Corbett, coming from the east (Cascade Locks area). So, has anyone here biked this route? It looks like a dream-winding roads through beautiful forests, gorge-eous waterfalls, and a twisty, challenging road. the Vista House at Crown Point is incredible, and I'll post pics ASAP, but I'm just obsessing over doing this ride someday! Can anyone share their experience to tide me over until I can pull this off?

Absolutely one of the nicest rides you can possibly do!!!!!! I've ridden those roads 100s of times and it never gets old.
We live in Portland and typically drive out to Troutdale, park the car and ride the Scenic Hwy from there way out past Crowne Point down the hill into the lush lower greenlands of the highway and past all the waterfalls on down the road and past Multnomah Falls on towards Cascade Locks and Hood River.

There are tons of options including another of the most beautiful rides which takes you off the Scenic Hwy just above Crowne Point at the Women's Forum State Park and onto Larch Mtn Rd. That's a 14mile tree lined hill climb to the summit of Larch Mtn.


It's a very special place, the Columbia Gorge and surrounding areas and perfect for cyclists.


KRhea

We drove up Larch Mtn. Road, to the ten-mile mark where it's closed due to snow :eek: That's got to be a grind! One cyclist passed us going down as we went up, as did a snow plow truck. Other than the elevation of the climb from the east to Crown Point, my wife got nervous about the narrowness of the road, and the lack of passing space for cars. Do you find that to be a problem?

No different than riding any other road. There are cars everywhere "we" cyclists ride and you just have to be aware, wide road or narrow.

Also, Larch is not as bad as it seems. You just shift into a comfortable gear, relax and make your way to the top. The view from the summit is more than worth the work getting there.

KRhea

Just to add to the comments made by others, there's typically not a problem with cars on the scenic highway. It's so narrow that people are generally going pretty slow anyway. I've ridden it dozens of times and never had any scary moments.

Also, the highway was built when cars were in their infancy and very low-powered. Hence, the gradient of the highway is never more than ~5%. So the climbs aren't leg-snapping by any means.

If you want more Gorge fun, drive out to Hood River and ride the section of the Scenic Highway that runs from there to The Dalles. The first 5 miles are MUP and provide some killer views of the Gorge. From Mosier to The Dalles, traffic is minimal - less than in the section that you describe in your original post.

Here's a link to ODOT's Col. River Gorge bike map. You can pick up a copy at ODOT's office in Portland at 123 NW Flanders, or drop a line via the email link found on this page: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/HCRH/contact_us.shtml
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/HCRH/images/HCRHbikemap.pdf

My dear and cautious wife was just reading over my shoulder and seemed very relieved indeed! She's a relatively new cyclist, having only been bitten by the bug this year, and she's still building her skills and confidence. Plus, only one of our three boys is riding on his own, so it's tough to do a bike trip right now, but we love the Gorge, so we'll be back soon. We haven't been out to the Dalles yet-we spend all our time at the Bonneville Dam!

Check out this cross country journal in progress on CGOAB. Day 9 has the section of interest to you, but in reverse direction.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=3768&v=7E

Check out this cross country journal in progress on CGOAB. Day 9 has the section of interest to you, but in reverse direction.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=3768&v=7E
That was just a few days before we were there! It does seem like most folks go east to west, doesn't it?