Columbia River Heading East

[Norsman]

As part of a cross US trip I plan to go east along the Columbia River, starting near Longview. I will be on a fully loaded bike so elevation is a concern but traffic is a bigger issue. I see from maps that I can go on either the Washington or Oregon side but have not been able to find enough information on which is the better route. I will be camping so access to campsites are also a consideration. Thanks for any help.

[Jeff Wills]

As part of a cross US trip I plan to go east along the Columbia River, starting near Longview. I will be on a fully loaded bike so elevation is a concern but traffic is a bigger issue. I see from maps that I can go on either the Washington or Oregon side but have not been able to find enough information on which is the better route. I will be camping so access to campsites are also a consideration. Thanks for any help.

(From Longview to roughly The Dalles)
The Oregon side is better for the most part- the roads are wider (albeit with more traffic), and the campsites are more plentiful. Longview to Vancouver, WA is very hilly and not well mapped on the Washington side.

(From The Dalles going east)
The Washington side is hillier and narrower, but preferred due to much lower traffic volumes.

Have you looked at the Adventure Cycling Lewis & Clark route? http://www.adventurecycling.org/rout...isandclark.cfm . It shows the route through the Gorge on both sides of the river.

[mtnbud]

The Oregon side has a historic old highway for part of the distance. Some of it is closed to vehicle traffic. I asked for the same information and was told that I would need to ride on I84 for part of the distance, but that it was still recommended that the Oregon side would be worth it. There will be some elevation gain involved.

The Washington side of the highway is narrow and winding with many tunnels. It has less traffic than I84, but still can be fairly busy depending on the day. I84 has a huge shoulder. Any riding you have to do on I84 will be noisy with semi-truck and vehicle traffic, but much of the ride will be on the old highway which is very scenic, but narrow. Most vehicles on this highway should be traveling slowly, enjoying the scenery.

What destination do you have in mind? That could make a difference. Once you get to The Dalles, I'd look for an way to avoid I84 just because it will be hot, dry, and noisy if you're heading east.

If you're not set on seeing the Gorge another option would be to stay further north hit Spokane and then and utilize the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes

[BigBlueToe]

I did the Oregon side from Portland. I was riding the Lewis and Clark from Portland to Missoula. I crossed over to the Washington side on 97 to Maryhill State Park (in Washingotn). The Oregon side was fine. Sometimes I had to ride on the freeway; lots of times not. When I was on the freeway it was very loud - tons of big rigs - but also pretty flat. The grades were very gradual. When I got off the freeway (most of the ride) it was quiet and beautiful, but sometimes there were steep climbs. On the old highway there was a lot of traffic, but they seemed to be in slow-moving mode. I didn't have any incidents of dangerous passing.

[Black wallnut]

Between I 205 and Bridge of the Gods take the Oregon side unless you are immune to heights and narrow roads. There is a section of SR 14 that clings to a cliff as near as I can tell from looking at a map 800 feet or so to the bottom. The view ranges from breath taking to vertigo inducing depending on your tolerance. Beyond North Bonneville there are the aforementioned tunnels with limited shoulders. Beyond that there are a few good climbs. The good news is that between Longview and US 97 there are plenty of places on both sides of the river to get water, food, and even camping spots.

[Jeff Wills]

Between I 205 and Bridge of the Gods take the Oregon side unless you are immune to heights and narrow roads. There is a section of SR 14 that clings to a cliff as near as I can tell from looking at a map 800 feet or so to the bottom. The view ranges from breath taking to vertigo inducing depending on your tolerance. Beyond North Bonneville there are the aforementioned tunnels with limited shoulders. Beyond that there are a few good climbs. The good news is that between Longview and US 97 there are plenty of places on both sides of the river to get water, food, and even camping spots.

This area is known as "Cape Horn" and is quite narrow, but still rideable. It's also the best view on SR-14 between Washougal and North Bonneville. If you were going east and wanted to avoid that portion of SR-14, Washougal River Road roughly parallels SR-14, has less traffic, and is scenic in its own way. I ride this every year as part of my Bridge of the Gods loop: http://www.ohpv.org/events/bog/BoG.htm

FWIW: a bunch of velomobiles (think enclosed recumbent tricycles) rode from Portland to Washington DC last summer, covering that distance in 28 days (but they had sag support). You can see their route on the ROAM website: http://web.mac.com/josef.janning/Rol...rica/Home.html

[toolbear]

[QUOTE= I will be camping so access to ca
mpsites are also a consideration. Thanks for any help.[/QUOTE]

Camping -

I think you have a lot more options on the Oregon side. There are a number of OR and Fed campgrounds from Portland to the Dalles on that side.

There is a nice bike trail you can access at the Columbia River Heritage Center and take along the river to the Dalles...

<http://www.traillink.com/trail/the-dalles-riverfront-trail.aspx>

There is a campground at the mouth of the Deschutes River at the Deschutes River State Rec. Area.

There is Maryhill State Park (WA) across the 97 bridge at Biggs Junction.

There is boondocking along the river for several miles below the John Day Dam with restrooms up at the park below the dam and vault toilets in fishing access areas. We have camped here several times.

There is a federal campground at Le Page Park above the John Day, on the John Day River mouth. It fills in season. Showers, etc. You could probably tent. We lucked and got a waterfront slot one season with the van.

There is a nice marina and RV park (wifi, trees, shade) at Boardman. You could take this trail over to the bomb docks upriver, by passing some freeway...

<http://www.traillink.com/trail/columbia-river-heritage-trail.aspx>

The sirens at Umatilla Ordanance Depot no longer wail for thee. They have finished decommissioning all that nerve gas and mustard gas and other nasty things stored there. Burned the lot in a very expensive incinerator. There is a COE park below the dam on the WA side up there.

There is another Corps of Engineers park in Pasco at the mouth of the Snake. Trees, showers, etc. We stay there when doing the trails around the tri cities.

Let me also mention Winddust CG, up the Snake by way of Kahlotus, WA. There is another COE CG on the OR side closer to Ice Harbor Dam - Charboneau??

[toolbear]

[QUOTE= I will be camping so access to ca
mpsites are also a consideration. Thanks for any help.[/QUOTE]

Camping -

I think you have a lot more options on the Oregon side. There are a number of OR and Fed campgrounds from Portland to the Dalles on that side.

There is a nice bike trail you can access at the Columbia River Heritage Center and take along the river to the Dalles...

<http://www.traillink.com/trail/the-dalles-riverfront-trail.aspx>

There is a campground at the mouth of the Deschutes River at the Deschutes River State Rec. Area.

There is Maryhill State Park (WA) across the 97 bridge at Biggs Junction.

There is boondocking along the river for several miles below the John Day Dam with restrooms up at the park below the dam and vault toilets in fishing access areas. We have camped here several times.

There is a federal campground at Le Page Park above the John Day, on the John Day River mouth. It fills in season. Showers, etc. You could probably tent. We lucked and got a waterfront slot one season with the van.

There is a nice marina and RV park (wifi, trees, shade) at Boardman. You could take this trail over to the bomb docks upriver, by passing some freeway...

<http://www.traillink.com/trail/columbia-river-heritage-trail.aspx>

The sirens at Umatilla Ordanance Depot no longer wail for thee. They have finished decommissioning all that nerve gas and mustard gas and other nasty things stored there. Burned the lot in a very expensive incinerator. There is a COE park below the dam on the WA side up there.

There is another Corps of Engineers park (Hood Park) in Pasco at the mouth of the Snake. Trees, showers, etc. We stay there when doing the trails around the tri cities.

Let me also mention Winddust CG, up the Snake by way of Kahlotus, WA. There is another COE CG on the OR side closer to Ice Harbor Dam - Charboneau??

At Lewiston is the delightful Hells Gate SP and CG with bike trails on both sides of the Snake.

How are you getting over the Rockies?

[Norsman]

Wow! Huge amounts of info. Thank you all. As to crossing the Rockies I will probably go through Missoula and then begin to head in a southeast direction. Any suggestions as to the best route? I am not interested in going along the Northern Tier.

[Jeff Wills]

Truthfully, if I were wanting to travel along the southeast/northwest route, I would start in the southeast in the late spring and head to the northern latitudes (and west) as I went along. This would avoid the worst of the hot & sticky weather. One of my friends started this trip last year: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?...c_id=8212&v=rL and is planning on resuming this year.

The Crazy Guy site is a good source of travelogues and possible routes.