gageplate

Hi all,
Thinking of touring the oregon coast starting from washington (where i live) and traveling down the coast to ?. This is all new to me so i am just starting to research things. I have done many back to back centuries so would like to try something new. My two questions are
1. How are the shoulders in general heading down the coast. This will probably happen during july (the busy season for the coast).

2. are there any good books i can look at to research touring on a bike and how to prepare for such a ride or good websites. I would like to camp on the way down.
Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Doug64

You have picked a great route for your fisrt tour. The shoulders are more than adequate in Wahington and Oregon.

Campgrounds are plentiful and spaced at convenient intervals for a cyclist. I may be biased, but Oregon has the best hiker/biker sites at our state parks that you will find anywhere

Two books that do a good job of covering touring by bicycle are:

Bike Touring, The Sierra Club Guide to tavel on two wheels, by Raymond Bridge

Bicycling Magazines Guide to Bike Touring by Doug Donaldson.

Another book that might help you in planning is: Bicycling the Pacific Coast.

The real challenge may be getting back to Seattle from Brookings, OR or Crescent City, CA when you are finished. I had a family emergency, and had to bail out of the ride at Crescent City. Luckily, I was able to get rental car at the airport. A lot of folks on this forum have used various modes of transportation when ending the Oregon Coast leg of the route. They may chime in if this is going to a problem for you.

Good luck!

B. Carfree

Although you would miss the last 140 miles or so of the Oregon coast, you could solve the transportation back to Seattle problem by turning inland at Gardner, just north of Reedsport, and riding up the Smith River and then on over to Eugene. There are three trains per day to Seattle, soon to be four (one Coast Starlight (box your bike, often available free) and two Cascades (bikes hang in baggage)). Very low traffic along the Smith River and no services from about 15 miles in until you reach Crow 70 miles in. About fifty miles of this thing feels like a bike path along the rivers.

fietsbob

Seems a Ditto,

There is a practical route going down the cost, to Reedsport, take the Smith River Road back to Eugene,
you can pickup Amtrak there to get back to Seattle .

Talgo Commute train still Running ? wont need to box the bike for that one. runs more often than
the Coast starlight , (at about 16:00 'ish')

Why?.
Southbound Rail Route turns east and crosses the Cascades there, and then goes south to K Falls From there ,
so its no longer a useful Return option.

indyfabz

For the Oregon portion:

https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/BIKEP..._route_map.pdf

gageplate

Thanks all for the info. Doug64 i will check i the books you mentioned. Bcarfree thanks for the transportation info. Haven't thought about that. I will start my research on everything. One more question. I am riding a trex 7.2fx think that would do the job for carrying most of our load. Thanks again everybody

fietsbob

As I am living, On* the route I see all sorts of bikes on the PacCoast Route .. I have to repeat

Touring is an Activity, not a specific Bicycle .

* I See Columbia River out 3 windows.

spinnaker

You might want to do a bit more research on the Washington coast. I just completed a tour from Portland to Eureka. I got to speak to a number of tourers and they said they would skip the Washington coast and just start in Astoria. Just check it out before committing.


The Oregon coast is awesome. Some of the most beautiful touring I have ever done. I would say that most of the road was a pleasant ride. There were a few sections of 101 that had very fast and busy traffic. The worst part is the climbs as they usually have passing lanes which encourage speeding. There are a number of places that take you off 101 that are extremely peaceful. In fact there are portions of 101 with very little traffic. I had to wonder where all the traffic went.

I got to bits of not so great advice (IMHO) on this forum on the coast.

1. I was told the hill out of Crescent City has no big deal. I was riding with a buddy and another touring cyclist into Crescent City. We all decided we needed a break and all thought a bus ride up the hill would be a good idea. We all thought that the hill indeed was very steep, long and with little to no shoulder up much of the hill. In addition (at least currently) this section of the road is under construction with one way lane that backs up traffic which causes a seemingly endless line of traffic. Hopefully the traffic situation will be cleared up by the time you do your tour but I still say the bus is a good idea.

Depending on the driver, they will drop you at the top of the hill, there are a number of safe places for the bus to pull over. We chose to take the bus all the way to Klamath due to the heavy traffic.

2. Not sure if I misunderstood or just got bad advice on this one but the back road (old 101) outside of Klamath is closed. It has not been open for some time as it is all over grown and there is a gate across the road. It might still be passable but it certainly would not be easy and we did not try. Instead we rode back down the hill and made the long climb a second time up the "new" 101 to exit at Newton B Dury Parkway. What made matters worse about this mistake was that I could see our track on the GPS from where we turned around the first time and we were very, very close to our track after making the second climb.


Unless you are camping, there is no need to take the Coos Bay bypass. At the advice of the owner of Moe's bike shop in North Bend, we stayed on 101 and took a room in Coos Bay. That section of 101 is not that busy and Coos Bay is really a nice little town worth seeing.

Jseis 

If you like cycling on busy, RV and tourist heavy coastal roads, by all means start in Astoria and take 101 south (make sure to avoid the scenic route from Fort Clatsop to Seaside). Wa SR105 and SR101 are boring roads that pass through miles of remote rural areas, typical ugly bays and obnoxious wetlands, noisy wildlife and a noticeable lack of typical convienant rest areas, campgrounds, car pullouts, all catering to the auto driving public.

spinnaker

It's all opinion. Again, I did not actually ride the Washington coast. Just talked to a few riders along the way and their opinion was next time to skip the Washington coast. The OP should consider all opinions.

Personally, I started in Lincoln City, one of the reasons was because of the heavy traffic, I heard about south of Astoria. The way I understood it is that that section's proximity to the Portland area that is the cause of the traffic. Another reason for leaving from Lincoln City was scheduling combined with my desire to tour the redwoods rather than end the tour further north.

As far as traffic from Lincoln City and on south, I thought that with few exceptions the traffic was fairly light for what is supposed to be a busy road. We ran across very little RV traffic (considering the fact it is a vacation area and in the height of vacation season). In fact, I thought the most dangerous and annoying traffic was all of the none RV traffic. I found almost all of the RV traffic moved fairly slowly and gave amble room when passing. Not true for all of the cars and trucks that would pass closely at a high rate of speed. Including one jerk in a pickup with super loud pipes that thought it was funny to gun the engine while we were both in the tunnel.

Jseis 

I'm biased.

The Washington coast is extraordinary beautiful yet difficult to access and few cyclists make the Olympic loop (heavily forested) or go to Neah Bay or Seiku. SR105 and loop to Willapa...very nice. Fortunately the large Puget sound population is far away. Willamette Valley is an easy hour + away thus the O coast is heavily accessed via Or 30, 101 north, or routes to Newport & Lincoln City.

Actually the best place to start an Oregon Coast trip is in Washington, on the coast at Cape Disappointment State Park (beaches, two lighthouses, outstanding vistas including the Columbia River bar, jetties, and the Oregon coast..... in the distance). However...a tunnel and a bridge await you.

I just met about 6 cyclists at the Dismal Nitch Safety Rest Area today and 1/2 refused to cross the Astoria-Megler bridge and took their sag wagon. They arrived at 2 pm on a Friday before Hood to Coast weekend and Kite Festival in Long Beach....absolutely the wrong time to cross. One of them asked me if they "should take the lane". On a 4 mile crossing? I said no, ride right of the fog line...otherwise...500 cars behind you.

Upshot. Timing is every thing and one other thing...I've noticed that few cyclists build their own trip, they take predetermined routes that are typically mainstream and miss the really good places (the backdoor way to Seaside is a classic example...a low use excellent road). However..the cyclists I met today took a novel route.....the STP route to Longview and Wa SR 4 to the coast though they seem to have forgotten about the bridge. Having ridden the STP and driven/ridden SR4.... that's a pretty cool route. Expect log trucks anywhere on any coast routes.

gageplate

Thanks all. Spinnaker I am just now starting to research things (all new to me). Would you mind if I PM you on things. Thanks

Doug64

I would also skip the WA coast and come down the Hood Canal route. It is nice, but not as scenic as the OR coast.

I was one of those folks that gave you "some not so great advice" about the hill south of Crescent City. Everyone's perception of what is safe and and what is difficul is different. The construction may have exacebated difficult riding conditions, but I still maintain that it is safe to ride and the hill is manageable for most people. I just asked my wife what she thought about it and she agrees with my assessment. This is from the perspective of a couple that were in their late 50's and mid-60's when we rode over it on fully loaded touring bikes.

Passing lane near the top of the hill.


Near the top showing the width of the shoulder. IMO- While not wide it is adequate.


There are many hills on the Pacific Coast Route that are as or more difficult than the one outside Crescent City.

Again it is perception. This was taken riding over the Megler Bridge in 2008 and the fog line has been moved out to provide a relatively wide lane that is not difficult or unsafe to ride in even in heavy traffic. It was safe enought to stop and take pictures while standing in the road.

Megler Bridge

This picture was taken while riding, so it can't be too bad, especially if you have ever seen my bike handling skills.




Everyone has to make their own calls based on their experience, comfort level, and conditions at the time.

raybo

I have ridden down both the Hood Canal and the Washington Coast to Tillamook on the Oregon Coast. I would disagree with those who say that the Washington Coast isn't worth riding. There are rivers, lakes, forests, ocean views, and not much climbing. While it isn't as dramatic as the Oregon or California Coasts, there are few places in the world that are. I wrote a journal of that ride, which started in Bellingham, WA and ended in Newberg, OR, just south of Portland. It contains hundreds of photos that will show you what riding this route looks like.

I didn't ride over the Astoria bridge and, after seeing it, I wouldn't. It is a long, steel girder bridge that often is shrouded in fog. I opted to ride east to the town of Cathlamet, WA, ride over a bridge with a bike path to an island in the Columbia, and then to take a ferry over to Oregon.

While I didn't particularly fancy the ride west to Astoria, I liked the town, spent a rest day there, and really enjoyed its Maritime Museum. The ride south from Astoria is, as people have said, uninteresting for many miles. Though, I don't recall it being worrisome. If there is a more interesting route, I'd suggest considering it. But, be aware, it may require some significant climbing.

I have never ridden the Oregon Coast south of Tillamook, or th California Coast north of Fort Bragg, so I can't comment on it.

Have a great ride, whatever route you choose.

spinnaker

Unless it is personal, you should not PM questions. That way others can benefit from your questions and their answers.

spinnaker

I wish the bridge right before North Bend was this nice.

fietsbob

During the repaint job there has been a one lane flagger controlled situation, on the Megler 101 bridge..

so at some point the motor traffic is stopped and you have the lane to yourself , while the opposing lane is moving
and the next queue in your lane is waiting , or have gone on ahead ..

Doug64

In my haste to defend my "not so good advice", I forgot to congaratulate you on finishing your Oregon Coast/ Northern California tour. I am glad to hear that you really enjoyed the Coast, and everything went well. Congratulations!!

I walked my bike over that one (up on the sidewalk).

spinnaker

Not to steal the OPs thread but thanks. All pretty much went very well except for that mistake out of Klamath. If it were not for the long hard climb and how utterly exhausted I was at the end of the day it would have been a welcome mistake. Alder Camp road is a nice ride through some of the "smaller" redwoods. I would have liked to have seen the Beach Drive or what ever it is called now but glad I did not take that because it now appears to be gravel.


Did the same pretty much, I started riding again after the apex. I did not even bother with the bike warning light at the start of the bridge. I figured it was just there to make me feel good. I think the sidewalk could use a railing and I would fell more comfortable in riding the sidewalk. The folks at Moe's said during renovation, the workers had a walkway pretty much the length of the bridge. They wondered why they couldn't have just made it permanent for a bike path.

gonenomad

+1 for starting in Astoria. That was my favourite part of the coast. Of course, It rained every day while I was in Washington; and, I didn't get a drop of rain in Oregon. I've often thought of riding the coast again; but, only going from Astoria to San Luis Obispo(sp?).

B. Carfree

When they did the renovation, the outrigger sidewalk didn't extend the entire length at any time, if I recall correctly. I rode over it twice during the work and the partial sidewalk was in different locales each time. It would be nice if we could get some of these bridges on the Oregon coast to be more accommodating for cyclists, but ODOT isn't in a real bike friendly mode these days.

gageplate

So I have been on Amtraks website and am trying to fine the furthest point down the oregon coast where we can take a train back to portland or somewhere in that area. Not to familiar with the areas Anybody out there have a great starting point and ending point for touring the oregon coast. Thanks.

fietsbob

Astoria to Reedsport , then over the coast range to Eugene .. As i noted in another thread

South of Eugene , Amtrack goes over the Cascades and the rest of the route is east of the Mountains , Klamath Falls ,

into California via Mt Shasta , Sacramento, etc.

spinnaker

The train goes inland and not down the coast. You would need to get yourself to something like Eugene to catch the train.

cvskates

Eugene is the farthest south you can catch the cascades train heading North and NOT have to box your bike.