# Advice needed for 30 - 60 mile ride in or around Portland



## brumos (Jul 18, 2011)

Will be vacationing in North West Oregon (Coast and Portland) from Vancouver, BC in a few weeks and was looking for some 'must do' or 'go to' cycling routes while visiting. Being the cycling capital of the nation i figure there must be some killer rides to not miss out on.

Prefer quiet roads with little traffic and scenery as opposed to commuter routes, 2 - 4hrs in the saddle, avg speed of 16 - 18mph. 

Thanks


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

A lot depends on which direction you want to go and how much climbing you want to do.

On the east side of Portland you can start at the McMinimins and ride out toward Corbett, then head to Crown Point, down to Multnomah Falls and back. You get to see some nice waterfalls, scenic views of the Columbia River and get some great riding in.

On the west side you can ride up to Skyline and follow that all the way down to Rocky Point, then head back and go down Moreland/Mason Hill and take some of the roads on the west side back toward Portland. With that said, Skyline (the early part) can be a busy road, but a lot of cyclists ride it.


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## brumos (Jul 18, 2011)

Thanks so much for the routes, just the advice I was looking for. It's a good starting point. 

Can you recommend the best route to take heading east out of town... Burnside/Stark or SE Division?


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

Riding out of Portland kinda sucks ... but Hawthorn, Burnside and a couple other of the main roads with good bike lanes work well enough. It will also take a while to get out of Portland to the East side on bike ... figure an hour if you are heading from downtown.

It's just easier to drive to the edge of town, then head out from there.

Also don't forget there are lots of club rides that take place on the weekends ... so you might try and hook up with one of those for a more "Guided" route. There are rides for all paces and abilities around here.


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## maximum7 (Apr 24, 2008)

If you're going to be here on the weekend, try riding with the Portland Velo. Snooty, but well organized and have great rides. 

The Vancouver bike club vbc-usa.com (my club) has a great morning ride on Wed and some cheesy ones on the weekends. Not as organized, but friendlier than Portland. 

Here is a link to a ton of different routes that might be of use to you. Most of them start in Vancouver, but if you search, you can find Portland ones. 
Ride Routes || VBC
The French Toast ride is a great in town route. 
The New French Toast route. Ride Routes || VBC (just use the cue at the bottom of the page)
The Larch Mtn 2.0 will help you get out to the gorge. 


Also check out Westernbikeworks.com They have shop rides most of the time on the weekends. 

Also you could try giving a holler when you come to town. Maybe some one atypical of Portland would be kind enough to ride with you.


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## brumos (Jul 18, 2011)

So I mapped out a ride East of the city. I will be staying around 58th & Hawthorne and figured this would be a fun ride. Are these roads good for riding?

Thanks


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

brumos said:


> So I mapped out a ride East of the city. I will be staying around 58th & Hawthorne and figured this would be a fun ride. Are these roads good for riding?
> 
> Thanks


I just raced up Larch Mt. this past Sunday (from Corbett High School to the top in 1:07:50  ).

It's a great climb, only one or two short steep sections ... the rest is pretty mild, but it does get a little steeper at the top. When you get to the top you can walk the trails for some great views and plenty of picture opportunities.

Watch the weather though ... conditions can change a lot from the bottom to the top of the climb. If it's clear skies ... the ride will be awesome (though not much to see on the way up).

Generally speaking there will be a lot of cyclists on that route during the weekend as a lot of people go out and climb Larch Mt. on a regular basis. Generally not a lot of traffic when you get out of town.

Also ... there is a 1/2 mile or so section of chip seal that hasn't been sealed yet on the climb (the lower part) ... just an FYI 

Should be fun.


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## brumos (Jul 18, 2011)

Awesome! Thanks for the tip... will try to hit it early in the AM midweek.

Can you comment on this route up Skyline with a detour through some residential streets on the return? Specifically, NW Moreland Rd. Google street view shows that it's not paved in some sections, still gravel?

Thanks


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

brumos said:


> Awesome! Thanks for the tip... will try to hit it early in the AM midweek.
> 
> Can you comment on this route up Skyline with a detour through some residential streets on the return? Specifically, NW Moreland Rd. Google street view shows that it's not paved in some sections, still gravel?
> 
> Thanks


The ride up through the Rose Garden is nice (it's part of my daily commute to/from work) and Fairview is a good road to take with low traffic. The Burnside turn can be a pain, but patience works well there. Once on Skyline there are lots of cyclists that ride that road and cars are used to cyclists there. Once you pass Cornelius Pass road traffic thins out.

There are some great views up on Skyline, so stop, enjoy the views, take some pictures and enjoy the ride 

Moreland is a nice downhill and low traffic ... good roads, but mostly chip seal.

The only change from there would be to ride all the way up Thompson to Skyline instead of turning onto Miller and going up Cornell. It's a better route overall.

Though if you want a "Real" challenge ... on your way back ... Go up Thompson to Skyline, drop down to Cornell and turn right ... then left on Miller, go about 1/4 - 1/2 a mile and take a left up Brynwood ... then turn right and you will be back on your regular route.

Brynwood averages about 22% and has sections near 30% ... try and ride it without stopping or using driveways to circle around in


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