# Best big rides now?



## fallzboater (Feb 16, 2003)

I've got a few days off this week and am looking for a few epic rides to do. I was looking at the North Cascades, but it's no good now with the fires. I'm hoping not to drive too far from the Portland area, but I haven't done Hurricane Ridge, so that's a possibility. Farther south would be better, maybe coast range in Oregon. Looking for 60-100+ mile routes, lots of climbing, reasonable distance between food/water stops, and quiet spots to sleep in my van. Thanks!


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## icsloppl (Aug 25, 2009)

On the 29th, the Lyle-Goldendale ride is one of the best rides in the area at the besttime of the year.

Calendar | Portland Wheelmen Touring Club

Also, if you don't mind going to the Bend area, look at the rides out of Sun River on the same site that happened on the 8th and 9th. There are several nice forest service camping sites along the routes. Again, the perfect time to go in some of the best scenery in the state.


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## fallzboater (Feb 16, 2003)

Thanks for the reply. I live in Hood River so of course I've done all of the Gorge rides many times. Bend is a possibility, though.


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## DM.Aelis (Jun 19, 2007)

On our bicycle expedition we took the Cascade Lakes Highway out of Bend and went over Crater Lake. Some of the best riding of our trip. If you want to put on the cross tires, there are some sweet Forest Service Roads that cut through the mountains north of Diamond Lake and Crater Lake. We took these on our loaded Trolls and though they can be pretty loose/sandy in spots, they are overall pretty smooth dirt with no traffic, one pretty epic pass in particular separates Crescent Lake from Diamond Lake, and then it's more climbing from there up to Crater Lake. The rim road is spectacular. I don't know what your preferences are: if you don't want to do dirt, you can always take the Willamette Hwy down from Cascade Lakes back to Hwy 97 and then reconnect to Crater Lake all on pavement. Hwy 97 isn't so fun for riding, so YMMV and all that.

If you want to break out of the norm, I would personally recommend you do a big ride north of Walla Walla in the Palouse region. A landscape unlike anything else we saw in the Americas. Good, kind, rural, Real America kind of people. Amazing agriculture. And you can get plenty of climbing in, believe me. Lots of fun if you have cross tires too, some wicked fun farm roads cut across every mile of farmland.

Check our blog for more if you'd like
Bound South


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

Cascade has a fall ride leaving from the Edmonds ferry with three loops on the Kitsap Peninsula this Sunday. One of the loops is pretty easy but the other two (Indianola and Hansville) have some really steep but short climbs.


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## DM.Aelis (Jun 19, 2007)

*pics*

I figured I'd post a couple pics.

#1: The Palouse region of eastern WA

#2 + #3: The Bend-Cascade Lakes-Crater Lake stretch.

Especially with all the rain in the PNW, the high desert of Oregon is just such an awesome place to ride in autumn.


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