# Discuss: Oregon Cascades Passes



## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

I am interested in comparisons of some of the various passes over the Cascades in Oregon, considered from a bicycle touring viewpoint. In particular:

US-26
OR-22
US-20
OR-126
OR-58
OR-138

Have you ridden one or more of these passes? Fun? Boring? Near-death experience?


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## gray8110 (Dec 11, 2001)

undies said:


> US-26
> OR-22
> US-20
> OR-126
> ...


That's a bit of an odd way of looking at it and you're missing the best climbs.

<strong>US-26</strong> has a lot of traffic on weekends but is eminently ridable. It's very nice around Hood, but there are much more enjoyable climbs in the Mt Hood area.

<strong>OR 22</strong> is pretty nice - less traffic than 26 but still ridable. It's not a pass in that it doesn't cross the cascades. It has a fair amount of climbing.

<strong>US-20</strong> is a big, wide road, lots of traffic. Not super scenic, but you get some views of most of the Central Oregon cascades.

<strong>OR-126</strong> This, like 126 doesn't cross the cascades. It has a ton of traffic between Eugene and McKenzie Bridge. The section between McKenzie Bridge and Hwy 20 is very scenic but the best parts of that road are the waterfalls.

<strong>OR-58</strong> has a lot to offer. Salt Creek Falls, Odell Lake etc, but it's just a big wide highway and can be crazy busy.

<strong>OR-138</strong> is an amazing road. Between Roseburg and Diamond Lake especially. Probably has the least traffic of the roads listed. There is more traffic between Diamond Lake and 97 and this is the least interesting section of the ride with a 14 mile dead-straight section that climbs about 1,500 feet from 97. This is the second-highest pass in the Cascades in Oregon.

<strong><em>The roads you didn't mention:</em></strong>

<strong>OR-242</strong> - <a href="https://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=31443&highlight=McKenzie+Pass">McKenzie Pass</a>. The most spectacular Cascade Crossing in Oregon. It's almost a 4,000 foot climb from the west and a 2,000 foot climb from the east. Lots of cool views, and cruising thru lava fields. Each side of the climb has a distinctly different feel: The west side starts in rain forest and ascends into the Lava Fields with something like 19 switchbacks. The east side is a dry, ponderosa forest. The road is open to bicycles and closed to traffic for about 2 weeks every year - riding that without traffic is way too cool. 

<strong>FS-19</strong> - <a href="https://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/byway/or_aufde.htm">Aufderheide Memorial Drive</a> - This isn't a cascade crossing but has as much climbing as 22 or 126. This has very little traffic, it's shaded, lots of winding through amazing terrain between Oakridge and McKenzie Bridge. One of the best rides in Oregon.

<strong>OR-230</strong> - This doesn't cross the Cascades, but it connects Hwy 62 to 138. There can be a good deal of traffic, but the scenery is amazing following the upper sections of the Rogue and then climbing up to Diamond Lake. The <a href="https://www.skimountaineer.com/CascadeSki/Thielsen/ThielsenHighwayView.jpg">view of Mt Thielsen</a> from the top is one of the most spectacular views you'll get in Oregon.

<strong>OR-62</strong> - This is the highest Cascade crossing in Oregon (not the highest road in the cascades) with a summit just over 6,000 feet in Crater Lake National Park (this isn't the loop road.) From the North/West this is a long 20 mile, 2,500 foot climb. There are some good views of Union Peak and the Crater Lake rim but it's mostly in the trees. From the South, it's a shorter climb with views of Annie Creek's canyon and the rim.

<strong>US-140</strong> - This is a lot like the Willamette Pass (OR-58) It's got some nice views of Mt McLoughlin and the local lakes, but it has a ton of traffic.

<strong>Dead Indian Memorial Rd</strong> - This is a very big climb from the west starting in Ashland (actually climbed it today) with great views of the Siskiyous to the west. Once you get to the top there are some spectacular views of Mt McLoughlin, but it's a long rolling Plateau back to Hwy 140 at Lake of the Woods. Much less traffic than most of the roads listed.

<strong>OR-66</strong> (<a href="https://www.siskiyouvelo.org/images/LakesLoop/greensprings.jpg">Green Springs Highway</a>) I climbed today as well  The best part of 66 is the climb from Ashland to Green Springs Summit. Great views of the Siskiyous and it climbs up an exposed mountainside for about 7 miles. It's very scenic between there and Klamath Falls, but it's really a long 40 mile plateau with no descent. The high point on the highway is only a few hundred feet higher than the Klamath Basin.

There are also a couple crossings on forest service roads between Jefferson and Hood that I've never ridden.


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## PomPilot (May 17, 2006)

gray8110 said:


> ...<strong>Dead Indian Memorial Rd</strong> - This is a very big climb from the west starting in Ashland (actually climbed it today) ...
> 
> <strong>OR-66</strong> (<a href="https://www.siskiyouvelo.org/images/LakesLoop/greensprings.jpg">Green Springs Highway</a>) I climbed today as well  ...


Now before anyone gets on gray8110's case about cllimbing both these routes in one day, (after looking at a road map), let me lend a little area native's knowledge.:wink: There is a stretch on the Green Springs where one can ride out and back, and be climbing both ways.  

gray8110: did you cut over to 66 from Dead Indian by either the Keno access road, or the Hyatt Lake road by chance? I used to do a bit of camping just off of the Table Mtn. road, along Cottontail Creek. (The first road on your right, opposite the gravel pit on Table Mtn Rd.)


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## gray8110 (Dec 11, 2001)

PomPilot said:


> gray8110: did you cut over to 66 from Dead Indian by either the Keno access road, or the Hyatt Lake road by chance? I used to do a bit of camping just off of the Table Mtn. road, along Cottontail Creek. (The first road on your right, opposite the gravel pit on Table Mtn Rd.)


Actually, I climbed the big western side of both Dead Indian and Green Springs today. The original plan was actually to do an additional, bigger climb up to <a href="http://www.siskiyouvelo.org/mtashland.html">Mt Ashland</a>. This was a training ride with a couple teammates. We rode a pretty hard pace up Dead Indian to start and one of my teammates went a bit hard up the last mile of the climb - he picked up the pace significantly when I said 1 mile to go.. and then cranked up the revs even more and dropped me in the last 200 meters. He paid for it though  He cut Green Springs short because he was pretty much blown and rode home. My other teammate and I continued to the summit and back down, then agreed to call it good and skip the last climb. It's only April right  Still got in 6,300 feet of vertical gain in just over 55 miles - that would have been pushing 11,000 and 83 with Mt Ashland.

There were quite a few folks out there yesterday doing the <a href="http://www.siskiyouvelo.org/lakesloop.html">Lakes Loop</a> by cutting over from 66 to Dead Indian on the Hyatt Lake/Howard Prairie roads as you describe. It was a gorgeous 75-80 degree day.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

gray8110 said:


> That's a bit of an odd way of looking at it and you're missing the best climbs.


I'm not real interested in "best climbs" per se, I'm more interested in the best touring routes in a generally eastward direction. I've driven in a car or ridden a motorcycle over all of the roads you listed, but I wasn't really looking at them from a bicycling standpoint at the time. I'd like to hear which roads are most scenic from a bicycle, and which are the most safe (considering shoulder width and traffic levels). 



> <strong>US-20</strong> is a big, wide road, lots of traffic. Not super scenic, but you get some views of most of the Central Oregon cascades.


We must be thinking of different US-20s. Between Sweet Home and Santiam Junction US-20 has never struck me as particularly wide or busy. My concern about US-20 over Tombstone summit is shoulder width. I think a better cycling alternative to US-20 is Quartsville Road.


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## gray8110 (Dec 11, 2001)

undies said:


> I'm not real interested in "best climbs" per se, I'm more interested in the best touring routes in a generally eastward direction. I've driven in a car or ridden a motorcycle over all of the roads you listed, but I wasn't really looking at them from a bicycling standpoint at the time. I'd like to hear which roads are most scenic from a bicycle, and which are the most safe (considering shoulder width and traffic levels).
> 
> We must be thinking of different US-20s. Between Sweet Home and Santiam Junction US-20 has never struck me as particularly wide or busy. My concern about US-20 over Tombstone summit is shoulder width. I think a better cycling alternative to US-20 is Quartsville Road.


Well, by best climbs, I'm coming from a perspective of the best routes for scenery and safety not the best workout.. we're talking about the same thing  My opinion doesn't change. The roads you mentioned are all scenic and if you ride safely, the roads are safe. I just feel that there are better riding roads. 26, 20, 58 & 140 have a lot of traffic relative to any of the other roads you mentioned but they all generally have a nice shoulder. 

If I'm not mistaken, Santiam Pass gets more traffic than any other Cascade crossing other than Hwy 26. I rode the McKenzie/Santiam Loop on a weekday in early June last year and the traffic on 20 was substantial all the way to Sisters. There is a wide shoulder on 20 the whole way and I wasn't uncomfortable.. there was just a very consistent volume of traffic. It's a pleasant ride, it's just not a quiet wilderness ride like some other roads can be - I haven't ridden west of the junction with 126 so I can't comment on Tombstone.


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

gray8110 said:


> There is a wide shoulder on 20 the whole way and I wasn't uncomfortable.. there was just a very consistent volume of traffic. It's a pleasant ride, it's just not a quiet wilderness ride like some other roads can be - I haven't ridden west of the junction with 126 so I can't comment on Tombstone.


This is a good characterization of Hwy 20. I just drove Hwy 20 west of 126 to Salem. Some parts are relatively curvy and narrow, and others are straight so that car traffic is quite fast. I know that west-bound had/has very large storm-water grates. I can't remember if there are grates on the east-bound side. Hwy 242 is one of the top 10 or 20 roads in the US. Hwy 20 has some nice scenery along the way, but is a fast, stinky, homely third cousin of Hwy 242.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

gray8110 said:


> If I'm not mistaken, Santiam Pass gets more traffic than any other Cascade crossing other than Hwy 26...


Yes, true and a good point. I was thinking more of the section of US-20 between Sweet Home and OR-126, which is the section that goes over Tombstone Pass. This is probably one of the least-traveled Cascades passes. I've driven it many times but I never really paid attention to the shoulder. My interest in this road and the others listed is mainly as paths I might take if I began a tour from my own driveway (I live in Albany). 

I think if I ever were to ride over the Tombstone summit on US-20, I would turn south and follow OR-242 into Sisters. I concur, US-20 over Santiam Pass doesn't strike me as any fun at all.


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## dawgcatching (Apr 26, 2004)

Be a bit careful on Tombstone Pass. There isn't much traffic, but it is very curvy and there isn't alot of room for a bike. Much of the road is in bad shape and there simply is no shoulder: just a narrow road and then the bank that goes down into the canyon. I went to school in Corvallis (I live in Bend) so I have driven that road many times, and have yet to see a single cyclist. 

A better route would be to head south in the foothills (through Lyons, Sweet Home, Brownsville, and Marcola (or the Coburg hills if you are up to it via W. Shotgun Creek) then hook up with 126 until it takes you up to 242, then up and over to Sisters. Another way to get to the Springfield/Marcola area (the head of hwy 126) from Portland is to ride up the Clackamas River (the road eventually takes you to Detroit Lake) then ride up 22 until you get to the road that takes you over to Sweet Home past Foster Lake. That is a great ride, with 2 good climbs by the time you hit Sweet Home, and you still have another before you get to Hwy 126. Then, it would be up 126 to the McKenzie Pass (242). I plan on riding from Bend to Portland via this route this summer.


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## TWD (Feb 9, 2004)

dawgcatching said:


> Be a bit careful on Tombstone Pass. There isn't much traffic, but it is very curvy and there isn't alot of room for a bike. Much of the road is in bad shape and there simply is no shoulder: just a narrow road and then the bank that goes down into the canyon. I went to school in Corvallis (I live in Bend) so I have driven that road many times, and have yet to see a single cyclist.


You couldn't pay me to ride up Tombstone pass on a bike. Between Sweethome and Tombstone, that road has no shoulder and is one blind turn after another. To top it off, people drive way too fast, or should I say, way beyond their feeble driving skills.

If the road was in better condition, it would be a fun descente, but I have no desire to ride up that road. 

As far as a good touring route, I'd like to head up the Quartzville road, to 22, then backtrack down to Detroit. From Detroit, there is a single lane paved logging road (IIRC it head up the Breitenbush) that'll get you almost all the way to Mt. Hood with no traffic. 

I've been eying touring routes for the last couple of seasons, and from what I've heard, the route Cycle Oregon is taking this year is pretty darn close to the loop I had in mind. 

You might want to check that out.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

Thanks for the feedback folks! It sounds like Tombstone isn't a good idea. 

TWD, I'd also like to ride Quartsville up to Detroit sometime. Yes, the Breitenbush road becomes OR-224 which follows the Clackamas River into Estacada. That would be a nice ride too.


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## BlurRoubaix (Jan 8, 2005)

While I've not ridden 20, I've certainly driven it lots and would not consider it a calm ride. Too narrow from Sweet Home to the Pass.

As for Breitenbush - I've done that one before. How far is it from Detroit to Hwy 224? Lots of climbing?

Thanks!

Also, since we're asking - I've never ridden up near Mt Hood. What's a favorite route up there? Something 75-100 miles, 10k-ish climbing range.


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