Motorcycle Day Trips
from & around Portland (PDX), Oregon
disclaimer
Follow me on Twitter:
@coyotebroad:
My tweets are about travel,
motorcycling, tent camping, bicycling (mostly as a commuter), and
things I find amusing.
My husband and I love traveling in other countries by motorcycle. In 2009,
we moved from Germany to the Portland, Oregon area (my
husband is German, I'm from the USA), and since the USA has such a
ridiculously-tiny vacation time culture, we decided to start treating our
spare time here as a mission to map the best motorcycle day trips around
PDX.
These suggested motorcycle routes are for people who live in the
Portland or the surrounding area and want a nice day trip - scenic and
winding roads. But these routes are also for motorcycle riders who are
visiting the Portland area, or elsewhere in Oregon, as part of a
long-distance trip. If you are traveling through Oregon, I think some of
these are as interesting as the coast - with far less traffic and traffic
lights than Highway 101, plus some really beautiful vistas (especially if
you love forests). Too many motorcycle travelers think the only way to go
through Oregon is via the coast. The coast is nice, but to be honest,
after about an hour, you've seen it, and the traffic and stop lights can
take all the fun out of the ride.
These routes described below are all scenic, have enough curves to be
interesting, are mostly paved (if they aren't paved I note so in the
description), and either pass through or end in places where there are
food options and at least one gas station (or ends reasonably near such).
These suggested routes will take you on many winding roads by historic
sites, several villages and small towns, and in one case, a ferry
crossing.
- Forest Grove through Vernonia and
Birkenfeld to Jewell, Oregon, about 100 miles from Portland, and
from there, you have several options to either go back to Portland or to
go on to the coast. Make it even longer and go all the way to Astoria or
Seaside, or it can be combined with some other trips on this page.
- Nestucca River Road is 50
miles of twisties, and connects Carlton to Beaver on Highway 101, about
15 miles south of Tillamook. Note: Nestucca River Road is now ENTIRELY
paved. You can go all the way to Tillamook and the Oregon Coast, or, you
can make a left at Bible Creek Road and then via Willamina
Creek Road (and have lunch in Willamina) and on back to the PDX
area, making it at least a 168 mile loop altogether. OR, you can go up
Bible Creek Road from Nestucca and then make a left onto NW Bald
Mountain Access Road, stopping at Sheridan Peak Overlook (there's a pit
toilet there). It's all paved. These are my favorite local roads
for motorcycle touring - scenic, twisty, and usually not a lot of
traffic.
- Mount Hebo via Siuslaw National Forest
Service Road 14. This is 18miles of dirt and gravel in beautiful
forested lands and brings yo to the top of the mountain. Combined with
47 and Nestucca River Road on the
way there, and 22 and 18 on the way back, this is a less-than-200 mile
day trip from Portland (161 miles round trip from Forest Grove, Oregon).
- To Trask River Campground and
then through the woods to Nestucca River Road. This is mostly
paved, except for the 14 miles through the woods to Nestucca River Road,
and one part of that gravel route is challenging. Adding in an
additional paved loop, it's 150 miles of fun. Can be combined with the
Mount Hebo route easily.
- Foss
Road / Nehalem Road to Foss Road, which is about 26 miles of
gravel and passes three primitive public campgrounds, and returns you to
Highway 26 or state road 53, depending on which direction you take. If
you choose to go all the way to the coast and 101 then, from there, if
you have enough daylight, you can do any of these, but you may run out
of daylight to get back to Portland.
- Twisties to Vernonia & some
gravel: Forest Grove to Vernonia to Scappoose to North Plains
& back to Forest Grove (Oregon) - 96 miles, including 16 miles of
very twisty gravel on Dixie Mountain Road. Route is easily shortened.
Perfect road for practicing your gravel skills. From Highway 30, turn
South onto Old Rainier Road / Old US Highway 30. In less than two miles,
you will make a nasty uphill hairpin turn to go up Apiary Road. This
gets you back to 47 at a point a few miles north of Vernonia.
- Tillamook State Forest in Oregon, from Cochran Road and the town of
Timber. This is mostly gravel. I did it in 2014 and it was easy in terms
of road conditions - packed gravel, gentile inclines. But then I tried
it in 2017 and it was incredibly challenging: thick gravel and washouts
that had been replaced with baby head rocks instead of gravel. You can
do a loop inside the forest, but things aren't marked very well, so
bring a GPS if you want to stay on main roads. No OHV permit required if
you stay on the main gravel roads. Tons of unmarked forest roads
everywhere.
- Willamette River Motorcycle Route, a
two-three hour trip South of Portland, Oregon.
- New Era through Beavercreek to
Mollala, a 30-40 minute motorcycle ride South of Portland, Oregon.
- Canby, Mulino, Mt. Angel &
Silverton, a two-hour motorcycle ride South of Portland, Oregon
(how long it takes depends on how often you stop). Probably the most
popular motorcycle day trip from Portland. Make it even longer and go
all the way to Salem.
- Columbia Gorge Motorcycle Route on
WA-14 & Historic Columbia River Highway To Maryhill (Stonehenge)
& back, 200+ miles. Something easier to do from East Portland than
west of the city, at least in one day.
Mt. Hood and Detroit Lake are also nice day trips from Portland and very
easy to map out yourself - though I prefer all of the above to those,
probably because there's much less traffic, more twisting roads, and I
just think all of the above is prettier.
A route I still haven't mapped is to various
Oregon covered bridges.
I also haven't mapped out a very decent, short route around the tiny town
of St. Paul. Very easy route - few hills, gentle turns.
Also see roadsnw.com. Has maps by
region - Eastern Washington, Western Washington, Idaho, Eastern Oregon,
Western Oregon - and by type: Twisty Roads, Sweeper Roads and Adventure
Roads.
Of course, there's even more possibilities, if you include more forest
roads. If you do choose forest roads, remember that some trails require an
OHV permit.
Your suggestions for additional routes would be welcomed by me!
Here's some
photos from some of these day trips.
And now a word from my husband:
Adventure Motorcycle Luggage &
Accessories
www.coyotetrips.com
Aluminum Panniers and Top Cases,
Top Case Adapter Plates,
Tough Motorcycle Fuel Containers, & More
Designed or Curated by an experienced adventure motorcycle world
traveler
Based in Oregon
You won't find these exact products anywhere else;
these are available only from Coyotetrips
(my husband)
_______________________________________________
Disclaimer: Any activity incurs risk. The
author assumes no responsibility for the use of information
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This material is provided as is, with no expressed or
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credited to Jayne
Cravens
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you intend to charge).
The art work and material on this site was created
and is copyrighted 1996-2024
by Jayne Cravens, all rights reserved
(unless noted otherwise, or the art comes from a link to
another web site).
The personal opinions expressed on this page are solely
those of Ms. Cravens, unless otherwise noted.
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