Jayne and KLR photo montage

Motorcycle Day Trips
from & around Portland (PDX), Oregon

 
disclaimer

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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.

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)

 

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  Quick Links 
Index of resources for women travelers (how to get started, health & safety considerations, packing suggestions, transportation options, etc.
 
Advice for camping with your dogs in the USA
 
Saving Money with Park Passes in the USA
 
Advice for women motorcycle riders and travelers
 
transire benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good." advice for those wanting to make their travel more than sight-seeing and shopping.
 
Suggestions for Women Aid Workers where the culture is more conservative/restrictive regarding women than most other countries.


Where I've been
A list of all of the states in the USA and all of the countries I have lived in or traveled in, the farthest North I've been by land, the nearest I've been to the equator, various other stats.
This includes all of the places I have traveled to and through via motorcycle.

Some of my favorite photos from my travels. Very hard to pick favorites.


Advice for Hotels, Hostels & Campgrounds in Transitional & Developing Countries: the Qualities of Great, Cheap Accommodations

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