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More Bike Touring Resources - Printable Version

Some particularly useful resources you may want to have if you're touring around Oregon are

the Oregon State Bike Map
the Oregon Coast Bike Map &
the Columbia River Gorge Bike Map
To order paper copies of any of these maps call (503) 986-3556 or use the e-mail link from this Oregon Dept. of Transportation webpage: bike maps & information from all around Oregon.

Heading down the Willamette River Valley? The Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway map will show you some less-traveled roads between Champoeg Park (south of Portland) & Eugene.

For trips in the Mt Hood area, check out this page of printable maps drawn from Clackamas County's Bike It! map.

Want to find lower-traffic roads to ride on? The O.D.O.T. website has traffic volume information for State highways, as well as links to traffic volume information for cities & counties around Oregon.

For Washington State, you can order the statewide bike map by email: Washington Department of Transportation or call (360)705-7277. There is additional touring information available on their website .
For Campground information:

Oregon State Parks are great places to stay when bike touring; many of the coastal State Park campgrounds feature walk-in hiker/biker campsites (at an economical $4 per person per night), showers, & fantastic vistas. Also, many also have Yurts (around $30 per night, sleeps 5, advance reservations generally needed) if you desire more luxurious accomodations.
National Forests offer great opportunities for camping, as much of of Oregon is national forest land. For an overview map of the National Forests in Oregon & Washington,click here. On parts of the Oregon coast, there are Siuslaw National Forest campgrounds. To the east of Portland, campgrounds abound throughout the sprawling Mt. Hood National Forest.
The Bureau of Land Management also has campsites throughout much of Oregon.

The Tillamook State Forest also has several campsites west of Portland.

For general Oregon travel information, or for "credit card" touring lodging accomodations, visit the Travel Oregon website, where there are a multitude of links to local visitor's information from around the state.
If you believe you can never have a sufficient number of maps, you'll want to have a look at the Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas of Oregon- it's a great resource for finding those back roads & is available at many bookstores & outdoor stores around Portland. Additionally, the Adventure Cycling Association offers a series of maps throughout the U.S. & Canada designed especially for touring cyclists.
Looking for a guided bike tour? There are a number of bike tour operators that offer rides of varying length & intensity in Oregon. Here are some of the ones we know about:
- Cycle Oregon 1 week in early September, also a weekend ride 2 days in late June
- The Oregon Bicycle Ride 1 week in August
- Seattle to Portland Classic 2 days in July
- MS 150 Bike Tour 2 days in August
- Escape Adventures varies
- Ride Around Washington 1 week in August
- Adventure Cycling often has tours in Oregon/Washington
- Cycle Wild variety of rides throughout the year, with no fee
- Pedal Bike Tours 2249 N Williams 503-916-9704 : guided tours in Portland & beyond
- Portland Bicycle Tours 345 NW Everett St 503-360-6815 : guided tours in Portland & beyond
For a huge searchable database of self-guided rides in Oregon & from around the U.S., check out Bikely.com or Pedaling.com --- or, if you have a favorite ride, submit it to them! Or, you can pick up a copy of Rubber to the Road: 30 Rides Around Portland or Rubber to the Road: 30 More Rides at most local bike shops.

Gorge view from Crown Point

Right outside of Portland's door is the splendor of the Columbia River Gorge . Beautiful vistas, spectacular waterfalls, & some of the finest cycling in the Pacific Northwest. Following are some maps & resources to help you to plan a bike trip to the Gorge.

The Columbia River Gorge Bike Map published by the Oregon Department of Transportation offers a wealth of information on cycling the Columbia River Gorge between Portland and the Dalles, with information on both the Oregon & Washington sides of the river.

Here's a more detailed bike map for getting from the Gresham MAX station to the Historic Columbia River Highway . If you don't want to use the MAX to get between inner Portland & Gresham, we recommend either using Marine Drive to Troutdale & over the Sandy River Bridge, or using the Springwater Corridor Trail as far as the Gresham City Park. For more Portland bike routes, see the various City Bike Maps.

For more information on recreation activities in the Columbia River Gorge, visit the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area homepage.

For lots of interesting photos & information on the history of the old highway, see the Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway website.

Gorge overview map

If you're looking for more detailed information like route cues, available services, & elevation profiles for the riding the Columbia River Gorge Historic Highway, we've put together these maps to assist you:

Map 1 : Gresham MAX to Multnomah Falls (approx. 19 miles) - a steady climb up to the town of Corbett, levels off a bit to Crown Point & Vista House, then a fast descent down to Multnomah Falls. Lots of scenic stopping points. About 1400 feet of cumulative elevation gain.

Map 2 : Multnomah Falls to Cascade Locks (approx. 17 miles) - a mostly level ride from Multnomah Falls past Ainsworth State Park; at Exit 37 join I-84 freeway for about 3 miles (wide shoulder), leave freeway at Exit 40 for Bonneville Dam & follow bike/ped trail along the old Gorge Highway to Cascade Locks. A stop a Bonneville Dam to visit the sturgeon ponds (see the giant dinosaur fish!) is recommended.

Map 3 : Cascade Locks to Hood River (approx. 15 miles) - passing through the town of Cascade Locks, then a short, steep climb up the quiet & scenic Herman Creek Road (700 feet or so over a couple miles) over to Wyeth State Park. Then, it's I-84 freeway (pretty good shoulder) to Hood River; there is one short path section between Starvation Creek & Viento State Parks.

Map 4 : Hood River to the Dalles (approx. 26 miles) - for information see the Columbia River Gorge bike map , pages 11-13. A beautiful ride on 5 miles of Historic Highway bike/ped trail just east of Hood River, followed by a climb up to Rowena Crest with spectacular views, followed by a descent into the Dalles.