Vancouver Washington Travels 2006  There is a lot of good biking in the Portland area, on both sides of the river. This selection is a mix of mountain biking and road riding. They range from flat road rides to dirt roads in the forest to a rocky mountain trail. All are fun and scenic. The Path in Forest Park |
|
Biking Sauvie Island Northwest of Portland is huge Sauvie Island. Even though the river is only a mile wide, the island is 4x15 miles! And it's remarkably scenic, mostly open farmland with plenty of trees and swampland on the north end. The road follows the coast most of the way around with good for a good mix of river and rural scenery. Biking the Table Mountain Trail Just past the Bridge of the Gods, on the Washington side, is a network of jeep roads that web through the mountains. This one goes just below Table Mountain and is a combination of paved, dirt and jeep roads. It's mostly non technical, but includes a long climb in loose rocks that will beat you up and wear you out quick. The highlight is a spectacular waterfall near the high point of the road. Hiking the Washugal Dike This dike is a raised berm between Washugal and the river, and runs for about five miles east of Steamboat Landing. It's a popular picnic, hike and fish area, with wooded beach area on the first half. There's no challenge to biking it, but it's a very scenic ten mile round trip. Biking Portland's Forest Park Forest Park is a forested hillside that stretchs for seven miles on Portland's northwest side. This service road winds for 11 miles along the length of the park, and is remarkably remote in the thick green forest. There's no real challenge to biking it, other than the length. Strolling with Yen and Elliot This isn't much of an adventure, but they're nice pictures that had to go somewhere. |