Help - Is there a safe route from Portland to the sea?

[Pat]

I am sorry if this is an old topic - I am on tour, and only have a Kindle, and topic searches are torture.

Is there a reasonably safe bike route from Portland to the sea?  We were on the PCH tour.  The hub on my wife's bike required a real bikeshop, so we took AMTRAK from Centralia to Vancouver.  We are in the "now what mode ".  We really don't want to go back ul to Centralia (getting really bad vibes from there and just want to movenon.

Thoughts?

[adventurepdx]

I am sorry if this is an old topic - I am on tour, and only have a Kindle, and topic searches are torture.

No problem. Hope you don't mind that this reply is recycled, then:

Here's a pertinent link to an old forum post that contains other pertinent links to other older forum posts:
http://www.adventurecycling.org/forums/index.php?topic=9240.msg46341#msg46341

I do recommend taking the 202/47/Banks-Vernonia trail into Portland. It is very rural and very quiet in terms of traffic and people. Links to maps:
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?&a=316549&c=36638
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?&a=316550&c=36638

I've never taken 30 the full way from Astoria to Portland, just the portion from Portland-Rainier and Clatskanie-Wesport, so I've missed the worst parts of US 30. But even that little bit makes me prefer the 202/47/Banks-Vernonia routing.

There aren't many services, but there's just enough. Make sure you're stocked when leaving Astoria, as there isn't another full service grocery until Vernonia, about 70 miles down the road. Only a couple of country markets with short hours in between.

The route from Astoria to Hillsboro (Portland westside suburb) is 100 miles. You can break it into two days by camping at Big Eddy County Park which is about 60 miles in. Few, if any, lodging options are found on this route so if you are doing a credit card tour you should be prepared to do the 100 miles in a straight shot. Possible, but there are two small passes to contend with on the route.

[pcurrer]

I am sorry if this is an old topic - I am on tour, and only have a Kindle, and topic searches are torture.

Is there a reasonably safe bike route from Portland to the sea?  We were on the PCH tour.  The hub on my wife's bike required a real bikeshop, so we took AMTRAK from Centralia to Vancouver.  We are in the "now what mode ".  We really don't want to go back ul to Centralia (getting really bad vibes from there and just want to movenon.

Thoughts?

You can take highway 8 then 6 to Tillamook on the coast then you are back on 101.  It is a safe secondary road but there is not always much shoulder to ride on.

[aggie]

I've taken Hwy 30 from Portland to Astoria following the Luis and Clark Trail.  It is busy is spots but there is usually a wide shoulder.  There are also a number of places to stop and eat or rest.

You could also take the shuttle from Portland's Amtrak station to Tillamook.  It runs twice a day.  Their web site is:  http://tillamookbus.com/schedules.htm#pdx.

[jrswenberger]

If you are still in the Portland area this Saturday, I'd be happy to drive you out to the coast.

Jay

I am sorry if this is an old topic - I am on tour, and only have a Kindle, and topic searches are torture.

Is there a reasonably safe bike route from Portland to the sea?  We were on the PCH tour.  The hub on my wife's bike required a real bikeshop, so we took AMTRAK from Centralia to Vancouver.  We are in the "now what mode ".  We really don't want to go back ul to Centralia (getting really bad vibes from there and just want to movenon.

Thoughts?

[Pat]

Jay - that is a generous offer, and I hope we are well clear by then.  We went to a Vancouver library (they kindly let us use their computer for an hour even though we are obviously from out of town).  We are still considering - and will post something when we decide.  We are reading through the other links also.

Pat

[adventurepdx]

Pat, a thing to consider when deciding what route to "The Coast" to take is where on the coast do you want to start (or does it matter)? Each route out to the coast ends in a different place. If you really want to do the whole Oregon coast (a worthy endeavor), then you should choose one of the two routes that go to Astoria, either US 30 or 202/47/Banks-Vernonia (which I heartily recommend.) Astoria is a cool little town worth a visit.

If you are more pressed for time and/or don't mind skipping sections of the northern Oregon coast, then you should use 6/8 or another southerly route like Nestucca River Road.

[jrswenberger]

Pat, a thing to consider when deciding what route to "The Coast" to take is where on the coast do you want to start (or does it matter)? Each route out to the coast ends in a different place. If you really want to do the whole Oregon coast (a worthy endeavor), then you should choose one of the two routes that go to Astoria, either US 30 or 202/47/Banks-Vernonia (which I heartily recommend.) Astoria is a cool little town worth a visit.

If you are more pressed for time and/or don't mind skipping sections of the northern Oregon coast, then you should use 6/8 or another southerly route like Nestucca River Road.

If you go via the Nestucca, give me a shout. You'll go right by as you head through wine country.

Jay