Need help mapping out DETAIL Route. San Juans to San Fran

[cleogirl143]

Hi, I'm in the process of mapping out a route from Orcas Island, in the San Juans to San Fran CA.

what Ive been getting told to do is take a ferry to Sydney BC, then ride to Victoria. After that Catch a ferry from Victoria to port townsand where i could jump on the Olympic Descovery trail
(which i still have to clear if all the road is paved or not)

Then find a way to connect that to the pacific coast ACA. All while trying to find campgrounds and visit the sites, and most important to enjoy myself. I would really love detailed maps, helping me connect these routes. Ive never biked on the west coast, so this will be my first time.

I think im going to invest in the Pacific Coast map. Also ive been told "Bicycling the Pacific Coast" by Kirdendall and Spring is good to have on GPS.

Sorry if that is all jumbled, again in the early stages to getting a detailed map down. Looking foreword to the help.

Liz

[CMajernik]

On the link below, click on the word Detail after numbers 1, 2, and 3 which are the Pacific Coast maps #1, #2, and #3. You will see detail maps showing you where that map section goes. From Orcas you can go to Anacortes and begin there.
http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/pacific-coast/

If you want to include the Olympic Peninsula we also have a route that goes there. Again, click on the word Detail after number 1 which is the Washington Parks map #1. This map joins the Pacific Coast #1 map at Elma and you head south from there on the Pacific Coast maps.
http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/washington-parks/

Guidebooks are helpful if they were recently published. The older the book is the more likely that the service information they mention is out of date.

[cleogirl143]

Thank you, this helps so much. Its great having these options for the tour. Let me know if there are any other suggestions or advice.

[cgarch]

Much of the ODT is paved, though it is not always a contiguous trail - meaning that occasionally you have to get on some roadway, usually US101. The Kirkendahl/Spring  book is generally relevant with one clear caveat - the ferry across Grays Harbor is kaput.

As for leaving from Orcas, either route would be good, though the Anacortes route would be easier (IMO).

Generally biking the west coast is a pretty straightforward affair. Like magic, there are campgrounds at reasonable day distances with nearby towns for supplies. Hard to beat. It bears repeating that checking out www.crazyguyonabike.com and search for the ACA Pacific Coast routes will lead you to journals that well describe the region.

Craig
Santa Rosa, CA

[adventurepdx]

...what Ive been getting told to do is take a ferry to Sydney BC, then ride to Victoria. After that Catch a ferry from Victoria to port townsend where i could jump on the Olympic Descovery trail...

Sounds like it's going to be a fun ride! That neck of the woods is great.

One important detail: The ferry from Victoria (Black Ball/MV Coho) docks in Port Angeles, not Townsend. Pt. Townsend is about a half-day ride east of Pt. Angeles, much of it on the Olympic Discovery Trail.

From Port Angeles you can head west on the long way around the Olympic Peninsula, or go east and follow the Puget Sound. If you do the west route, I would plan for extra time, as much of the destinations in Olympic National Park require a 5-20 mile one-way ride off of 101. And those detours are definitely worth it.

[Norsman]

I would take the ferry to Sydney and use the very nice Lochside Trail to get into downtown Victoria. All of this is a very easy ride. Victoria has some very nice trails if you want to stay around for a few days.  Next take the ferry to Port Angeles and onto Hwy 101. There may be some parts of the ODT that you can use to get to Crescent Lake and Hwy 101 but I have never ridden it so I can't tell you whether or not it works in this area.  Stay on 101 to Aberdeen and then choose either the quick route to Raymond via 101 or the more scenic route via 105. South of Raymond you can again use 101 to get you to Astoria.  You have a couple of options on this route but 101 is probably as good as any.  You don't really need any books or special maps for this whole section of the route.

The bridge across to Astoria can be a challenge but is not as difficult as people say.  Just take your time and ride when traffic gets lighter.  You don't really need to buy any special books or maps for Oregon either.  The very good Oregon Coast Bike Route Map is free and is all you will need. Go to the following site http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/BIKEPED/Pages/maps.aspx#ODOT_Maps Click on the link to order your hard copy.  Or you could probably get the map at a tourist info center in Astoria.

Further down the coast the Coos Bay Bridge can be a bit of a problem but a local man has posted an alternate route you may want to look at. Check the following link. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=12467&v=2h

For the California part of my trip down the coast I used the ACA maps and they were excellent.

[BikingBrian]

As part of my tour this summer, I'll be riding from Sidney to Victoria, BC, then catching the ferry to Port Angeles, WA. I'm having a hard time finding a map for the Lochside Trail, anyone know where to find one?

[staehpj1]

For the Oregon portion I highly recommend the map that ODOT gives away for the coast.  You can probably order it online.  A search should turn it up.  Barring that the bikes shops on the coast tended to have the free ODOT maps when I was there.

AC maps are great and I typically use them when I can, but for that portion of the route the ODOT map was better IMO.  For looking at while riding I definitely preferred it.  I did still use the AC map as a reference for services at times, but if I had to pick one this is a case where the AC map would lose out.

[JHamelman]

Hi Brian,

As part of my tour this summer, I'll be riding from Sidney to Victoria, BC, then catching the ferry to Port Angeles, WA. I'm having a hard time finding a map for the Lochside Trail, anyone know where to find one?

I think these two resources include maps of that trail:

https://www.crd.bc.ca/parks-recreation-culture/parks-trails/find-park-trail/lochside
http://www.gallopinggoosetrail.com/pdf/lochside_trail_guide.pdf

Hope this helps!

.Jennifer.