Route from Munising, Mi to Portland, OR

[upslim]

I am new to this website but I can see it is full of people with experience. I am planning on traveling from the U.P. of Michigan to Portland, Oregon. I am looking for a route using secondary roads as much as possible to avoid traffic and congestion. This will also be a fundraising ride. I want this ride to benefit others, not just something I can say I did. Any routes, maps, information, etc. would be appreciated. My target date is the summer of 2008. Thanks!

[ptaylor]

Hi UPer. Get these maps from the ACA: North Lakes Route. http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/northlakes.cfm this will get you from the UP to Minnesota. Then get maps 1 through 7 of the Northern Tier: http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/northerntier.cfm This will get you to Washington.

I'm afraid I can't help you in getting from Washington (or maybe Idaho) to Portland. I'm sure someone familiar with that area will chime in.

Enjoy, and be prepared for some head winds.

Paul

[upslim]

Thanks for the info Paul. I've already looked at the maps and that will work fine. Let me know if you hear of any info. regarding WA to Portland OR. Thanks again- Todd

[valygrl]

If you want to stay on adv. cycling routes, two obvious choices are ride the Northern Tier all the way into WA, then head down the Pacific Coast to Astoria.  Hang a left on Rte 30 gets you to Portland in 1.5 days.

Or, in MT, at Glacier, it's about 1 day ride to Missoula, where you can get on the Lewis and Clark all the way through Portland, and continue to Astoria and the ocean if you want.  You'll have a fierce headwind going down the Columbia River, though.

Either way is good.  Also, don't be afraid to figure it out as you go, with AAA or local maps.


anna

[litespeed]

I've crossed the northern part of the US twice east to west via different routes and faced surprisingly few headwinds. However, if you go east to west down the Columbia River gorge brace yourself for fierce westerly winds. And don't worry about bicycling on major highways. They usually have good shoulders or little traffic. And don't hesitate to use the shoulders of the interstates if it's convenient or there is nothing else. Out west away from the cities they couldn't care less. And don't be surprised at nice restaurants in the teeniest towns.

[vanlyle]

The Cascade Bicycle Club runs a Seattle to Portland (STP) ride every year in July.  Check out their web site www.cascade.org and click on events and rides then Seattle to Portland and check out the route.