Portland, OR to Northern Tier

[chistopher]

Has anyone connected to the Northern Tier route from Portland?  Starting in Anacortes sounds great but my goal is to start from Portland, OR and end in Portland, Maine.  What I'm currently thinking is a route that will take me from Portland out to The Dalles, and then up through WA to Sandpoint, Idaho. 

Thanks!

[JHamelman]

You could use the Lewis and Clark Route, Section 7 (http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/lewisandclark.cfm) out of Portland to Clarkston, ID. From there, check the Idaho Bicycling map on this page (http://www.itd.idaho.gov/bike_ped/) for road conditions between there and Sandpoint.

Hope this helps.

.Jennifer.

[chistopher]

Thanks Jennifer, I will check that out.  For some reason I didn't even think about the Lewis and Clarke route but it makes sense. 

 

[Clem]

An alternative from Portland is the Lewis & Clark Route East to Missoula, then the Great Parks North route from Missoula to Columbia Falls, MT where you pick up the Northern Tier route. Pre scouted and mapped the whole way.

[Pat Lamb]

You could use the Lewis and Clark Route, Section 7 (http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/lewisandclark.cfm) out of Portland to Clarkston, ID.

What!!  and miss four passes in four days!?

Hmm, maybe not a bad idea...

[jamawani]

Unless you really want to see Missoula - which is a great town BTW - you can take Wash 14 to I-82 - cross the Columbia River at Umatilla - then continue along the south bank via US 730 and US 12.  There's a nice, quiet back road through Juniper Dunes to Washtucna.  Then you head up to Ritzville and take back roads through Sprague to Cheney.

Two options from Cheney -

A) Via the incredible, paved Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes from Plummer, ID to Enaville and then over Thompson Pass to Thompson Falls.  From Thompson Falls you can either follow the Thompson River on dirt to US 2 or follow Hwy 200, Hwy 28, and US 93 to Kalispell and up to the NT.

B) Via Spokane and the Centennial Trail into Idaho - then up back roads west of US 95 to Sandpoint and the NT.