Days: 4
Level: Moderate
Mileage: 48 ave - 191 total
Start/Finish: Portland, OR
Price: 600

 

Meals: All included except dinner at Timberline
Restaurants: Independant meal Timberline Lodge
Motels: 1 night at Timberline Lodge included
Events & Activities: Wine Tasting


This ride is for those who have always wanted to stay at Timberline Lodge and ride down off of Mt. Hood. Timberline Lodge is one of the jewels that the workers of the WPA built in the 1930's. The Lodge and most of the interiors have been maintained to look much the same as you would have seen it 80 years ago.

After coming down the hill from Timberline the route circles around Mt. Hood and then down through the Hood River Valley to the town of Hood River. We ride the bike/ped only section of the old Columbia Gorge Highway through the restored Mosier Tunnels and out to the Deschutes River. We return with a ride across the arid Central Oregon rangeland and new a gradual climb back up to Government Camp on Mt Hood.

With an early Thursday afternoon departure from Portland we make the short drive up to Mt. Hood. Riders actually have an option to ride up to Timberline Lodge as we can easily drop you off on our way up the mountain. Those who what to really enjoy a full dinner at Timberline's highly rated restaurant will opt to ride up to the Lodge and our SAG wagon will accompany them on their ride up the mountain.

We leave early on Friday morning for our flying ride into Hood River. The route is almost all downhill except for the climb up to Bennett Pass as we ride around Mt. Hood. As we ride into the orchards of the Hood River Valley we take a side road to enjoy a rolling ride down the farms and orchards. We camp tonight in a campground on the outskirts of Hood River.

On Saturday morning we ride through Hood River to the trailhead of the longest bike/ped only stretch of the Old Highway. This section of the Old Highway has been restored as a bike/ped trail and it includes the restored Mosier Tunnels. We continue following the river through The Dalles. On Saturday we ride side roads into The Dallas. In the Dalles we choose to climb up on top of the ridge and leave I84 for a while. This stretch will give the rider a good feel for what the rest of Central Oregon is like. We drop back down to river level as we ride past the mouth of the Deschutes River. We continue riding on the county road that parallels I84 until we get to Biggs Junction. There we cross the Columbia River to stay in the Maryhill Campground.

Sundays ride takes us out across the range land south of The Dalles. We make a gradual climb of 2000' to get up on top of the flat rangeland just east of the Deschutes River. We ride through Grass Valley and continue on on top the ridge for a while before we start dropping down to Sherrar's Falls. We cross the Deshutes River here and start a gradual climb up through Tygh Valley to Wamic to our camp just outside of town.

We finish up our ride on Monday with a climb back up through the forests to Government Camp. After leaving Wamic we circle around the base of Mt Hood making a gradual climb up to the White River. We follow the White River canyon up to Hwy 35 and on to Government Camp where we get cleaned up before our shuttle bus ride back into Portland.

Tour details may change without notice. Although you'll have an up-to-date itinerary prior to departure,
changes due to unforeseen circumstances may occur at any time.