Need advice - last 3 states CA OR WA

[ctfjr]

It looks like I get to fill in my map this year

I'm planning on leaving Connecticut the last week in May and taking the southern route to the west coast. I want to stop in Tuscon to visit a couple of friends & then on to California & north to Washington. After that head east through Idaho / Montana . . .

My rides are usually pretty unplanned events. I have 23 days to do the circuit. Not being familiar with the west coast, I am looking for suggestions on roads to ride / things to see. I will be bringing a fair amount of photography equipment.

Any suggestions on roads I shoudn't miss? photo ops?

tia

 

[Ignacio]

If I were to pretend I wasn't from here.

• Woodland to Randle, WA with Mt. St. Helens Windy Ridge as a waypoint
• Chuckanut Drive near Bellingham, WA
• Spiral Highway, Lewiston, ID
• Highway 395 through Oregon

 

[FJRless]

Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) is the most scenic ride I know and it runs much of the west coast. You'll see the most spectacular ocean views and forrests and you'll never get hot riding with the ocean-moderating temps. Big cities along the way too. I find the cagers most predictable on the west coast as well. You have a lot of riding just getting there. Enjoy.

 

[juniorfjr]

When heading east, Washington to Idaho/Montana, hwy 20 Burlington to Colville. Best cross state route.

 

[griffithds]

When heading east, Washington to Idaho/Montana, hwy 20 Burlington to Colville. Best cross state route.

+1

This stretch will put a smile on your face.

 

[SacramentoMike]

That Pacific Coast Highway is kind of both 101 and state route 1; much of hwy 1 is inland, but stretches of it share the two designations too. I rode all the way down 101 from near Seattle almost to SF last summer. It's gorgeous, but much the same. There are some great side trips along the way, but you probably want to stay pretty close to the ocean if it's hot inland. You'll love it.

 

[exskibum]

That depends upon how much time you have in California. We are ESPECIALLY blessed with great roads in NorCal! There are a LOT of great roads in the Sierras and Trinities and then there's the coast, of course. But here's some not to miss roads:

Sierras -- 120, 108, 4, 88, 89, 49, Gold Lakes Rd.

Trinities -- 36, 3, 299, 96.

Coast -- 1, parts of 101.

THAT just covers the main roads, not even going into the details of all the great to phenomenal detours, side roads and lesser known routes in between and around. I've also left out almost all the roads in the central and southern part of the state.

 

[Aasland]

All good advice for California and Mt St Helens. If you can squeeze in Mt Rainer's Paradise Point and Chinook Pass, you'll have more awesome photographic scenes.

If you're hitting Big Sur and Hwy 1 south of Ft Bragg then you've got the most scenic parts of the coast covered.

Oregon's best coast is south of Bandon. If you get up to Neahkanie Mtn south of Cannon Beach, OR ... then do the 1.5 mile hike for some splendid views.

Washington's Hwy 101 isn't that great, but on a clear day you can't beat the view from Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park (also an easy hike).

But there are some more great places to go in Oregon, especially for photography: You can't pass up Crater Lake:

and Hwy 242 west of Bend (if it's open) is like a different world.

Lost Lake on the north side of Mt Hood is very scenic, as is Trillium Lake on the south side (again, a short hike).

Then there's the Columbia River Gorge. Find Larch Mountain, you won't believe the views on a clear day.

Hell's Canyon. John Day. Painted Hills. Steens Mountains.... I could go on. Oregon is a beautiful place.

 

[cruppelt]

All good advice for California and Mt St Helens. If you can squeeze in Mt Rainer's Paradise Point and Chinook Pass, you'll have more awesome photographic scenes.If you're hitting Big Sur and Hwy 1 south of Ft Bragg then you've got the most scenic parts of the coast covered.

Oregon's best coast is south of Bandon. If you get up to Neahkanie Mtn south of Cannon Beach, OR ... then do the 1.5 mile hike for some splendid views.

Washington's Hwy 101 isn't that great, but on a clear day you can't beat the view from Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park (also an easy hike).

But there are some more great places to go in Oregon, especially for photography: You can't pass up Crater Lake:

and Hwy 242 west of Bend (if it's open) is like a different world.

Lost Lake on the north side of Mt Hood is very scenic, as is Trillium Lake on the south side (again, a short hike).

Then there's the Columbia River Gorge. Find Larch Mountain, you won't believe the views on a clear day.

Hell's Canyon. John Day. Painted Hills. Steens Mountains.... I could go on. Oregon is a beautiful place.

Hey Aasland, Thanks for the great pictures, and I second your choices. This makes me want to leave the building and ride right now, dang work!

I hope the Kiwi couple also sees these pics as well, so they know what they're going to be missing. :lol:

 

[escapefjrtist]

Holy cow, so many roads and so little time. Gunny on everything that's been said so far. Keep us posted on plans / when you're passing through areas.

--G

 

[meosborn]

Check out www.pashnit.com for CA roads.

 

[SacramentoMike]

Crap, Aasland, I was thinking about riding up that way, but now you've posted all the pictures and spoiled it for me. It's like I've already been there now. :angry:

Seriously, great pics and great recommendations. And to the OP: after you make it to WA, keep going. You can finish off Canada on the same ride. You haven't been to Nunavut yet. Nunavut. The province that answers the question "How much of this do you want?" (ans: Nunavut.) :lol:

I don't know. I thought it was funny.

p.s. Hawaii?

 

[Tyler]

Yup, Exskibum pretty much hit the proverbial nail on the head for CA roads to whet your appetite... you could easily spend 23 days in CA alone and still miss some gems! But the ones listed below are a great start to experience a wee bit of CA (and you can include 9, 35, and 84 in the Santa Cruz Mtns)... and the suggestion of Crater Lake is also a must do... the pictures that have been posted are beautiful but seeing it in person, it's even more amazing. B)

I did a 5-day ride of CA and OR a couple of years ago. Story and pics here. Might get some more ideas from there... like Avenue of the Giants, Indian Creek Rd., Deer Creek Rd. (Lewis / k7lvo is an FJR member here and suggested this one as well as led us along that section!), and Dead Indian Memorial Road just to name a few.

That depends upon how much time you have in California. We are ESPECIALLY blessed with great roads in NorCal! There are a LOT of great roads in the Sierras and Trinities and then there's the coast, of course. But here's some not to miss roads:
Sierras -- 120, 108, 4, 88, 89, 49, Gold Lakes Rd.

Trinities -- 36, 3, 299, 96.

Coast -- 1, parts of 101.

THAT just covers the main roads, not even going into the details of all the great to phenomenal detours, side roads and lesser known routes in between and around. I've also left out almost all the roads in the central and southern part of the state.

 

[BIODSL]

That Pacific Coast Highway is kind of both 101 and state route 1; much of hwy 1 is inland, but stretches of it share the two designations too. I rode all the way down 101 from near Seattle almost to SF last summer. It's gorgeous, but much the same. There are some great side trips along the way, but you probably want to stay pretty close to the ocean if it's hot inland. You'll love it.

May in Oregon is not going to be hot. Hwy 101 on the other hand could be very, very wet. I have two routes and choose based on weather and the scenery I was wanting to experience. With ctfjr being from CT, I might suggest something that emphasises the Cascade Range, Bend, Burns and 395 north from there. The Wallowas around Enterprize and Joseph (beautiful) and is great riding to the Lewiston ID ares.

 

[Aasland]

Crap, Aasland, I was thinking about riding up that way, but now you've posted all the pictures and spoiled it for me. It's like I've already been there now. :angry:

Oh, I didn't post ALL my photos, or ALL the places ;-) Those are just the highlights ... I didn't detail the twisty roads, like 224, NF19, 53, etc.

We lived in Oregon only four years, but didn't come close to exhausting where was to see.

 

[MojaveFJR]

If you are coming through SOCAL, look me up. Will take ya through some nice roads, through the windmills, (not like holland), then through the Tehachapi Loop, up and around through Kernville. Dump you off at Porterville, where you can head west young man, pick up the 1 and continue the PCH to MadMIKE2 or Sacremento Mike and they can take you up to NORCAL where you can get handed off to more FEEJ riders.

Becareful with pashnit. have taken some of their reccomendation and the roads aren't quite what they say.

 

[ctfjr]

Thanks!

I really do appreciate all the replies. As I expected there might be more roads than time :angry2:

This afternoon I'm going to head out to AAA & pick up a load of maps and then try to mark them up with the suggestions. The pix are great and have got me pumped to take some images also.

As with my rides to Glacier Nat Park & the Canadian Rockies it just takes a fair amount of superslab just to get there. Hey, worse case is I'll take a few extra days.

If there is room to pack a laptop I'll bring one along & keep in touch.

Thanks again to all!

 

[weekend rider]

why do you need a map from three AAA?

when you have all the riders along the way on the west coast that will show you the way...you cant get lost

 

[ctfjr]

why do you need a map from three AAA?
...you cant get lost

Hey WR

Well in 40+ years of riding that is one thing I never worried about

I have been riding with a GPS for many years now but I have a pretty easy way of taking a long ride. Usually the night before I 'plan' which direction I'm heading in the morning and what is the 1st road I'm taking. By marking up maps with the excellent riding suggestions from above I can try to 'string together' a route including as many of these roads as possible. I usually try to meet & greet the locals wherever I happen to land for the night to get their ideas for 'must photograph' sites in the area & include them too.

While I mostly ride solo now:

https://www.molaver.org/mc03.htm

https://www.molaver.org/gnp1.htm

my son & I have ridden on a couple of nice rides through the years:

https://www.molaver.org/may02mc.htm