Oregon Crater Lake

Tall Timbers, Clear Rivers, Snow-Clad Peaks and a Crater of Electric Blue Water

This trip explores a spectacular area of tall timber, clear rivers and snow-clad peaks.  You will cycle over the Cascade Mountains to magnificent Crater Lake, whose electric blue beauty will take your breath away.  Bicycling magazine and the Adventure Cycling Association trumpet several of the areas we ride through as some of the best cycling in the country.

Ranked As One of Top 10 Places to Cycle

The cycling starts on Saturday near the town of Oakridge, 40 miles southeast of Eugene (we provide complimentary shuttle from Eugene and Portland).  Our warm-up ride is beside a tributary of the sparkling Middle Fork of the Willamette River that runs through an evergreen forest. We'll spend the first night at the Valley River Inn in Eugene.  Sunday we cycle the beautiful Aufderheide National Scenic Byway beside a Wild and Scenic River that winds through dense old-growth forest.  The Adventure Cycling Association ranked the byway as one of the top 10 roads in the West, calling it “a mecca for road riders looking for ultra-smooth pavement, low traffic and scenic beauty.”  We spend the night at the Holiday Farm Resort, a fishing lodge on the banks of the McKenzie River.

Van Support Allows Modification of 22-Mile Climb

On Monday we ascend the Cascade Range via McKenzie Pass, a 3,700-foot climb spanning 22 miles.  “The grades are pretty steady but not real hard,” says Chris Horner, a professional cyclist from Bend, Oregon, describing his favorite local ride in Bicycling - June 2006.  “It’s beautiful up at the top of McKenzie Pass — a snowcapped mountain view on one side and a lava field on the other.”

At the top of McKenzie Pass we’ll have lunch among the jumbled volcanic rocks of lava flows that occurred 2,000 years ago, yet look like they recently happened.  A long, gradual descent leads us into the Old West town of Sisters and our two-night stay near Bend at Sunriver Resort, one of Oregon's best destination resorts.

Tennis, Golf, Horseback Riding, Swimming, Hiking and Massage — Your Choice at Sunriver Resort

Tuesday is our first layover day.  Sunriver will tempt you with 35 tennis courts and professional instruction, three championship 18-hole golf courses with rental clubs and golf pros eager to help your game, horseback riding, swimming, massage in a full service spa, a complete fitness center — all linked together by a network of 30 miles of paved bicycle/walking paths.  The nearby area has some great hikes, world-class fly-fishing on rivers like the Deschutes and Metolius, plus optional cycling.  The town of Bend offers a delightful array of shops, fishing guide services, and art galleries.  We’ll lay the options out; you choose what you want to do and we’ll make it happen.

Bicycle Meadow of Volcanic Pumice to Crater’s Rim

Wednesday morning we cycle along the Cascade Lakes Highway, another National Scenic Byway, in the foothills of Mt. Bachelor.  After lunch at Crane Prairie Reservoir, a breeding ground for osprey known for its outstanding fishing, we travel to Crater Lake National Park for a dramatic bicycle ride across a high meadow covered with volcanic pumice from the cataclysmic explosion of Mt. Mazama nearly 8,000 years ago.  We cycle up to the rim and catch our first view of the deep blue lake some 1,500 feet below.  The sight is awesome.  A short ride along the west rim takes us to Crater Lake Lodge, where we spend the next two nights.  The beautifully restored lodge sits right on the rim; the views of the lake from our rooms are fantastic.

Considered By Bicycling Magazine as One of the Most Spectacular One-Day Rides in the Country

Thursday we cycle around Crater Lake.  This 35-mile bicycle ride is considered by Bicycling magazine to be one of the most spectacular one-day rides in the country.  On one side a rocky cliff leads down to the deepest lake in the United States; on the other is a 100-mile, panoramic view from your 7,000-foot traveling observatory.  Bring plenty of film.

Magnificent Week of Cycling Culminates With Ride Along the North Umpqua River

On Friday we cycle north beside Crater Lake one last time, then downhill through the Pumice Desert as we leave the park.  We cycle around beautiful Diamond Lake on a paved bicycle path looping through meadows laced with sparkling streams, then ride gradually downhill through magnificent forests along the North Umpqua River.  After lunch in a park beside a waterfall, we shuttle back to Eugene and then to Portland.

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