Oregon Coast

Evergreen Forest, Sparkling Streams and Secluded Beaches Grace Bicycling Routes

On this gorgeous six-day tour, we cycle and hike beside rocky cliffs plunging to the restless sea and secluded beaches below.  Country roads lead us through evergreen forests and inland valleys laced with dairy farms and sparkling streams.  Much of the cycling is on scenic, quiet side roads or the old coast highway.  When the main highway down the coast is our only option, you’ll have the opportunity to use the van to shuttle over the busy sections. 

Time to Walk Sandy Beaches, Explore Quaint Towns

You'll have time to enjoy walks along the beautiful sandy beaches and to explore the quaint towns along the way.  You also can hike in the many state parks along the Oregon Coast that feature trails over forested headlands to picturesque lighthouses and deserted beaches.

Bicycle Peaceful Roads Through Elk Refuge, Farms and Tiny Towns

The trip starts on a Sunday morning with a complimentary pickup in Portland.  We start cycling at a wooded park halfway to the coast, following a peaceful country road through a major elk refuge, past farms, woods, and tiny towns to Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River.  We explore some of Victorian Astoria, the oldest American settlement in the West, and spend the evening at a new hotel on the bank of the Columbia River.

Lewis and Clark’s Encampment, Cannon Beach, and Haystack Rock

On Monday we cycle through inland forests and farmland on former logging roads — now paved — to the coast near Seaside.  We visit Fort Clatsop National Memorial to see a replica of Lewis and Clark’s encampment where they spent the winter of 1805.  We watch a re-enactment of their daily life by the park staff in period costume, and learn more about their amazing exploration at the visitor’s center.  Afterward we cycle along the shore to Cannon Beach, a popular, upscale tourist destination known for its wide, white-sand beach overlooked by Haystack Rock, one of the world’s largest coastal monoliths.  Art galleries abound in Cannon Beach, as do boutiques, bakeries, and ice cream shops.  We then cycle or van along the coast to spend the next two nights at the Inn at Manzanita, a luxurious inn run by a very hospitable couple in a charming oceanside town.

Panoramic Ocean Views

Tuesday is a layover day.  In the morning you’ll have the opportunity to go on a great coastal hike up a nearby hill with panoramic ocean views.  The afternoon is free to stroll on the wide, sandy beach, get a massage, or just relax in your room’s private whirlpool tub.

Three Capes Scenic Route and an Ice Cream Smile

On Wednesday, we ride through dairy country and forests on a lightly traveled side road, which leads us to Tillamook and its world-famous cheese factory.  You won’t want to miss the cheese and ice cream.  We then cycle the Three Capes Scenic Route, a side road that takes us beside the water and over the dramatic promontory of Cape Meares, past herons stalking fish in peaceful Netarts Bay and through Cape Lookout State Park.  Further south we’ll cycle past sand dunes, hang gliders soaring above seaside bluffs, and fishing dories being launched from the beach into the surf at Cape Kiwanda, where we spend the night. 

Herons, Hikes and Hang Gliders

Thursday we’ll follow a peaceful country road as it winds through the woods to a great hike on a coastal headland.  Our lodging tonight is in Lincoln City; we enter the Inn at Spanish Head on the ninth floor, as it is built into a cliff on the beach.  Each room has stunning views of the sandy beach and sea directly below.

Crashing Waves, Evergreen Forest and White Sand Beaches Bid Farewell

On Friday we continue our journey south, stopping at several state parks to watch the waves crash into the rocky coast and marvel at the beauty of the evergreen forest inching down to the white sand beaches.  Our route takes us over a section of the old coast highway that slid into the ocean several years ago.  It has been beautifully rebuilt as a one-way, one-lane scenic byway with a wide bike path; you’ll stop for the photo ops of the forested cliff and pounding surf directly below.  After lunch in a lighthouse state park in Newport overlooking Newport’s busy fishing harbor, we head back to Portland.

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