For over a year, I’ve been borderline obsessed with finding my favorite Portland bike route. The ride I can do from my front door and never fails to see me home happy, regardless how I left. It includes many of the things I love most about biking including the following:
Nature, wildlife, gravel, rivers, houses I’ll never afford but like fantasize about living in, roads I suspect were not originally made with bikes in mind, unnecessary loops, options to short-cut, options to cut it short, sprawling views, sketchy road crossings, things to catch air off, seasonal colors and decorations, a secret sombrero, reasons to feel proud of PBOT, reason to feel disappointed in PBOT, opportunities to make questionable interpretations of traffic law based on arbitrary rules in my head which change depending on circumstance, bridges, skate parks, urban art, highways, mountains, railroads, power plants, moments where it feels like I’ve left reality behind, grass, more grass, cute tourist attractions, people in parks, people going to work, people shopping, people going about their day, people from all sorts of economic states, political views, and housing circumstances making up this awesome city, reasons to go fast, reasons to slow down, and reasons to stop to take it all in.
(Keep scrolling past the map for section descriptions)
Sections
Nice, Neat, Naito!
Start at the Caruthers Street cul-de-sac because the Tilikum is a sex symbol. This mellow beginning includes urban art, pretty trees, a submarine, OMSI, views of the river, a beautiful bridge, and occasinal dragon boat racers. Watch out for pedestrians.
Crossing the Hawthorne bridge avoids some of the traffic on the Eastbank Esplanade and ties in some fun curlies. After the bridge, as you turn onto Naito, there’s a little jump off the curb onto the bike lane.
Naito is fun because there’s no stops and lots of cars. Great for a good sprint.
At the Japanese memorial plaza, cross over to the river side, burm some boulders, or read poems on the rocks on the way. In spring time, you can catch cherry blossoms in bloom (along with a shitload of people taking pictures). This is another high pedestrian area.
Cross Steel Bridge to the East Side. As a shining example of urban beauty, Steel is my favorite bridge, and from this direction you can look to the right unto the fantastical glass spires of the of the Portland Convention Center, and whatever the fuck that big grey thing is the the left. Try to pick find a favorite tag.
On the far end, zig zag up to the hill. The public transit terminal, basketball stadium, and convention center, means there’s a lot of activity and people watching to be had here.
Barrel Race
After a few traffic signals is a long, straight uphill. Maybe it’s the neighborhood, the trees, or the grade of the hill, but this section drags. That is, until Dawson Park. The hill starts to flatten out, the buildings get taller, the path gets narrower, and the bustle of shops and restaurants picks up.
It highlights one of my joys of riding bikes. Going as fast as I can; feeling the wind rushing, swerving around obstacles, jumping red lights, a slight burn in my legs and lungs, sweat. With the right music, everything else disappears.
The last part of the Williams climb, however, is annoying as the moment ends. Right around the time my legs gas out, the road opens up, the hill gets steeper, and the cars become harder to keep up with. It takes effort to make the final push, but the end is worth it. At the top of the climb is a break as the hill flattens out, before dropping into the Piedmont neighborhood.
Piedmont has very little car traffic, many cute houses, few stop signs, and a beautiful church. It’s a long, mostly straight downhill that requires little pedaling and even less focus. Enjoy the break!
Near the bottom, as you crest over the train tracks, look to the East/right. On a clear day enough, you can see Mt. Hood.
Nice and Slough
Grass. Water. Nature. What’s not to love? The Columbia River slough is a flat, winding bike path along the river that always offers good views and opportunity for nature/wildlife experiences. I’ve seen herons, osprey, turtles, a 100-goose flock of geese, and more. Enjoy it.
The first half has a well maintained paved path with water on one side and industrial warehouses on the other. On the second half, warehouses give way for the Portland International Raceway (PIR) and Heron Lakes Golf Course. It also feels like the paved path decided to try being a gravel path for the day, and doesn’t do a very good job at being either.
Keep an eye out for raptors in the tall grass.
This section finishes with a train track underpass, graffiti, a short section of pine trees, then a long straight transition overgrown with plants that want to reach out and touch you. Hit the jump!
Psyche!
Doubling back along the iconic Marine Drive Trail puts the bike path figuratively and literally above cars. From the elevated path, there’s a great view of Hayden Island, beautiful bridges, cute lil house boats, a rusty old ship yard, and some big honkin cranes (machinery).
On a clear day, there’s a wondrous view of Mt. Hood, straight ahead. On a not-clear day, you can imagine a wondrous view of Mt. Hood, straight ahead. Either way, this section is very pretty. Also, there’s a gaggle or two of geese that like to hang out here (hissss).
The transition away from the river features two highway underpasses, one elegant S-turn and no stops until Delta park. Enjoy the elm(?)-lined, car-free road, and people playing sports.
The transition from Delta Park onto North Whitaker Road offers a choose-your-own-adventure. Is it a sprint? Is it a slalom? Is it both!? You devilish dog!
Trainspotting
Crossing south over the Colombia Slough on Interstate provides a cool concrete-framed view of Mt. Hood to the left. To the right is a pretty view of the old Colombia Wool Scouring Mills building.
The route enters the Kenton neighborhood just long enough to wave at the giant Lumberjack and turn right onto Argyle Street. There’s a fun little downhill past Kenton park, then it’s recommended to hop onto the left sidewalk before reaching Columbia Boulevard. Otherwise…well, you’ll see.
The wrong-side sidewalk along Columbia Boulevard serves up some fun rolling hills and windy sidewalks along. Look out for pedestrians, cute dogs, darting squirrels with a death wish, and the occasional feeling that a vehicle might turn into you at each intersection.
The North Columbia Boulevard Path turns into the Peninsula Crossing Trail at an easy-to-miss intersection. Try not to miss it. This section is lined with grass and trees on both sides. Getting caught here during a cottonwood blizzard is surreal.
This section ends with sleepy little climb, before POWER STATION (left)…WATER-TOWER (right)!
ALT: There’s a shorter route option by cutting through Kenton on North Denver Avenue or staying on North Interstate.
Triomphe Négligé
North Willamette Boulevard passes by University of Portland which is a lot of fun during graduation season. It’s also a nice place to go off course and make your own little path through the campus or take a break on a garden bench to look out and contemplate.
The arced section has no stops and lots of cars, making it another fun sprint. The best part is how rewarding it is with the sweeping, gold-medal view over industrial warehouses, train tracks, Fremont Bridge, and the Portland skyline in the distance.
The victory lap, runs through a windy, no-cars street in a cute neighborhood. The remainder of this section includes a couple of curlicues that lend for a good skrrrt and drop you off at Skidmore bluffs.
Trail Blazers
After the bluffs, it’s a transition to another sprint down Vancouver Avenue. This time you get to cash out on the gravity bank. Fun bendies between Dawson Park and Russell Avenue, a straightaway that opens up to the Trail Blazer’s stadium (especially beautiful at dusk), a fast curve along traffic wands, and a fun the loop around the stadium.
TIP: If you catch the red light at Broadway, you can sidle over to the freeway exit ramp. That light turns green first.
This section ends with a small curve, a small hill, and a downhill section that gives me a huge Blumenauer. It’s a fun little stop, go, stop, go, left, right, left, right, with traffic wands at Sandy that you can get squirrly with.
The Gallery
This section is meant to go slow and really take in all the amazing urban art that Portland has to offer. Some pieces are paid for by tax dollars and sourced by the Portland Street Art Alliance, some are murals commissioned by building/business owners, and many are your classic guerrilla art.
The ride is capped off with the Taylor Electric Building. A collection of murals by local and international artists, where 40% of the art turns over every year. If you haven’t been in a while, there might be new stuff.
After all that, it’s a short trip back to where it all began.
That’s it. That’s the ride. I hope you enjoy :)
Bonus Points
I heard someone say they like bonus points. It was me. I like bonus points.
- +1 do a little, unnecessary loop
- +1 blow Vera a kiss
- +1 turn something into a jump
- +1 get wet
- +1 each photo op:
- Mill Ends
- The Portland Old Town sign
- The Kenton lumberjack
- Tilikum Bridge
- Vera Katz
- +1 read a poem
- +1 each one you spot:
- Train
- Bus
- Light rail
- Air tram
- Plane
- Helicopter
- Police car
- Ambulance
- Firetruck
- Crane (bird)
- Dragonfly
- Duck
- Heron
- Hawk
- Goose
- Egret
- Good dog
- Squirrel
- Osprey
- Bat
- Coyote
- Crane (machinery)
- Your dream house
- Mt. Hood
- Uter
- Gats
- Dentist
- Lords
- +1 beat traffic
- +1 find the secret sombrero
- +1 ride over a train
- +1 ride under a train
- +1 ride alongside a train
- +1 each skrrrt
- +1 accidentally eavesdrop on a personal/dramatic/spicy conversation
- +1 successfully avoid a hazard
- +1 fail to avoid a hazard
- +100 report a road hazard to PBOT 24/7 Maintenance Dispatch by emailing or calling:
PDXroads@portlandoregon.gov
503-823-1700 - +1 forget you live in a city
- +1 each photo you send to a someone you’ve been meaning to reach out to
- +1 catch a bug (+5 in the mouth)
- +1 fix a flat (+50 someone else’s)
- +1 coerce a semi truck driver to honk the horn
- +1 investigate something off-route
- +1 free curb score
- +1 each accessory:
- Bell
- Pet
- Rack you don’t really use but keep around “just in case”
- Full repair kit
- Party light
- A sticker you love
- +1 play good music at the right time
- +1 play bad music at the right time
- +1 play weird music at the right time
- +1 play nothing at the right time
- +1 each time you see someone attempt:
- Kick flip
- Bunny hop
- Make out
- Karaoke song
- Parallel park
- Being funny
- +1 give/receive a gimme-five
- +1 give/receive a up-high
- +1 give/receive a down-low
- +1 give/receive a too-slow
- +1 each tasty you:
- Eat
- Hear
- See
- Feel
- Smell
- +1 have fun
- +1 learn something new
- +1 make a friend
- +5 each person you share this route with
Hi, my name is Austin. I try my best to pair good content with a good user experience (ie. no ads, trackers, paywalls, accounts, etc). It's difficult, but worth it, because the time and attention you give me is precious. Thank you. If you're looking for other ways to help me keep this sustainable, you can hire me, make a donation, buy something (soon), or share favorites to your favorites. Thank you for that, too! I'm glad you're here and hope you're glad to be here :)
