Roads not to be missed in Washington and Oregon

[flying_hun]

I've spent the last three years making multiple trips to ride in the NW. I agree with pretty much everything flips21 posted.

I took that road from Shaniko to Fossil for the first time in May. It was our prize for grinding it over the the Cascades in near freezing temps, from having spent the night in Springfield. At the end of that day we were in Heppner. Another fun area is the Blue Mountains just outside of Baker City. The great thing about this area is that the roads are EMPTY. I cannot emphasize this enough. We stopped at a rest are on 395 between Lakeview and Riley, and it was 17 minutes before the first other vehicle passed by. One of my friends timed it.

I can recommend places to stay in Lakeview, Condon, Heppner, and Prairie City.

After riding in the NE corner of Oregon, my second choice would be the SW corner between I-5 and the coast. That whole Agness to Galice thing is great fun. Though, in all my years of riding, I had my first ever deer strike on that road. I stayed upright and it ran away. Decent outcome all the way around.

*edit*
I forgot to link some resources.

The State of Oregon is a vast resource. Particularly, check out the Scenic Byways guide. They've done such a good job. https://forms.traveloregon.com/domestic-visitors-guide

Come Ride With Us Motorcycle Maps is a great resources for finding good moto roads in the NW. They're based in John Day, which is ground zero for great riding in every direction. https://comeridewithus.net/

 

[bcj]

One significant item to watch for diligently is green slime on the really curvy sections in eastern Oregon.
Pickups with dualies and large cattle trailers transporting them between pastures.
The cows get nervous and loose their shit, which spatters everywhere.

I was wondering what all that stuff was, and found one going slowly down into Fossil.
No place to pass, so I took a break for scenic appreciation of the area.

 

[dtridess]

I’d 100% cut through the Cascades (like Hwy 20 or 2), way less crowded and the scenery’s unreal - just keep an eye on weather depending on when you go.

 

[flying_hun]

I’d 100% cut through the Cascades (like Hwy 20 or 2), way less crowded and the scenery’s unreal - just keep an eye on weather depending on when you go.

Depending upon the places one wants to visit on either side of the Cascades, I favor 410 between Yakima and Enumclaw (nearby the scenes of my misspent youth). 12 between Yakima and Morton is good in places, but like 2, it is open to commercial traffic. Both 410 and 20 pass through national parks, hence the ban. There's no entrance fee for just using 410. I don't recall if 20 has a fee collection.

Hwy 20 (it's Washington 20, not US 20, BTW) is beautiful and dramatic, and there are lots of reasons to ride it, but it puts you WAY up north, and usually I'm only that far north when I'm heading to Canada. YMMV.

 

[bcj]

Nope. No fees on state highways. If you want to get off 410 to hit the sideroads up to Paradise or Sunrise on Mt. Rainier they'll collect the National Park fees. Skate Creek road is goat approved and free, but avoids the Paradise loop.
In the Olympics the only fee road is the one up to Hurricane ridge. The Elwha road only goes a couple miles until the washed out bridge they aren't replacing. Last I went to the Hoh rain forest there was no entrance fee, but they charge lots for camping.
The road up to St. Helens is a free state highway too.

WA so far, doesn't have any toll roads, but we'll see. There are toll lanes on I5, 405 and 167 so keep an eye out for those if not motorbiking.