Timberline Adventures Cycling and Hiking Vacations

Northwest Passage

Dates:
(7 days, 6 nights; Sun-Sat)
July 11-17
Sept. 5-11

Assembly Point: Portland/Troutdale
(airline service to Portland; Timberline van transfers from Portland Airport to Troutdale prior to tour and from Florence to Portland following tour)

Tour Cost: $2,595
(includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, support van, van shuttles, leaders, tour maps & narratives)

Itinerary

   Near the end of the last ice age some 15,000 years ago, the continental ice sheet advanced into what is now northwestern Montana, damming the waters flowing west from the Rockies. The backed-up waters formed massive glacial Lake Missoula, covering more than 100,000 square miles. Ultimately, the dam burst, releasing the great Missoula Flood westward down the channel of the Columbia River. The force of this torrent scoured cliffs 1200 feet above the river and gouged the channel in a manner that has created one of the world’s greatest concentrations of waterfalls from tributaries left hanging above the river.

    The Columbia Gorge and the mighty river running through it would play a major role thousands of years later in the exploration, expansion and settlement of the continent, beginning in the early 19th century. During that early period of our nation’s history, the notion of a water passage across the continent was still prevalent. The search for this northwest passage was an important force in Thomas Jefferson’s advocacy of the Lewis & Clark Expedition 1804-06. Although the Corps of Discovery never found that all-water route across the continent, they did make their way to the Columbia and followed its flow to the Pacific.

    In the season ahead, our Northwest Passage will trace Lewis & Clark’s journey through the Columbia Gorge, paralleling the Columbia River as it empties into the Pacific at Astoria. Once we’ve reached the incomparable Oregon coast, of course, we’re not about to turn back. With the prevailing wind at our backs, the massive headlands and pounding surf almost always in sight, we can’t think of any reason why we wouldn’t cycle at least to Florence on the Coast.

    Northwest Passage assembles in Troutdale, just to the east of Portland, and we’ll ride into the Gorge early morning of Day 1 along the Historic Columbia River Highway. Built in the early 1900’s, the road has been all but abandoned by the high-speed traffic blowing through the Gorge on I-84, but is maintained by the Forest Service as a cherished national recreation resource. Once on the historic road, we’ll climb to Vista House, aptly named for its breathtaking panoramic view, and then it’s one spectacular waterfall after
another—Latourell, Wahkeena, Oneonta, Multnomah, Horsetail. We’ll continue through Cascade Locks to Hood River and spend our first two overnights at the Hood River Inn, overlooking the Columbia.

    Geography and climate have conspired in this region to produce an incredibly fertile and productive agricultural environment. The terraces above Hood River are a patchwork of apple, cherry and pear orchards, and the numerous vineyards are evidence of a thriving wine-producing industry. In the context of an exciting, undulating 45-mile ride, we’ll explore the famed Fruit Loop of the Hood River Valley on Day 2.

    Day 3 is dedicated to hiking and we’ll cross the river to the Washington side for what we believe to be the best hike in the Gorge. Our ascent up Dog Mountain will be memorable, we promise, but the explosion of wildflowers and views of the snowclad peaks of the surrounding Cascades will justify the effort. Hood to the south, Adams to the north and Mt. St. Helens to the west are only a part of the panorama that will be ours to experience. Following our engagement with Dog Mountain, we’ll shuttle from the gorge through Portland to Hillsboro.

    It’s back on the bikes early morning of Day 4 as we ride toward the coast, following the course of the Nehalem River on our way to the historic seaport of Astoria, where the Columbia pours into the Pacific. We’ll explore Astoria the following morning and tour nearby Fort Clatsop, where the Lewis & Clark Expedition wintered in 1805-06. We’ll continue south along the coast through the charming seaside village of Cannon Beach and on to Tillamook, where we’ll spend the night. Along the way, we’ll visit the Nehalem Bay Winery and, of course, the Tillamook Cheese Factory, the largest cheese producer in the western U.S.

    The Oregon coast in its grandest expression is our setting for Day 6 as we ride the Three Capes Scenic Route on the way to Lincoln City and an oceanfront evening at the Shilo Inn. We’ll hug the shoreline throughout our final day to Florence. The day is a progression of state parklands, created to protect the entire length of the Oregon shore, and an almost endless string of quaint seaside villages. From Florence, we’ll van shuttle back to Portland, where our program concludes.

Total cycling mileage — 408
Total hiking mileage— 8

E-Mail: timber@earthnet.net