Portland to the Coast – Trask Trail

Our goal for 2024 was to focus on smaller trips close to home with friends. To wrap up the season Andrew and I decided it was high time we finally biked to the coast! The idea was actually born at Coffee Outside the previous winter and evolved over time. The first hurdle: How does one get to the coast without it being a miserable ride along a highway shoulder? As it turns out there are a couple different routes we heard about from friends and found discussions of online; in the end we decided to follow the most straightforward gravel route, the Trask Trail.

There ended up being four of us who were able to make the long weekend trip. Vince, who was part of those initial schemings, D’arjan who had actually never been bikepacking before but dying to try it out, and of course Andrew and I. Since we conveniently started our trip on the last Friday of the month we opted to meet up at the steel bridge for Breakfast on Bridges, a community gathering with free coffee and treats for cyclists as a way to encourage community and commuting. The perfect start to a long weekend of riding!

Day 1: Friday, Sept 27, 2024

Distance: 38.3mi (38.3mi total)

Rather than start in Portland proper, we opted to take the MAX light rail to the end of the line and start riding from Hillsborough so we could at least avoid one climb over the west hills and a lot of traffic-heavy suburban riding in the process. After sitting on the MAX for an hour though we ended up needing to detour right at the get go to a McDonald’s so that we could all use the restroom and some of us opted for an early second breakfast.

Heading out of town we had a few busy roads to navigate, but we mostly had a bike lane at least. Once we reached into the farmland we were gladly free of the majority of traffic but in a cruel twist of fate the traffic was replaced with an endless supply of poison oak. At least it was all turning a beautiful vibrant red for the fall season, warning us not to go off-road anywhere or we’d surely come to regret it. It even had the audacity to have its fallen leaves scattered all across the trail itself! We ended up stopping for lunch in a random driveway not wanting to risk any rashes, warranting a couple looks and a couple waves from the occasional driver that passed us by.

After a well deserved lunch break we actually came across a baked goods stand (Pike Schoolhouse Farmstand and Bakery). Never one to turn away a treat on a bike tour we opted to check it out. While eyeing the cookies, the owner saw us and came out announcing if we could wait one minute she was literally pulling fresh pumpkin bread out of the oven! How could we possibly say no to that?! Apparently all her goods utilized ingredients from the nearby farms. Talk about farm to table! (Er farm to bike I guess). The bread even fit perfectly in my bike basket (as we were still pretty full from lunch, we decided to save it for later). We bid Annie, the baker, farewell and started progressing up into the Coast Range mountains.

Once we started gaining elevation the farmland and poison oak slowly turned to trees, ferns, and fruitless berry bushes. It was lovely.

The Trask Trail follows mostly gravel forest roads (once you get out of the suburbs) that were, and probably still are used by loggers. Fortunately we didn’t have any run ins with logging trucks but we did see a fair number of recently logged areas. Being a logging road, they didn’t seem to care too much about keeping the road a reasonable (i.e. climbable) grade. There were some steep sections that left you questioning what even was uphill vs flat! Let’s just say there was a lot of walking. Vince was the only one who almost made it the whole way without leaving his saddle. Good thing walking is always an option, it is my lowest gear after all.

As we were nearing the top of the climb we came up to a particularly steep section. I, having been staring at this fresh loaf of bread for the whole climb up to that point, declared it was time for a sugar boost. The pumpkin bread was exactly what we needed to power up the rest of the hill! I cut myself a massive slab and passed the loaf around for everyone to take a share. 10/10 would bread again.

Near the top we came across the Barry Reservoir. It offered lovely views but it was getting later and we had to figure out where to camp so we pressed on without too much lingering. Based on the OMTM post we at least had an idea of where we could find a decent dispersed campsite additionally there were several abandoned roads that looked like they would lead to similar great wild camp spots.

Water was our bigger concern. Being glorious riding temperatures we weren’t running dangerously low or anything but we wanted to be able to cook dinner and breakfast without worrying about conserving water. Most of the water crossings we had seen on the map turned out to be too steep to actually access. We did find one spot we could get down to to filter shortly before we came to our planned camping spot; that was a relief. And does it get fresher than that?!

Our campsite was up one of the old roadways that led to a clearing. Perfectly sized for a group of cyclists. We set up tents, enjoyed dinner and some wine we had lugged up the mountain, and ended the evening with some star gazing. I even saw a shooting star!

Day 2: Saturday, Sept 28, 2024

Distance: 43.2mi (81.5mi total)

In the morning it was time for the descent. Once we made it down the hill we more or less followed the Trask River. I love going the same direction as the river! (Also, lots of much easier water access spots at the bottom of the mountain pass).

We passed several really nice looking campsites along the river, but we also noted fresh tire tracks and from the number of cars that had passed us. We’re guessing you have to get to those spots relatively early to beat out competition and they probably get a little noisy. I will say, we were happy to have found a spot tucked away from the road rather than these ones that were just off of it. (It wasn’t a lot of traffic or anything, but any big truck going down a gravel road is always going to be loud).

Eventually we popped out of the trees and on to a paved road. You could sense the ocean as we neared the coast. The sea breeze and fresh air. Although the fresh air only lasted a short stint before it switched to the distinct smell of cows. We were entering dairy country after all.

We figured if we had to smell the cows we might as well reap the reward and detour up to the famous Tillamook Creamery. Did you really think A&I wouldn’t push for an ice cream stop?! I mean we were literally finishing in Tillamook! Andrew may have tricked the others into being on board by promising a “5 minute detour” that in reality was an unpleasant 15 minute detour of highway shoulder riding up our old friend highway 101. While annoyed at the distance, I’d still choose to do it again (hopefully D’arjan and Vince agreed – Ha).

We all opted for cheeseburgers (veggie patties for the nonmeat eaters) for lunch followed by ice cream and then we were ready to do the last 10 – now 12 miles to camp- Cape Lookout. Before we left I did snag some free cheese samples for our dinner – they want you to take the cheese after all.

On our way out of the creamery disaster struck. D’arjan’s back tire was flat! Andrew and D’arjan set to changing it while Vince and I went on to resupply at the Fred Meyer up the road. All things considered it wasn’t a bad place to have a flat.

As the day progressed, the weather had started to get chilly mostly from those high coastal winds we experiencing. We ended up riding in a fairly tight line the last stretch to camp as it was a weirdly popular route for drivers to be taking that evening and we only had a small shoulder of protection for our last bit of riding.

Can I say how much I love hiker biker sites? We rolled past the “campground full” sign, paid for our stay and set up camp. Cape Lookout is especially nice in that it has cool little nooks for hiker biker sites just off the water that are really lovely to stay in (I can’t speak to the car/RV spaces).

Once we walked over to the beach Vince whipped out a kite he had apparently deemed worth packing and everyone but me set to work untangling it. There was definitely more time spent untangling the kite than actually flying it.

As nightfall set in the chill became more noticeable so we decided to light a camp fire. I went and bought wood while the others started dinner and after a small struggle we did get a nice fire going.

Day 3: Sunday, Sept 29, 2024

Distance: 23.8mi (105.3mi total)

D’arjan’s partner met up with him in the morning, so our last day, Sunday, was just Vince, Andrew and me. After dealing with the busy road on the way to camp the previous day, and having lots of time before our bus was set to leave, we opted to take the scenic Cape Meares route back to Tillamook.

We had a picturesque second breakfast near a bay watching several fisherfolk out on the water working hard. (I think we decided they were crabbing, but who’s to say).

After second breakfast we had three decent size climbs that got progressively worse as we carried on. Honestly, once we left Netarts Bay the “views” were mostly trees, granted the bottom of the hills did each came with beach access. But, not wanting to lose too much momentum for the next uphill we didn’t stop at any.

Cape Meares State Park was at the top of the last hill. We collectively decided it wasn’t worth seeing the lighthouse because it was a two mile downhill detour that we’d have to climb back up and we had all been there before. But, the road after the state park is what made the scenic loop worth it.

After Cape Meares we had a good length of abandoned road where cars weren’t allowed due to the condition of the deteriorating hill-side pavement. It came complete with that view I was hoping for at the top of every climb we had made thus far that day. The closed off road didn’t last very long and we popped back onto the main road just in time for the descent but it was relatively low traffic on the north half of the peninsula. It was a sweet downhill and it led us towards a flat calm Tillamook Bay that stretched on for miles. The last half of the ride was perfect.

Upon arrival into town we confirmed the bus stops existence, as you do, and then opted to eat out for lunch rather than eat our packed foods. Restaurant Mexican sounded way better than our cold-can-of-bean burritos.

Catching the bus itself was a little nerve-wracking never having taken it with bikes before. Mostly because we knew they only had 3 bike racks and there was three of us. (I had reached out ahead of time and was told if there’s space we could put our bikes in luggage area which could hold 2-3 more bikes, but only if there was space.) The Tillamook to Portland route runs seven days a week unlike the other Wave bus routes, but it only makes two trips each day, so we really didn’t want to miss out on the ride just because of bike storage space.

After lunch we returned to the bus station plenty early but lo and behold another cyclist had swooped in and beat us to the station! We now exceeded the bike rack limit! Fortunately the bus driver was happy to let me put my bike in the back while the others put theirs on the racks. What a relief once we were all aboard. I will note, if you use the bus rack, consider bringing an extra strap or a bungy to hold the clamp higher up on your wheel as it had a tendency to slide down. The driver stopped several times telling us one of the bikes on the rack seemed loose, so Vince, Andrew, and the other guy all had multiple opportunities to get out and stretch their legs while fighting the bike rack back down making sure their bikes wouldn’t abandon them for a life in the woods.

Overall the bus ride was pleasant, returning us to Portland’s Union Station around 6 PM. It was a nice way to end our trip. Andrew and I only had about 3 miles to go from Union Station back to our house. Vince, A& I all hectically put bags and things back on bikes in random places and rode our respective routes home.

What a successful trip to end the 2024 bikepacking season.