good route to the coast

[gforcepdx]

Is TV Hwy - Hwy 8 - NW Timber Rd - Sunset Hwy, a good route to the coast. I'm planing a first trip and looking for something without too much traffic.

[Simple Nature]

The recommended route is out through Vernonia to Mist (hwy 212?).

Its a bit further but the scenery is worth the price of admission. And it is much quieter than 6 or 26.

If I wanted to go to further south down the coast, check out the Reach the Beach route.

There is nothing soothing about Sunset hwy. I think I would opt for hwy 6 as a 3rd option... and 26 as the last.

[gforcepdx]

Do you mean Hwy 47 to Hwy 202 to Astoria? Whats the best way to find the beginning of the 47? Through beaverton I mean? I live in ne Portland and don't know Beaverton well at all.

[Simple Nature]

Yes, I meant 202. You can avoid hwy 47 all together with the Banks/Vernonia trail. Very nice 20 mile path avoiding arguably the worst of the worst roads in Oregon for bike riding.

Are you riding from Portland or is Max part of the itinerary?

There are few nice routes recommended in other posts from the end of the Max line to Banks. Search Bank/Vernonia in the forum.

As for getting through, or even to Beaverton, there are several routes each with their own nuances. For my tastes, ending up on Jenkins and Baseline are probably best. A nice ride through the Washington Park Zoo and Rose Gardens is always a favorite; and if you're in south Portland, nothing like a trek through the cemetery and find your way to Terwilliger and Beaverton/Hillsdale (hwy 10). Today I did a Lake-O trek through Tryon Creek state park. A long ways around but spectacular. You could stick to the back roads all the way to Hillsboro by way of Tualatin/Sherwood and Roy Rogers.

It all depends on how long you want the ride to take and what your overnight plans are. A straight shot to the beach is a day ride, but anything scenic might be a bit more than most want to do without an overnight break. Map My Ride is a good site to lay out some trip plans just to see how things look.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by Simple Nature

Are you riding from Portland or is Max part of the itinerary?

There are few nice routes recommended in other posts from the end of the Max line to Banks. Search Bank/Vernonia in the forum.

MAX is a nice way to get to the edge of the 'burbs. They have an info page for bikes here: http://trimet.org/howtoride/bikes/index.htm

I posted some links regarding the B/V trail & Stub Stewart park in this thread: http://bikeportland.org/forum/showthread.php?p=27070