The Mitchell Point Tunnel is finally open to the public! But unfortunately you still can’t bike all the way there.
You might recall a ribbon-cutting event back in November where the public was allowed to view the $31 million tunnel for the first time in 71 years. However, due to some unexpected delays, the Oregon Department of Transportation wasn’t able to open it permanently until last week. “Since the dedication ceremony in November 2024, the trail segment remained closed while crews waited for warmer weather to complete construction including final stonework, paving and striping,” reads an ODOT statement sent out on Friday. “The Mitchell Point tunnel and an additional 1.5 miles of the Historic Highway State Trail are now open.”
The original tunnel — carved out of basalt and featuring five arch windows where Model T drivers could gaze out onto the Columbia River — was a feat of engineering when it was first built in 1915. It was closed in 1953 when Interstate 84 was built and then destroyed and filled with rock in 1966. ODOT resurrected the tunnels in 2018 as part of their ambitious Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail project that looks to reconnect the famous old highway between Troutdale and The Dalles.
When I heard the news last week, I was excited by the possibility of riding through those carved-rock windows out into river gorge below. Unfortunately, bike access is still prohibited. That’s because there’s still a 0.7-mile gap on the Historic Hwy State Trail between Viento State Park and Mitchell Point. Currently, the only way to “bike” to Mitchell Point Tunnel is to lock your bike to racks at the east end of Viento State Park South Campground and then walk a few miles.
Here’s the deal…
You can bike all the way out there. It’s about 63 miles from Portland to where you’d hit an unpaved section of the Historic Highway State Trail. Or you can drive to a parking lot at Wyeth Campground which is about 6 miles west of Viento. Of course there are other places you can drive in the Gorge if you aren’t willing or able to bike there. You can also take the Columbia Gorge Express Bus to Cascade Locks (they allow bikes) if you don’t want to take your car. That’d put you about 12 miles west of where the paved path ends east of Viento.
Let’s get back to Viento. Regardless of how you get there, the Historic Highway State Trail is paved for only about 1.7 miles east of the Viento State Park South Campground parking lot where they have bike racks. From there, you’d have to hoof it another two miles to get to the tunnel.
I asked friend of the blog and Gorge cycling expert AJ “Jerry” Zelada how he’s done it and he shared a detailed route. Jerry’s route looks amazing. It’s nicely buffered from I-84 traffic, but it’s not something you’d bike on. The route connects to Wygant Trail which takes you right to the western portal of the Mitchell Point Tunnel. Jerry even shares over 50 photos to help inspired and/or guide you on your journey.
As for when we’ll be able to bike all the way to the tunnel for those epic photo ops and life-changing vistas? ODOT Public Information Office Ryan McCrary tells me they’ve already got the money to finish the paving and construction to do it is ready to begin this fall. “When it’s complete, approximately 9.5 miles of the trail will be fully connected to the tunnel and accessible by bike,” McCrary shared.
Can’t wait! For now, have fun planning your multimodal adventure to the tunnel. Let us know how it goes.
— ODOT Mitchell Point Tunnel website.
