The first 20 miles of this 30-mile route are on the Springwater Corridor. The final 10 miles includes a blissful descent into the campground at Dodge Park. Everett approves!
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

This is how easy bikecamping can be: Just 30 easy miles east of downtown Portland lies a campground at the edge of the forest nestled between two rivers.

And the best part? The first 20 miles are on the carfree Eastbank Esplanade and Springwater Corridor paths. And by the time you leave this safe riding sanctuary, you’re far enough into the country where you can often see more horses and pigs than cars.
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This post was written by BikePortland Subscriber Tom Howe.

Eclipse path.

The August 21 solar eclipse may be four months away, but now is the time to start planning if you want to experience it in the Path of Totality as part of a bike camping trip.

A few days ago Oregon State Parks released a thousand extra campsites which were all reserved in about an hour, and many of those sites are not even in the 70-mile wide path of the total solar eclipse where the sun’s corona will be visible. Eclipse expert Xavier Jubier has created a neat zoomable map showing the eclipse path. Clicking anywhere in the path of totality on this map will give that spot’s length of the total eclipse, which in Oregon tops out at just over 2 minutes as the moon’s shadow races across the state.

But camping is still available at private sites outside the state park system. One notable location about 40 miles from central Portland and well within the path of totality is the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm near Woodburn. Here is a zoomable map that shows a rural bike route down to the tulip farm from Portland.
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Last week we shared how the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department was upping the ante on bike-camping facilities at three popular state campgrounds. OPRD has installed fix-it stations, group shelters, covered gear storage, and device charging stations just for people who show up by bike. The state calls these facilities “modern luxuries.”

I haven’t been able to see them myself, but I just got a few photos from OPRD’s Bicycle Recreation Specialist Alex Phillips. Check them out below…

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Bike camping at Champoeg State Heritage Area in 2009.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

It’s fun to report two separate bits of news about bike friendliness in the state park system on the same afternoon.

Milo McIver State Park and Champoeg State Heritage Area are both upgrading their bike amenities, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said Wednesday. They’ll get new lockers for gear and food storage; phone charging stations; and bicycle fix-it stations, plus new group shelters. A third park, Bullards Beach State Park on the southern Oregon coast, will be upgraded too.

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Imagine the possibilities…
(See full map below)

Remember Cycle Wild? They’re the local non-profit that organizes and promotes bike-camping trips from Portland. We went along with them for a ride back in 2009 and learned just how easy it is to pack up some gear, start pedaling, and get away from it all — without having to drive a car.

Cycle Wild founder and ring-leader Matt Picio just published a very cool map (see it below) that anyone with a glimmer of bike adventure in their hearts will appreciate. It’s a map of campsites within Portland’s “rideshed.” Picio defines a rideshed as, “anywhere you can ride a loaded bike on a summer day.” Typically, that distance is about 75 at the most, but thanks to MAX light rail, Portland’s rideshed is much further.[Read more…]