Ride On: Guide to Cycling in Oregon’s Tualatin Valley
Oregon’s Tualatin Valley boasts many miles of bike paths, allowing for an exciting and invigorating day, weekend or week of discovery. From urban trails connecting cities to rural paths in the forest, there is no shortage of places to take the road less traveled.
All Types of Terrain to Explore
With a little planning and the desire to pedal, your Tualatin Valley bike adventure can also be smooth, scenic and enjoyable. For road biking along paths and streets, outstanding options include the Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway, which includes the 21-mile, car-free Banks-Vernonia State Trail. Also popular with cyclists is the loop around Henry Hagg Lake and through Scoggins Valley Park.
If it’s dirt paths you enjoy, there’s prime mountain biking here. At the Gales Creek Camp area, the singletrack offers seven miles of technical riding. L.L. Stub Stewart State Park has trails that expand in all directions through the forested area, and many trails are for bikes only, including the freeride trail skills park.
Cycling Routes in the Tualatin Valley
Intermediate/Advanced
Intermediate and advanced riders love the 50-mile Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway, as well as the intriguing spots along the way.
All Levels
Built along an abandoned railway, the Banks-Vernonia State Trail provides 21 miles of beautiful scenery.
Intermediate/Advanced
Ride along this 36-mile loop, where you will encounter breweries, wineries, nature…this ride has it all!
Intermediate/Advanced
This 10.3-mile ride is an easy pedal with low traffic and plenty of rest stops to take in views of Henry Hagg Lake and the Oregon Coast Range mountains.
All Levels
The North Plains Farms & Forest Tour is a lovely ride along low-traffic roads through scenic farm and forestland.
Intermediate/Advanced
Hop on the light rail from Portland and take a ride through the small town of Forest Grove. Pedal by a variety of farmlands, around a serene lake, and past famous wineries.
Intermediate/Advanced
Come tour the countryside that inspired countless wineries and vineyards to locate in Tualatin Valley, in the northernmost part of the Willamette Valley wine region.
Advanced
The West Tualatin Valley Tour is a big ride, but what a tour! View old barns, stop at wineries, and explore more than a smattering of brewpubs make this a memorable ride.
Intermediate/Advanced
Get to the famous from anywhere in the Portland Region via the MAX Light Rail. No car is needed to enjoy the beauty of the Tualatin Valley with your bike.
All Levels
This car-free ride is great for families who want an easy pedal that has plenty of scenic and historic highlights, including the Buxton Trestle.
Advanced
The Reehers Camp Loop is for the skilled adventurer who wants to sample a little bit of everything the Oregon Coast Range has to offer.
Intermediate/Advanced
The Tillamook Forest Tour, used in Cycle Oregon's gravel rides, will challenge you with variable surface conditions, and reward you with a backcountry adventure.
Very Difficult
At nearly a century long, with more than 5 kilometers of climbing, this ride will test your legs.
Difficult/Gravel
The Crown-Zellerbach (CZ) Trail is a new rails-to-trails project from the city of Scappoose to the city of Vernonia in Columbia County.
Difficult/Gravel
The first half of the route includes the majority of the elevation gain, but don’t fret the views of the Coastal Mountains will be well worth the trip.
