Bike Camping: Tillamook Tour

After last year's excellent trip, Wayne Johnson will again lead a three-day mixed terrain bike camping tour across the Oregon coast range and back on low traffic roads. One of the days will have significant unpaved portions. We will carry all our own camping equipment and stay at Trask River Campground outside of Tillamook and Cape Lookout State Park on the coast. The trip begins and ends in McMinnville, Oregon. Due to the nature of this trip, participants need to be approved by the ride leader.

Route details are at RideWithGPS.

Sunday will be 48 miles of riding over the coast range mostly on gravel roads. We will head out of McMinnville on low trafficked rural roads before we head into Weyerhaeuser land. The route is composed of steep climbs and descents on gravel roads.  The route will also offer navigation challenges, no services, and no water until Trask River County Campground at the end of the ride. Additionally, we expect to be out of cell range for most of the ride.

Monday is a more modest day with 34 miles of riding. The route will follow the Trask River downstream to Tillamook. From there, on to Cape Meares where the road is closed to cars due to a landslide but bikes can get through. We finish for the day on the beach at the lovely Cape Lookout State Park.  Along the way there will be grocery stores available as well as restaurants for lunch.

Tuesday has 65 miles of riding starting with a brutal climb up Cape Lookout Road. Most of the day is spent in a slow climb upstream along the Nestucca River. There is a cafe and mini-mart early in the ride with no other services until arriving in McMinnville. Most of the day is paved with an 11 mile gravel section shortly after cresting the coast range.

What to bring:

• Large tires for the gravel sections. 42’s are probably a minimum. The gravel is rough enough that the leader will ride with 48’s. Narrower tires will necessitate slower descending, more walking on steeper sections and increase the chance of flat tires.
• Extra water bottles for the first day. It’ll be a lot of climbing with no options for refilling.
• Clothing for three days of riding and hanging out in camp. Clothes for rain and cold weather may be helpful.
• Spare tubes, pump, tools and other biking gear to make you self-sufficient are also necessary. We will be out of cell coverage for a good portion of the ride.
• Tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, stove/cookware, flashlight.
• Some food for snacks and meals. There will be grocery stores available the second day before we get to camp. They are marked on the maps.
• Money for camping, groceries and restaurants.
• If you haven’t done any bike camping before, a good advice on bike camping can be found here.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.