How’s this for a combination of scenery and history? Pedal a moderately strenuous 21-mile route through some of the earliest settled land in Oregon – pastoral landscapes of rolling hills, stately groves of trees, and rivers both placid and turbulent… and even take an old-fashioned ferry on the way. This ride offers a perfect blend of features for a pleasant few hours (or half a day, if you really take your time) of adventure and exploration.
Start your ride in West Linn’s Willamette Park; you’ll find plenty of parking here, as well as restrooms and water to fill your bottles. (Tip #1: Make sure each rider has $2 for the ferry.) The first few miles of the ride will take you along the west bank of the river; there are a few options available, but we recommend heading up 12th Street to get to Willamette Falls Drive; it’ll get your heart started. Then you’ll have the freeway on your left and the river on your right, until you get to the bridge into Oregon City. While you’re warming up, ponder the multi-lane symbol of modern civilization and engineering on your left, and the river that has been virtually the same for centuries on your right.
As you cross the 1922 Arch Bridge into Oregon City, look to your right to take the measure of Willamette Falls, the second-largest waterfall by volume in the U.S. You’re now at the famous End of the Oregon Trail. Head straight into downtown Oregon City and continue to the Municipal Elevator, which was water-powered when it was built in 1913, but now runs on electricity (that may just be produced by… water). You can stop here (walk your bike) and take a quick ride up and down the only “vertical street” in North America, savoring views of the bridge, river and downtown. Ask the elevator operator to give you some perspective on the history this location has experienced.
Ready for your first proper climb? Work your way up and out of town, and dip into rural, rolling farmland – the roads will roll up and down as well. The air carries to you the scents of what grows best here… see how many things you can identify. As you head into Canby, note the helpful Canby Bike Hub, located on the corner of Territorial and Holly. This town welcomes cyclists, and here you’ll find a bike pump and fixit station, as well as kiosks with other good cycling routes in the area for a return visit.
Heading out of town, you’ll pass graceful roadside displays of dahlias as you follow signs for the Historic Canby Ferry. When it arrives, walk your bike on board and take time on the sedate crossing to think about 100 years of service right here… picture the bikes (and cars and trucks) that would have used it when it first opened!
Tip #2: Before you disembark, shift down into a true climbing gear, because once you get off the boat, it’s a short, sharp shock of a hill to get back up to the valley-floor plateau. Once again you’ll be cruising through peaceful surroundings in one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the world. But don’t get too relaxed, because you do have a little bit of business left: a hardy ascent of Pete’s Mountain. Just after the 15-mile mark, you’ll start a 3-mile, 650-foot ascent that will definitely take some effort. But there’s also a great reason to take a quick break here and there on the climb: turn around and look down on all you’ve risen above – you’ll love the photo-worthy vistas of the Tualatin River, Mt. Hood and lush growth in all directions.
Finish your journey with an exhilarating plunge down the other side of the mountain, and on into West Linn and the park. There are plenty of options in town to reward yourself with food and drink after your exploration of this historic and beautiful piece of Oregon.
