Western Valley Bikeway: Miles of Smiles

Get off the beaten path and off the road on this mostly grade-separated alternative to the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway as it passes through the mid valley. This route gives you the comfort to enjoy your surroundings as you pass through the bucolic farmland, vineyards, and hop fields of Polk County, linking back up with the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway via a ferry ride across the river.

The Western Valley Scenic Bikeway rolls through miles of beautiful Willamette Valley farmland on a dedicated path with the option to have most of the touring miles separated from the road. The mid-valley’s temperate climate makes for enjoyable year-round cycling - just remember to bring rain gear for the late fall and winter. From March through October, the bounty of the valley is on full display with farm stands, farmers markets, and restaurants selling an astounding array of locally grown fruit, vegetables, and flowers.

The route starts in Downtown Salem where you diverge from the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway to cross the historic Union Street Railroad Bridge, converted over the last ten years for bicycle and pedestrian use. Wide enough for two-way use, it also allows for stopping to watch the great Willamette River run. Look for osprey and bald eagles nesting in trees along the river and hunting their meals from the water.

Passing through Wallace Marine Park and West Salem, the route follows Oregon Highway 22 west with the option to ride in a wide breakdown lane, or use the sidewalk or otherwise separated path. At Oak Knoll, you cross a sky bridge, over the highway, erected primarily for bicycles as part of the 1976 Bicentennial Bike Path Project. This then puts you on “Old 22”, now known as Rickreall Road. Off the major highway proper, you have time to gaze at the fields as you continue westbound. There are some classic Oregon homesteads along this route, with markers near the township of Derry noting the Original homestead of James W. Nesmith, one of Polk County’s earliest settlers, territorial Judge, and a U.S. Senator. Coincidentally in Derry, there is a large, fragrant dairy.

At Rickreall, the route turns south on a dedicated paved path along the west side of Highway 99W, passing Eola Hills Winery in Rickreall, and then Namaste Winery’s tasting room about three miles south. Nestled among the colorful farmland is the intriguing Lavender Lake Farms which offers a variety of lavender-based products and is quite a sight in the spring bloom!

Another three miles south and Monmouth, home of Western Oregon University, provides an opportunity for rest, repairs or resupply, with Veal Bikes Plus, a large city park, and several restaurants located just a mile west of the route in the city’s quaint and historic downtown. Heading east off of 99W on Monmouth’s Main Street takes you to nearby Independence, and it’s equally historic downtown, located on the western bank of the Willamette River. Here, in the rejuvenated late 19th and early 20th century buildings (some still undergoing renovation) a weary traveler can relax by visiting unique shops and refuel at the Three Legged Dog Public House or several other nearby restaurants and bakeries. The town’s downtown Riverview Park boasts an amphitheater and a city provided biker/boater campground.

South of Independence is the River Road Bridge which serves to connect you back to the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway when the Buena Vista Ferry is not running during off-seasons or inclimate weather.

Leaving Independence, the route winds its way through lush farmland, passing grass seed, mint, and wheat fields, as well as Redgate Vineyard. A short detour east on Wigrich Road takes you through fields of blueberries, wheat, strawberries, and cherry and filbert (hazelnut) orchards to reveal Rogue Farms’ Hopyard, where Oregon’s own Rogue Ales produces over 40 acres of hops for their signature beers on the historic Alluvial Farm, where growing hops has been a tradition and industry for over 100 years. This cool spot has a year-round Tasting Room (check hours, especially in the winter months), where nearly all of the Rogue Ales & Spirits can be sampled. Food is also available.

Back out to Buena Vista Road, headed south, the last turns brings the rider to Buena Vista, a small, unincorporated town on the Willamette River which was once proposed to be the State Capitol, and where the first commercial varieties of hops in Oregon were planted by William Wells in the mid 1800’s, helping to create an industry that once made the area the “Hop Center of the World”. At the river’s edge, the locally famous Buena Vista ferry, with a capacity of six cars, but many more bicycles, is one of only two ferries still operating on the Willamette River. Loading onto the ferry for the voyage is made easy by friendly operators, and for a mere $1 fee (take a little extra if you want to purchase water or ice cream), you enjoy about eight minutes of non-pedaling river transit, arriving on the east bank, completing this route, and re-connecting to the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway.

Photos provided by: Pete Strong/Itemizer Observer, Andrew Summers, and many more.