Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway

I rode the route as a one day end to end and will discuss various sections of the ride: 1. Mile 0-13, Champoeg park to Keene road/River road intersection: OK, nothing special. Farm roads with a few small hills. Traffic light at 6 am. 2. Mile 13-38, River road to River road south of Salem: avoid on weekdays. River road is busy and noisy with rough chip seal pavement. The section from mile 21 to mile 29 is ordinarily quite nice curvy farm road with light traffic. This day however it was being used as a truck route for very large gravel trucks. Heaven help the bike or car that encounters one on those sharp curves. The section through Salem is complex to navigate without audible directions from the app. Many clueless drivers also, be on the lookout. There was road construction south of Salem making for hazardous biking. 3. Mile 38-64, South of Salem to Jefferson: this a pleasant ride, with lighter traffic. It passes through farmland and the Ankeny wildlife refuge. A couple of short steep hills but otherwise flat. This would be a nice afternoon ride. 4. Mile 64-80 Jefferson to Albany: not so pleasant. Very busy rough road out of Jefferson. Scravel hill is one of the larger climbs on the route. Crosses a couple of major busy highways. Albany is ok to navigate through, not as difficult as Salem. Bryant park is a nice rest stop. Do not recommend this section. 5. Mile 80-110, Albany to Brownsville: this is a wide open very flat section with light traffic. There are a couple of busy road crossings and the ubiquitous chip seal pavement, but otherwise a nice ride. There is a park near Peoria at mile 95 that is a good rest stop. This would be another pleasant afternoon ride, with good eateries at either end. 6. Mile 110-122, Brownsville to North Coburg road: this is a short section that includes the Gap Road hill, the biggest climb on the route. It has a few 8% grades but is not that formidable unless you have 113 miles in your legs. There are warning signs to watch for deer. Take heed as I was almost taken out by one. Once out of the hills it is flat farmland with the usual chip seal. Not especially recommended unless you’re through riding to finish in Eugene. 7. Mile 122-134, North Coburg road to finish: this a fast section with decent shoulder and moderate traffic that increases as you approach Coburg. At the Lane County line the pavement switches from chip seal to blessed rolled asphalt. Finishes at Armitage park which has a nice campground. Overall I would not do this ride again as a one day through ride. It would be more fun as a two or three day ride so that time could be taken to enjoy the local food, wine and beer. There are plenty of accommodations in Salem, Independence, and Albany. Much of the route has somewhat of a shoulder and the sections without shoulders are often not too busy. Ride north to south in the summer as there is a tail wind. Also recommend a weekend ride rather than weekdays. There are also many sections of the route that would make nice morning or afternoon rides.

We try to do it every year, often in June but sometimes later in the summer. There are some traffic issues going south or north for the first 15 miles or so south of Salem. It’s a lovely route, with great scenery and good quiet roads.

Close to my home in Salem!