Oregon Route 47

OR 47 is a gnarly little highway that climbs up out of the Columbia River town of Clatskanie and into the Oregon Coastal Range. Immediately upon taking this oddly hidden turn-off, you get into tight curves. The first 11 miles are extremely technical, with a relentless series of elevation changes and S-curves that demand a high level of focus. My DL acquitted itself quite well on this road. I was able to maintain 40-45mph through most of the curves, and the very experienced rider accompanying me on that trip riding his ZX-10 enjoyed those curves immensely.OR 47 runs through several small towns up in the hills, including Natal, Mist, Trehame, Pittsburg, and the largest Vernonia. These towns have relatively low speeds limits after such exciting curves, and it’s easy to go through town a little fast and end up donating to the town budget.
For most of this route, there’s not much in the way of services. There reputed to be a gas station in Vernonia to the west of the highway, which I did not see. But if fuel range is generally a concern for your motorcycle, I would recommend gassing up at Clatskanie or at one of the service stations on US 26 at the south end.

One note of caution on OR 47. OR 47 is a logging truck road. Anyone who has experienced logging trucks before understands that they’re large, usually driving way too fast, and have an unpleasant tendency to take up both sides of the road. This road is no exception.

  • Road Name: Oregon Route 47 (Buxton-Clatskanie)
  • Counties: Columbia(OR), Washington(OR)
  • Length: 42
  • Towns: Braun, Buxton, Clatskanie, Mist, Natal, Pittsburg, Trehaine, Vernonia

Streets and Trips file for Oregon Route 47 (Buxton-Clatskanie)

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Last 5 posts in Twisties

Last 5 posts in Western Oregon

Twisties, Western Oregon | July 4th, 2007
3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Magna Man Says:
    May 7th, 2008 at 1:08 PM

    I live in Vernonia, and there is indeed a gas station that you would be blind to miss, although its slightly spendy. Highway 47 North of Vernonia is riddled with poor pavement and is very narrow. South of Vernonia, the highway is the best curvy highway in all of Oregon. It is sloped and the pavement is nearly perfect. Truck traffic is not as bad in the area as compared to the elderly drivers and bicyclists illegally using the roadway (not using the separate bike path).  It’s best to travel on early mornings or mid to late evenings on the weekends and mid day on the weekdays.
     
    There are rarely cops outside of 5 miles of city limits, so this is a good area to test upgrades.

  2. admin Says:
    May 7th, 2008 at 7:59 PM

    Different Strokes for Different Folks, I suppose.

    For those of the V-Strom persuasion, I’d consider that northern section of OR 47 one of the best in Western Oregon. Especially in light of the rhythm to the corners and the high technical marks for the curve difficulty, it’s one of the few roads that I’ve been to Zen and just ride flawlessly without any outside distractions or considerations.

    Indeed, South of Vernonia certainly isn’t dull, but is more mid-speed sweepers and highly-technical twisties.

    And of course, south of US 26, I’d say don’t even bother. Go find something else more entertaining to ride between there and Route 223.

    Looking forward to riding down through there this summer and giving it another go.

  3. Jon Ohlson Says:
    June 27th, 2011 at 3:01 PM

    A longer variation to this route is to start at Scappoose on the Scappoose/Vernonia Hwy and proceed to Astoria for lunch via Jewell and Mist on Ore. 202

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