Gifford-Pinchot Forest Service 23

Just about everyone in the Pacific Northwest is familiar with Forest Service Road 25, the road that goes around the east side of Mt. St. Helens and provides a way to get to FS99 and Windy Ridge. Where FS25 is a twisty, curvy work of art done in asphalt, FS23 is another matter.

FS23 splits away from WA 39 shortly before it turns in FS25 and heads east. In the middle of FS23 is a somewhat twisty section of gravel that lasts for about 5 miles.

This road isn’t a nicely maintained as FS25, and is probably recommended for adventure bikes if you plan to do the whole route. In my opinion, if you take FS90 across (and deal with its own gravel section), you get the best of FS23 if you come in there after the gravel section of FS23.

As for the rest of FS23, it comes down out of the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest via SR 141 through Trout Lake into Bingen and White Salmon where it intersects with Washington SR 14.

  • Road Name: Washington State Route 141 / Gifford Pinchot Forest Service Road 23
  • Counties: Klickitat, Lewis(WA), Skamania
  • Length: 79 miles
  • Towns: B Z Corner, Bingen, Husum, Randle, Trout Lake, Underwood, White Salmon

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Adventure, Eastern WA, Sweepers, Unpaved, Western WA | July 4th, 2007
5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. matthamm5150 Says:
    September 6th, 2007 at 9:52 AM

    A small stretch of this road is closed until some time next year (2008). It washed out when a culvert backed up during the storms in 07. I just rode this section up to the wash out. Great road other wise. I would recommend this ride to any type of bike when the upper stretch of the road opens. If you aren’t afraid of gravel roads that is.

  2. r100ridr Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 7:30 PM

    July 18 2009
    Fs -23 is open from TroutLake to Randle. the pavement is rough in places and for about 12 miles from the intersection with FS-90 it is hard packed dirt and gravel. I had no problems on my R1200RT.

  3. Jennifer P Says:
    May 16th, 2010 at 7:11 AM

    Just did a partial loop yesterday… hit FS23 to the Lewis River Falls from Woodland/Cougar then turned around (after a picnic lunch and plenty of pictures) and looped into Carson and back up I-5. Overall the road wasn’t a problem at all; however, the gravel portion had some VERY deep potholes that couldn’t be seen until you were right up on them… so, that was a little fun.

  4. jon Says:
    August 15th, 2011 at 8:11 AM

    Rode FS-23 from Randle to Trout Lake on a Goldwing 1800. Not the recommended motorcycle for this road if you have a choice. Generally dirt section was fine for the most part as long as you pay attention to a few pothole areas and a few thick gravel ridges here and there. Nice views of Mt Adams from the west side. If you stop, beware of the Grizzly Mosquitoes- Teeth, Claws and Wings. Not much traffic but switchbacks can be narrow and obviously no guardrails on this road

  5. Dale R Says:
    August 30th, 2011 at 10:20 PM

    I also just did this route from Randle to Trout Lake. Fun ride, except the section over Babyshoe Pass was 11 miles of gravel. Ok for my Honda Magna, my buddy on a VTX 1800 didn’t like it so much!
    If you’re down there, also check out forest road 90 and 88, goes from Lewis Falls to Trout Lake, all paved except 1 very short section near Lewis falls, maybe 1/2 mile gravel.

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