*Motorcycle Roads NorthWest

Pioneer Highway. A nice curvy specimen of roadcraft and an apt name as well, since the road curves here and there all over the Stillaguamish River valley.

The pavement is a little rough and appears to be surprisingly light-duty for what is a state highway, after all. There’s significant bumps along the road and small narrow bridges traverse the many creeks and sloughs that criss-cross these lowlands.

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Following the Yachats River back up into the Oregon Coastal hills is this eponymous little road. It starts out inside the also eponymous little town of Yachats right off US 101 with a funky uphill and acute-angled intersection that goes right up the side of the hill.

Once you’re a few blocks in and getting outside of the vacation cottages, you notice that this is definitely an adventure road. The elevation changes are as abrupt as the curves and the pavement is patchy in spots where the river has damaged the roadbed. Truly, this road isn’t exactly an engineering marvel like nearby Oregon 34, but it’s a rather enjoyable little road that has a solid 8+ miles of pavement before it goes to gravel.

While the Alsea Highway and Yachats River Road ought to have a lot in common, the nature of state highway vs. county farm road is very apparent. If you ride this road with any aggression, be prepared to bottom out the suspension on the dips and maybe catch a little air coming off the tops.
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Note: This isn’t any particular road, but rather a serious of loosely-connected roads that allow one to thread their way through some surprisingly empty country laying between Interstate 90 and WA SR26.

The Inner Passage holds a marked allure for me. Usually, when I am trying to get an event or a function, I’m in a hurry. I want to meet my friends, have supper, and enjoy myself before turning in for a good night’s rest. On the way home, I’m feeling mellow and reminiscent, and that where roads like this one come in.
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I’ve traveled Washington Route 508 on many occasions. Sometimes I’m traveling to or from gatherings in Portland, and sometimes simply out enjoying an afternoon away from family and work, and sometimes I’m seeking to avoid the harried, frantic pace set by those on Interstate 5 or US12. This well-paved country highway engenders a different kind of ride, with its wide graceful sweepers it is very much a touring road for those most concerned about time rather than distance.

Most of the sweepers are marked 40-45mph with a formica-smooth road surface that’s not brand-new either. They have clear lines of sight, with little drama, usually what I’m in the mood for after a few hours of droning on I-5 with its speed freaks, left-lane hogs, and blind-spot corner-hangers. WA508 also appears to be your getaway from the RVs. I have seen many coming home on SR7 or US12, but rarely ever encounter them on WA508. Another of the benefits of WA508, on those few occasions where you approach slow traffic, the unusually frequent passing zones allow you to make short work of those RVs and sight-seers.

Sample sweeper through Onalaska

508 has a few attractions of its own for motorcyclists. About 9 miles west of Morton is a luscious group of corners with a 180 hairpin crossing the river bridge as its centerpiece. The corners are marked mostly at 25-35mph, as is the hairpin. The hairpin is a completely different beast from those gentle corners however, as it has a sharp kink on the east side of the bridge which can’t be seen until you’re on top of it if approaching from the west. A dramatic if you’re not really alert or coming into it at peg-skimming lean angles.”

Junction of WA508 and Jackson Highway (Old US99)

For those motorcyclists who prefer to camp while they tour, Ike Kinswa State Park on Mayfield Lake can be reached from WA 508. While I’ve never visited this park, I’ve heard the roads near it are quite nice.

WA 508 is a nice little touring road, rolling through small villages with friendly people. If you are ever heading east on US 12 and not in a terrible hurry, peel off at Morton and give 508 a try.

• Towns: Napavine, Onalaska, Cinebar, Morton
• Length: 32
• Counties: Lewis

Microsoft Streets & Trips file for Washington State Route 508

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On a grey mid-October Sunday, I went up to Snohomish County to find some of the road the locals tend to frequent, and also tend to rave about.

Note: This road has become somewhat passe as it’s also a favorite of some of the high-performance enthusiasts living on the east side of King County. Due to the antics and inevitable crashes of some ignorant twats, enforcement on this road has gotten very strict. Ride at your own risk.

When I remembered Ben Howard Road while eating lunch in Snoqualmie, I decided to ride it almost as an afterthought. Although I got fairly wet from the squalls rolling across the Puget Sound area, my perseverance was well-rewarded with one of the nicest roads within the Seattle area.

Ben Howard Road starts just south of Monroe and just north of the blink’n'missit hamlet of High Rock. the road is fairly well-marked, although if you’re cranking at full tilt you might get surprised.

• Counties: Snohomish
• Length: 9 miles
• Towns: Monroe, Sultan

The road is a fantastic way to get around the horrendous construction and nastiness that is US2 through Monroe. Ben Howard is lined, wall to wall really, with stables and dairy farms on both sides. The roadway is signed for 35mph and the sweepers can be taken a fair bit quicker than that without drama unless the roadway is wet (as it was on my trip).The road surface itself is quite nice, having none of the unpleasantness that a Seattle freeway commuter comes to expect. The majority of corners were clear of any noticeable bumps, tar strips, or gravel. Even the sweepers along the river were quite clear with just a few section of very light gravel between the car/truck wheeltracks. In essence, it’s a nice, smooth, and moderately grippy road that lets you forget about suspension issues and just enjoy the road.

View of the Cascades from Ben Howard Rd

Ben Howard is much like Green Valley Road in South King County in many regards. The scenery and surrounding farms are much the same, with stables and dairy farms abound. Both roads flow quite near, but not always directly adjacent to a river. Both roads have lots of corners every couple hundred or so yards apart, with a nice mix of square corners and sweepers.On the east end of Ben Howard, the road is more of a wagon trail. The corners are 15-20 mph generally, with well-marked signs and clear sight-lines. Ben Howard Road ends due south of Sultan at the stop-sign for Mann Road.

If you’re into roadway oddities, Mann Road has a pair of very strange perpendicular corduroy-style wooden bridge decks on a steel frame, making for nervous crossing in foul weather.

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