*Motorcycle Roads NorthWest

South Skagit Highway and Concrete-Sauk Valley Road provide a very scenic back way from Sedro Wooley to the Mountain Loop Highway and south to Darrington. On the cool September that marked the day ride portion of ‘Pass the Oyster’ 2004, the road was dry and nearly deserted. The auturn leaves lined the trees and the sides of the road, but had been cleared from most of the corners by other traffic. A few corners had lines of gravel outside of the cager wheel lines, but the even these were a mere handful on this recently chip-sealed road as it skirts the Cultus Mountains and Rinker Ridge along the Skagit River.

Old Pastureland along South Skagit Highway

For most of its length, the S. Skagit and Concrete-Sauk Valley Roads follow the Sauk and Skagit Rivers. The rivers provide a very nice scenic backdrop for this spectacular road with its consistent chain of sweepers and sharp corners. Keep an eye out for pedestrains during good fishing weather, and keep an eye out for errant domestic animals tortting along the road. I almost hit a hunting dog of some sort that darted from the side of the road directly at the front wheel of the bike.

View of the Concrete-Sauk Valley Road section from up along Finney Creek Road.

Full services are available each end of the road way. Sedro Wooley is just a mile or so away across the Skagit from the north end. Darrington is about 5 miles from the south end and has a very good gas station, although the air compressor was broken at the Shell when we were there. When we stopped in Darrington, there was a Goldwing group riding through that was duplicating our loop but in the opposite direction: North on 530 to Concrete-Sauk Valley Road and on into Sedro Wooley on S. Skagit Highway. I’m sure it was a much slower pace than we were able to maintain through the nearly-deserted and unpatrolled curves.

• Towns: Clear Lake, Concrete (across river bridge)
• Length: 46
• County: Skagit

Microsoft Streets and Trips file for South Skagit Highway / Concrete-Sauk Valley Road

Map of South Skagit Highway / Concrete – Sauk Valley Road:

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Are you looking for twisty? Yes? Well, we have that.

Are you looking for a spot to camp alongside the road next to an alpine stream? Yes, we have that too.

Are you looking for a tight, technical road with 25-30mph corners and little in the way of traffic and enforcement? Yes, we even have that too.

Alongside the road, on the way to FR52 proper

This fine little road operates under several different names throughout its route, depending on what county you are in. At the north end up in Pierce County it’s called Osborn Road. On the east end in Lewis County, it’s called Skate Creek Road for the lovely alpine stream that it follows down into Packwood. In the middle inside the National Forest, it’s what everyone else calls it, Forest Service Road 52.

Sunny Creekside. All sorts of backwoods camping going on through here. Major fly-fishing country.

And a Forest Service Road it is. It’s not terribly well-maintained but it is paved clear through from end to end and not a lot of kibble in the corners. The centerlines on that road are rather confusing, as the road is painted with both double-yellow and a dotted yellow going down the middle, both clearly visible yet equally faded.

The curves are definitely not rythmic either, they bounce around in various speeds and radii cutting between the forested hillsides and the rapids-filled mountain creek.”

Rapids-Filled Skate Creek

If you’re looking for camping, it’s very popular for that as well. While I was riding this road in mid-June, I saw about 20 creek-side campsites over the course of 23 miles. Pretty easy to spot in the morning, as most of them had a small cloud of woodsmoke hanging across the road.

Alas, every road has its problems. If you’re a rider of serious track-tuned motorcycles, you will not enjoy this road. I’ve heard complaints of bumpy road surface from owners of serious sport machines, such that they claim they can barely stay in the saddle. Being a rider with a marked preference towards sport-touring and adventure-touring motorcycles, I have had no such problems.

• Towns: National, Ashford, Packwood
• Length: 25
• Counties: Lewis, and a small bit of Pierce

Microsoft Streets & Trips file for Gifford-Pinchot Forest Service Road 52

Overview Map of Forest Service Road 52:

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This road is fantastic. There’s very little to see on US97 while trying to get there, but the luscious pavement, generous truck turnoffs on the uphill slope, and the fabulous sightlines make this road a must-ride. While I didn’t go all the way up to the top personally, several of my friends did and reported that the road up to the top of the hill east of the Crater is fantastically curvy and has wonderful vistas.

Newberry Lake at Newberry Crater

• Road Name: Paulina-Newberry Crater Rd
• Counties: Deschutes
• Length: 19
• Towns: (near) Bend

Streets and Trips file for Paulina-Eastlake Road / Newberry Crater Road

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