*Motorcycle Roads NorthWest

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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This road is a real gem. The east-west section across the north end of Baker is a good 30 miles of tree-lined sweepers. Once you get to the northeast of Baker, SR 542 gets positively exciting with a succession of steeply-graded, challenging hairpin curves.

The lower elevations of Mount Baker Highway are fairly typical of the Western Cascade foothills. The pavement is fairly smooth, well-constructed asphalt. The road itself is surrounded by stands of immense evergreens up to 10′ across. Most of the sweepers on this section of road are simply marked by arrows, a speed recommendation not being necessary.

Ski Lifts at the foot of Mount Baker

Sitting in front of the ski resort looking east to Shuksan

The higher elevations of the Mount Baker Highway are highly reminiscent of the photos I’ve seen of the European Alps. There’s extremely tight hairpins with very steep straights in between, in a way that most Americans riders are probably unfamiliar with.

Fortunately for future rides, the roadway up to Artists Point from the Ski Resort was just repaved this year, albeit rather bizarrely completed just a week and change before the closure of Artists Point for the season due to icing conditions.

One of the drawbacks to Mount Baker Highway is that it is a dead-end. After the last services at Maple Falls, 542 exists only as a recreational roadway. The road passes many little resorts and campgrounds, but ultimately exists only to provide access to the ski slopes and visitor’s centers near the peak.

That having been said, the view from Artist’s Point is truly fantastic. As shown here, you can see both Baker and Mt. Shuksan from the parking lot. This is one trip I’m going to have to repeat come spring, with some more serious photographic equipment.

Mount Shuksan and a hairpin turn

Mount Shuksan off to the east. Also pictured is one of several hairpins that we rode to Artists Point. It looks pretty easy due to foreshortening, but the pavement was quite dewy in the shaded sections and oil from the very recent paving job made the ride to the top very nerve-wracking with both tires sliding mid-turn at quite low speeds.

Odd Notes and Tech Data:

• Gas Station to Artist’s Point & back: 70 miles
• 11.7 miles from Kendall to the border crossing in Sumas
• 5.9 miles due north from Kendall to the US-Canadian border

Vital Statistics:

• Towns: Deming, Kendall, Maple Falls, Warnick
• Length: 42 miles (84 round-trip)
• County: Whatcom

Microsoft Streets & Trips file for Mt. Baker Highway

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For a meager $5 admission (per person) you can visit a site of lovely twisty roads and incomparable beauty (this coming from a Seattle-ite). Crater Lake is sited in Southern Oregon, not terribly far from the California State Line. Crater Lake is quite popular with West Coast motorcyclists, as shown by motorcycle license plates from every state west of the Divide in parked in the lots.

The view across the lake, from Merriam Point.

These are just the sweepers, the hairpins and twisties are even better.

The road leading south to the Rim Village from Merriam Point.

Unfortunately, The park is also a very popular with the tourists and spirited riding should be done early in the morning before the tourists begin to trundle at 20mph through the delicious twisties and hairpins. Fortunately, Crater Lake’s narrow roads are well-supplied with turnouts and viewpoints and are surprisingly well-maintained, with painted markings for road repair to be done and sections of smooth newly-paved road where the holes grew too big or the hillside slid away. The curves within in the park are quite nicely laid-out, with relatively few decreasing radius curves and a well-painted yellow centerlines to help guide the eye through the corner and help the tourons stay out of your side of the road.

There is fuel, restrooms, and comestibles available at the Mazama Village store where our group stopped to fill-up. The fuel was unsurprisingly expensive, as all of it must be hauled up the mountain to the 6000′ level. (Note: Fuel is only available during the summer months, per Park Service pamphlet)

Mazama Village Store: Food, Fuel, and Restrooms

The Crater Lake Lodge. Verra nice.

The Rim Village has a cafeteria(Llao Rock Cafe), the Watchman Restaurant, A Gift Shop, and a very nice resort lodge a few hundred yards up the road. We did not partake of the restaurant dining as it did not open until the cafeteria’s closing time of 5pm, but the evening dining area in the nearly lodge was quite swank, and the lodge allowed our gaggle of biker scum to sit outside on their deck and beverage ourselves with a round of hefeweizens.

The Lake itself at the bottom of the caldera was quite simply awe-inspiring. The lake reflected the truest, deepest blue I had ever seen. The air was so clear that details could be picked out on the opposite side of the rim 6+ miles away, even by an astigmatic such as I. On the south side of the volcano is a particular view that is rather surprising. The view extends southeastward(?) over a very large river valley and bracketed by a small mountain range.

A glimpse of it can be seen from the Crater Lake Lodge parking area, but a far better view is available a few miles counter-clockwise around the rim near what I think is Applegate Peak. The roads leading to and from St. Helens are quite straight and comparatively dead-boring. Make sure you’re alert enough after a tiring day of hairpins that you don’t ride off the side of the road in the afternoon cross-winds are endemic to the area.

A truly rewarding day trip, Crater Lake National park is well worth riding a few times around, especially once for photos and the remainder for the sheer enjoyment of the roads.

Biker scum on the deck of the lodge.

Map of Crater Lake Loop

Crater Lake can be accessed by Oregon Route 62 from Medford, Ashford, and Northern California if travelling via Interstate 5. Oregon Route 138 would be the preferred route for riders accessing the park from Roseburg and the Central Oregon coastline. The northern reaches of the Interstate 5 corridor should take U.S. 97 and Oregon 58 to reach Crater Lake. Personally, I would spend a good week exploring the roads of the Oregon Cascades and ride down 97 into this area from Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon.

View of the Klamath Valley(?) from the Rim Village

• Road Name: Crater Lake Rim Drive
• Counties: Klamath
• Length: 31
• Towns: Rim Village (Resort)

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