*Motorcycle Roads NorthWest

Now, don’t act all surprised that I’ve posted yet another old highway alignment. This one however is rather nice and much twistier than the parallel Interstate 90 a few miles to the south.

This one is quite a bit of fun, actually. It winds along the valleys that lead down to the Columbia River and passes some rock quarries and a large windmill installation on the north side of the road.

There’s lot of fun to be had on this expanse of lightly-traveled chipseal, but apparently there’s been a number of accidents as well. Some WSDOT pages I’ve seen indicate that this road has been designated a “Safety Corridor” so it would be wise to keep your speed down to a reasonable level and keep an eye out for other traffic in additional to one’s usual vigilance for law enforcement.

Columbia River Photos, near Vantage:

Photo by Jami Dwyer (CC: AT)

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Back in 2004, I wrote the following about a trip I did in August of that year.

Several weeks prior to the ‘Beaver Blast’ put together by my cycling club, I mentioned to one of my co-workers that I would be going to Oregon. We’d been talking about doing FR25 <sic>together for about a year, but had never figured out our respective work schedules. So this time, we figured we’ve got to go do Helens.

As I’d taken a 4-day weekend to do this trip, we were down at Mt. St. Helens on a Friday afternoon. The day was warm and over-dry, but a fair number of bikes could be seen heading up and down our subject road. We gassed up, fed, and re-stocked our liquids at Randle before heading south into the meat of our journey through the National Volcanic Monument.

Many very nice roads are to be found in this area, include WA SR7, FR99, FR90/SR503 to Vancouver, and FR90 leading east and then south down to Carson.

This is still true for the most part. Things have changed a little bit on FS25. FS25 is still a wonderland of twisty bits and wonderful sweepers, but it’s also rather dangerous now.

The Washington State Patrol and the Forest Service have started doing high emphasis traffic enforcement patrols on this road and on FS99 due to the number of sportbike riders getting themselves seriously injured here. During 2005 and 2006 it was not a common occurrence for 2-3 riders per weekend to be airlifted out.

FS25 and (especially) FS99 are still fantastic places to get views of Mt. St. Helens, but in the intervening 25+ years since the eruption, the trees have started have started to regrow.

A couple photos taken on FS25 some years ago:

The north end of FS25 / WA SR 131

My riding partner doing the sweeper bits along the south end

FS25 has no services whoatsoever along the length except for at either end. There’s some gas stations and convenience stores and a small tavern/restaurant in Randle. There’s also a small restaurant and a gas station in Cougar. Last time I rolled through to the east on FS90 I saw a little gas station a few miles east of the FS25 junction, but I haven’t been able to find anything online or in my map software to verify it’s still there.

If you’re looking for much more than this, you’ll have to either go into Packwood on the north end or down toward Vancouver on the south leg of SR503.

• Towns: Randle, Cougar
• Length: 95 miles, including a trip to the overlook on FS99
• Counties: Lewis, Skamania

Microsoft Streets & Trips file for FS25/Washington SR131

Overview Map for FS25 / SR131:

The black circle that you see below is the location for the SR99 turnoff. That is also reflected in the MS S&T map linked above.

Google Map:

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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

Overview Map of Washington State Route 508:

Google Map:

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High Bridge Road is a short piece of pavement tucked in between the hillsides of Southern Snohomish County and the Snoqualmie River.

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.

I actually swung over to this side of the valley on a whim one weekend. I generally prefer the more agrarian roads over on the east side of the Snoqualmie, but decided that I had waited long enough to go ride High Bridge.

High Bridge in and of itself is a nice little stretch of road comprised mostly of 35-40mph sweepers and a handful of sharp 15-20mph corners. Many of the corners seem to have gravel outside the normal car/truck tire tracks, but is rarely unmanageable unless you’re in over your head.

One drawback to High Bridge is the very highly-patrolled 35mph are in the Snohomish County section. The stunters and racers frequented this area, and the gendarme got tired to MercyFlight’ing people who were overcooking this road’s unforgiving sharp corners.

High Bridge has some other flaws as well. One of these is a unreasonably high amount of traffic. I was well and truly shocked how busy this road was on a chilly and rainy autumn Sunday afternoon, and the cars drive just as erraticaly as the stunters on this road but with far less attention from the cops.

Being seasonally appropriate, watch out for leaving in the corners on this road. If they’re freshly blown out of the trees, you might be riding directly at a “wall-to-wall” carpet of leaves that will pitch out right over the edge of the bluff into the river valley below.

High Bridge is named West Snoqualmie Valley Road in King County. I don’t really bother to use that name much, as the interesting part is in Snohomish County anyway. South of 124 Street you’re better off over on State Route 203, as that section while busier is still more entertaining that what’s left of High Bridge.

• Nice view of Snoqualmie Valley, for your passenger. You’re too busy dodging cars and gravel or wet leaves.
• Access from north of SR522 via Eliot Road or from Echo Lake Road to Lost Lake Road to Welch Road.

High Bridge is very nice. Watch out for leaves and cagers in some of the blind corners.

This road is very heavily patrolled as at one point this road was a common hangout for stunters. It’s not as much nowadays, but enough riders hit the pavement here that the local cops haven’t let up yet. While technically not part of the same road, I also suggest Elliott Road and Lowell-Larimer Road on the north end continuing up into Everett. It’s reputedly a nice little suburban road.

• Road Name: High Bridge Road/Snoqualmie Valley Road
• Counties: King, Snohomish
• Length: 14
• Towns: Duvall, Novelty

Microsoft Streets and Trips file for High Bridge Road/ Snoqualmie Valley Road

Garmin GPX file for High Bridge Road / Snoqualmie Valley Road

Google Map:

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