For those not familiar with the geography around Mount Rainier, SR165 is the highway that provides access to the northwest corner of the Mt. Rainier area. SR165 isn’t what you expect for a state-funded highway, as the roadway is only marginally maintained (less as you go higher) and the guide rails along the road are… Continue reading Washington State Route 165
Category: Unpaved
Roadways with sections that are not paved or consist of severely-degraded pavement that is not being maintained
Logsden Road / Rock Creek Road
I had an opportunity to ride part of this road recently. I found it to be a very nice rural road without much traffic. The western half of the road that I did was quite enjoyable with very smooth pavement and built with well-engineered curves without extreme changes in curve radius. If you’re riding a… Continue reading Logsden Road / Rock Creek Road
Woodland Grade Road
This is another of the Clearwater River Valley grade roads. Like Greer Grade Road, this one starts down at the bottom of the valley quite near the village of Greer goes up to the top of the plateau and comes back down near Pardee. I have no other information on this road, including its condition.… Continue reading Woodland Grade Road
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… Continue reading Gifford-Pinchot Forest Service 23
Lower Nehalem Road / Foss Road
This road follows the Nehalem River out through the Cascade Range out to Nehalem Bay near Manzanita. While I’ve never had an opportunity to ride this road myself, I’ve been told there are significant sections of the roadway that are not merely unpaved but are dirt 2-track trails. Note: This road is known as Foss… Continue reading Lower Nehalem Road / Foss Road