The Oregon coast has a prolific network of logging roads. A lot of them are timber company owned and gated, however they are open to cyclists and people on foot. Perfect! We did some exploring and patched together a great loop through the back neighborhood roads of Rockaway Beach and then up into the mountains above town. Once again, we weren’t sure what to expect as far as surface so we road mountain bikes.
It was foggy and chilly (60) when we started our ride so I was bundled up. I hate starting cold and I knew I’d shed the layers fast and I did. First we wound through the east side of town on some gravel roads, then we circled by Lake Lytle which was completely shrouded in fog and invisible. Just pass the high school we turned and headed up into the hills on a gated logging road.
This is where the climbing started and I quickly took off all my warm clothes. The sun was brilliant and the climbing was relentless. Ordinarily we could probably glimpse the ocean, but it was socked in. We climbed and climbed and made a couple turns before we were up on the ridge and able to get some speed up as it rolled along. At one intersection I came around the corner and spooked to bobcats that scattered into the forest. I know there is all sorts of wildlife out here, I keep seeing elk, bear, and what I think is probably coyote poop. Keep alert!
Eventually we started a long fast descent back into town to complete the loop. Will we ride this again? Absolutely! There are several other routes up here that we’ll explore as well. One could put in quite a bit of mileage in this area.
