Starting in Camas, take State Road 500 and follow it
north through the countryside until you reach the suburban junction with State Road
503. At this point, turn right onto 503
and follow it out of the suburban environment it starts in to some very nice
rural forests and farmlands. As you head north, you will find that traffic
begins to thin out rather quickly a few miles after you leave Battleground. Then you can really begin to enjoy some nice gentle
sweeping turns and scenery. By the time
you reach Fargher Lake, the turns are beginning to get better as the road
narrows down from the multi-lane highway to a two-lane road.
Remaining on 503 as you head towards Amboy, the
turns begin to become sharper, and the speed limit advisory signs drop down to
15 mph. Enjoying the road and scenery
getting better as you ride through Amboy, and Chelatchie up to the Yale
junction on 503. At this point you again
make a right hand turn and stay on 503 heading towards Cougar. Riding along the shores of Yale Lake, you
will begin to get a sense of how special this loop can be. But the views are only just beginning, with
secrets yet to be discovered. Depending
on the size of your fuel tank, you may want to top off in Cougar. As fuel isn’t always available until you
reach Carson.
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| Cougar Bar & Grill |
Once you pass through Cougar, and enter the Gifford
Pinchot National Forest, State Road 503 becomes forest road 90. As you begin to climb along FR90, there are
times you will find it hard not to look away from the road at the vistas
appearing around you. Go ahead and look,
but look away from the road for too long and the road may make you pay for that
mistake.
One of the first secrets along this road is Ape
Cave. A few thousand-year-old lava tube
on the south side of Mt St Helens. It is
a popular tourist attraction and well worth the slight side trip of only a
couple of miles from this loop. I can’t
recall anyone ever telling me they didn’t enjoy it. But do bring a good light, or rent a lantern
at the Ape Cave entrance. For more
information click here and learn if you may be interested in spending a couple of hours enjoying Ape
Cave.
Continuing east on forest road 90, the road climbs
up above the Swift Reservoir, and the truly fun riding has really begun. With twists and “S” curves, and a few
sweepers thrown into the mix a rider can really find themselves getting into
the peace this road seems to bring. Even
though it seems to be remote, its being only a short trip from the Portland/Vancouver
area does mean that this loop can often be well-populated by other motorcycles,
and even other vehicles. So keep your
eyes open, and enjoy the ride as you go on.
When you reach the junction of FR90 with FR25, it
can be misleading. The “90 Road” make a
left turn, and if you don’t make the turn you are on the “25 Road” and will end
up in Randle if you don’t get back on the right road. Sad to say, but FR25 used to be a truly great
motorcycle road. But budget cuts during
the last decade or so have really turned it into a horrendous bike breaking
road if you aren’t careful and avoid the many frost heaves and subsided
sections of roadway that can stretch for a hundred yards or more.
Let’s get back to FR90 at the junction. Following the road, you soon cross the Lewis
River, and very shortly after that you come to Northwoods and Eagle
Cliffs. There is a gas station that
during the summer sometimes has no fuel at Eagle Cliffs. Also, there is a small store, cabins and a
small campground that is more than suitable to use as a base camp if you want
to make this loop into a longer ride than just a day trip.
When you leave Eagle Cliffs heading east on FR90,
there are a couple of other little secrets just beyond the turn at Curly Creek
Rd. If you enjoy waterfalls, you can
ride approximately 0.9 miles and turn left onto FR9039. Follow the road about a mile or so to the
trailhead for Curly Creek Falls. The
falls are on the opposite side of the river, and quite enjoyable. There is another trailhead very close to another
waterfall. Both are enjoyable and worth
the effort. For more information ask at
Eagle Cliffs about the many different waterfalls within a 15 to 20-minute ride
of the store. You will be glad you did
if you enjoy waterfalls.
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| McClellan Overlook |
If you don’t want to visit the falls, simply turn
right when you reach the junction of the “90 Road” and Curly Creek Road. This road was built around the turn of the millennium
and I have always said that whoever laid it out must have been a biker. The road climbs with a long left-handed sweeper
that swings up the hill before the road wraps around past McClellan Overlook. By this time the curves have begun to tighten
and soon take on a sweet rhythm that feels so natural to a rider to make almost
effortlessly. This section of Curly Creek
Road is one of my favorite roads to ride, and it soon passes by too
quickly. At the junction of Curly Creek
Rd and Meadow Creek Rd (FR30) turn right and continue on. The road will swing to the southeast and
become Wind River Road. You will be
following this road all the way into Carson and the junction with State Road 14
along the Columbia River.
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| Beacon Rock State Park on State Road 14 |
I hope you enjoy this route. It is one of my favorites. After you have had the chance to check it
out, let me know what you think. I am
always open to critiques if they are constructive and mean that I can improve
my information to the motorcycling community here in the Pacific Northwest.
Catch you on the road sometime…
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