Bike-Friendly Accommodation &Adventure in Oregon Wine Country
Outdoor Adventure Awaits You Just Outside Portland, OR
Are you looking for a drive vacation in Oregon but are finding it difficult to decide where to go and what to do safely? Consider making bike-friendly travel plans in Willamette Valley Wine Country. Thirty minutes from Portland, you can enjoy a pampered stay at a trusted, sparkling-clean Oregon bed & breakfast and easy access to Oregon’s Scenic Bikeways with your own bikes, with rented bikes, or with a wine-by-bike tour.
Perched at 1000 feet atop Chehalem Mountain in Willamette Valley Wine Country, Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast offers a peaceful retreat between adventures in the valley below. Along with being certified a bike-friendly accommodation, our five-guestroom, upscale B&B offers guests private rooms with attached bathrooms and modern luxuries like memory foam mattresses, jetted tubs and fireplaces. Perfect accommodation after a day of biking. Guests also enjoy 3-course gourmet breakfasts, private balconies, and the perks of staying in a centrally located B&B in the heart of bike-friendly wine country.
Designated as a bike-friendly business through Travel Oregon, our guests have a safe, sheltered bike-shed in which to lock up their bicycles in the evening, the use of tools to service and clean bikes, and bike maps of the local area. The trusty local experts running the B&B (that’s owner/chef Kristin and Assistant Innkeeper Liz) are also available for the inside scoop on where, when and how to bike wine country.
Oregon Scenic Bikeways just minutes from the Bed & Breakfast
The Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway extends along its namesake river and travels the distance from Newberg’s Champoeg State Park all the way down to Eugene’s Armitage Park – a whopping 134 miles. For guests staying at bike-friendly Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast and who are looking for a pleasant ride on an even-graded trail, we recommend biking the first section of the trail starting at 10 miles south of the B&B at Champoeg State Park and ending at Willamette Mission State Park – a 30 mile loop. While being a beautiful route with little traffic, it also offers cyclists some interesting agricultural and historical landmarks to explore. At Champoeg (pronounced sham-POO-ee), you can learn about the first Oregon settlers-turned-community leaders who laid the groundwork of our great state on the very grounds of the park. Throughout your ride, you’ll also be passing through rich agricultural land which grows everything from hazelnut trees to grapevines to hop farms, making it easy to understand why Oregon is a top producer of hazelnuts, Pinot Noir and the hops that have made full-flavored IPAs a staple in breweries nationwide. At this loop’s mid-way point, spend time at Willamette Mission State Park before turning back. Explore 6 more miles of park trails, play the 18-hole disc-golf course or pack a lunch and enjoy a picnic at the edge of its Mission Lake.
The Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway is a great option for its proximity to the Bed & Breakfast and for its variety of bikeway attractions. We recommend the southern loop for intermediate cyclists as the loop from Hillsboro to Banks clocks in at 60 miles. The starting-off point is located at the beautiful Rood Bridge Park, an easy 15 minute drive northwest of the B&B towards Hillsboro. From there, cyclists travel up paved, bike-friendly country roads with views of pastures, vineyards and the majestic Coastal Range as the backdrop. If you’re travelling through the months of May to September you can take advantage of several U-Pick farms and country stores along the way. At Liz’s favorite, Unger Farms, enjoy a fresh fruit smoothie on the deck overlooking their glistening pond, before heading back on the bikeway.
At the 13 mile mark of the Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway, you’ll see the quaint little downtown of Forest Grove. Rest at the nearby campus of Pacific University or shop up and down the main city blocks of this cute college town. Many of our guests hit Forest Grove on their return journey as it offers hungry bikers many choices for lunch with bike-friendly outdoor seating. If you do power through to the end, 15 miles more will take you through gorgeous American farmland and you’ll end at the small town of Banks. Bikers can grab lunch on weekends at the Hop Cycle Brewery.
For the avid bicyclist looking for a challenging ride, take the northern section of Oregon’s Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway. Dubbed the Banks-Vernonia State Trail as it traverses north from Banks to the lumber town of Vernonia, this trail gets significantly harder after the 5 mile mark. From the Manning Trailhead to Tophill, it dips and climbs up again to top out at 600 feet elevation. Our recent guests, Ben and Kelsie, said this bikeway was hard going up but a fun and easy glide all the way down. Riders beware: during Summer 2020, the northern half of this leg, beginning at the Tophill Trailhead, is closed off for repairs, without alternate routes available.
Wine Country Bike Rentals
If bringing your bike isn’t in your travel plans, wine country can help out with rental options. Just down the hill in Newberg, Newberg Cyclery is operating out of Social Goods Market with bike rentals, e-bike rentals, gear and servicing. You can even have your bike delivered to the B&B. In Hillsboro, you’ll find Banks Bicycle, where guests can rent bikes and gear or get service while traveling the Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway trail.
Guided Bike and Wine Tours for the Easy-Rider
If you have easy riding and easy drinking in mind, then Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast has the tour for you. The wonderful team at Wine de Roads has a bucket-list-worthy biking adventure all figured out. You’ll be provided with bicycles, gear, lunch, and the best part – a private bike-friendly guided tour through Willamette Valley’s stunning vistas of vineyards, orchards and farmlands. By day’s end you’ll have ridden 8-12 country miles and tasted wines at three different wineries located in three different AVAs (with a van to carry your purchases!). Phil Amaya, owner of Wine de Roads, attests that the pace is slow and relaxed so guests can truly ENJOY THE RIDE!
At Chehalem Ridge B&B we are dedicated to help you find new ways to explore the world around you.
This summer, exercise your way into health, nature and a truly Oregon experience with a bike-friendly trip to the Willamette Valley. Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast would love to be your host and your home-base for all your wine country adventures. For more information on these trails and dozens more in and around the Willamette Valley, check out Travel Oregon’s page dedicated to bicycle adventures. To stay with us, please contact us at (503) 538-3474 or check out our website at www.chehalemridge.com.
~by Liz Bethell, Assistant Innkeeper
