4 rail-trails to tackle on two wheels

When you get out and explore the Pacific Northwest, is your bike at the top of your packing list? You’re not alone. The region’s love affair with pedal power makes it a hub for cyclists — and there’s no shortage of trails to tackle on two wheels. Many of the best routes are actually converted railways or roads, which you can explore on the TrailLink platform while also learning about the rail-trail movement. Here are some particularly scenic ones to check out.

Banks-Vernonia State Trail | Banks, Vernonia

Touted as Oregon’s first “rails-to-trails” park, this 21-mile paved path follows the route that timber-hauling trains once took as they chugged through the coastal mountain foothills. You’ll find six different trailheads, so you can take on the entire distance or focus on certain sections. As you travel north from Banks, rolling farmland turns into scenic forest teeming with gurgling creeks and wildlife, ultimately ending at a small lake in Vernonia. The showstopper is the 733-foot long, 80-foot high Buxton Trestle, which offers picturesque views, as well as a park down below with picnic tables.

Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail | Troutdale, Hood River, The Dalles

This trail is actually three disconnected paved paths — you’ll have to share the road with cars on historic Highway 30 in between. But the awe factor could not be much higher, and the reward is seeing the soaring cliffs and tumbling waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge from a perspective unlike any other. The natural wonder’s effect on the landscape becomes apparent as you journey from Troutdale in the west, to Hood River and The Dalles in the east, where lush evergreen trees (and wildfire scars) eventually give way to semi-arid grassland. Sights include the massive Bonneville Dam, the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks and the Mitchell Point Tunnel.

Tommy Thompson Parkway | Anacortes

If shorter, more leisurely distances are your jam, this 3.3-mile path named for a local railroad hobbyist is a family friendly option (you could, of course, make it the start of an international cycling journey by continuing on to Victoria, B.C., via the nearby Anacortes ferry terminal). Along the path, you’ll encounter birdwatching opportunities and the chance to ride across a 2,000-foot trestle that traverses Hidalgo Bay, where salmon and other marine wildlife can be spotted in the shallow water. Mount Baker stands tall on the horizon on clear days.

Snake River Canyon Rim Trails | Twin Falls

You don’t even have to own a bike to experience this incredible 10-mile network of developed paths. Simply rent one at the Twin Falls Visitor Center and set out eastward along the edge, traveling under the I. P. Perrine Bridge and past the world-famous site of Evil Knievel’s failed stunt. You may even see some BASE jumpers plunging into the air. Viewpoints of Pillar Falls and Shoshone Falls, aka “Niagara of the West” — both of which offer quite the spectacle as they tumble over gargantuan rock formations — are easily accessed along the trail.

Lead photo courtesy of Oregon State Parks