Hi {{contact.first_name}}, August is the golden stretch in northwest Oregon, the driest, most settled month we get all year. The high country is fully open, the forecast finally holds for days at a time, and the dust is off the good roads. Here is where to point the bike this month, plus the late-summer intel that keeps the fun from turning into a story you did not want to tell.
Ride of the Month: OR-224 up the Clackamas River
A river canyon that hugs the water for forty miles
Run OR-224 southeast out of Estacada and the road pins itself to the Clackamas River, ducking through the Mount Hood National Forest in a long series of shady sweepers that never seem to end. In August the canyon is warm but the river stays cold and green, and the timber keeps the pavement in shade through the heat of the day. It is one of the few big rides close to Portland where you can leave home after breakfast and be deep in the mountains inside an hour.
Push past the Ripplebrook junction and you can link toward Detroit Lake on Forest Road 46, a quieter, higher route through the Cascades that most riders never bother to find. Fuel up in Estacada before you go, because services thin out fast once the river canyon closes in around you.
For a bigger day, string together the West Cascades scenic run down OR-22 along the North Santiam toward Detroit Lake, then climb the Santiam Pass on US-20 with Mount Washington and Three Fingered Jack standing off your shoulder. Closer in, the ride up Larch Mountain Road off the Historic Highway is a tight, tree-lined climb that dead-ends at a viewpoint looking straight across at Mount Hood, St. Helens, and Adams on a clear August evening. Both reward an early start before the weekend traffic wakes up.
Late-Summer Safety: Oregon Edition
Peak season brings its own set of hazards worth respecting.
- Wildfire smoke and haze. By late August the smoke from Cascade and eastern Oregon fires can settle into the valleys and gorges overnight, dropping your visibility and coating your visor. Check conditions before a long day and back off your pace when the air turns gray.
- Log trucks on the forest roads. The canyon runs like OR-224 and the Santiam corridor are working timber roads, and loaded log trucks take the whole lane through blind corners. Hold your line wide of the centerline and expect one around every bend.
- Sun-baked, tar-snake pavement. August heat softens the crack-sealant on the mountain highways into slick black lines that get greasy in the corners, especially in the afternoon. Treat those shiny seams like paint and stay smooth on the throttle.
- Weekend recreation traffic. Detroit Lake, the Clackamas, and the Santiam pull huge crowds of trailers, boats, and distracted drivers hunting for parking. Ride like the RV ahead of you is about to brake for a pullout, because it usually is.
Know Your Oregon Law
- Helmets are mandatory for everyone. Under ORS 814.269, every motorcycle operator and passenger must wear a helmet that meets U.S. DOT standards, with no exception for age or experience. Riding without one is a traffic violation.
- Minimum insurance is 25/50/20. That is 25,000 dollars per person and 50,000 per crash for bodily injury, plus 20,000 for property damage. Oregon also requires uninsured motorist coverage at 25,000 per person and 50,000 per crash. It is often not enough after a real motorcycle wreck, so carry as much UM and UIM as you can.
- Fault is modified comparative negligence. You can still recover even if you were partly to blame, as long as you are not more than 50 percent at fault. Your payout is reduced by your share of the fault, so if you are 10 percent at fault on a 20,000 dollar claim you collect 18,000. Cross 50 percent and you collect nothing.
- You have two years. Oregon gives you two years from the crash to file an injury claim. Evidence disappears long before that, so move early.
Ride Nation Oregon
The local chapter is where riders post weekend miles, call out fresh gravel and pass conditions before you head up, and share the photos worth putting your helmet on for. Post where you rode this month and tag us. It is your scene, run by riders who actually ride these roads.
Still Time for the $20,000 BikeWin Giveaway
You are on this list because you entered, which means you are already in the running for 20,000 dollars toward any motorcycle you want, drawn December 10. Got a buddy who would want a shot? The entry page is open and free.
Share the giveaway
A car turning left across your lane. Gravel on a mountain switchback. A distracted driver who never saw you. If you ever go down, you want a lawyer who actually rides these roads.