Steen Mountain Road Loop

Since the rise of nationalism in the United States, I have tried to disappear into the woods for the Fourth of July. I love this country, and as a queer Asian woman living in a mixed political space, I don't feel safe during this holiday anymore. Last year, I caught up with my van lifing besties Jess and Aaron in the Steens to escape the madness for some car camping and hiking. It was so peaceful and quiet that I decided to head back, but this time solo by bike. (Patrick had a gig out in Stanley, Idaho... I had originally planned to join, but realized that having a low level of anxiety for the weekend was not what I needed for my mental health). 

Not much else to say here, other than the Steens is a magical place and especially so in July when the wildflowers are at their peak. Take your time to pop out into the interpretive parts on the descent, the views are much more magical on this side of the mountain. It'd be too easy to just go screaming down the hill. My hands needed the rest anyway!

So much exposed climbing.

Campsite at Fish Lake was beautiful shaded with surprisingly no mosquitos. Or maybe just one that I killed. So then none after that.

Wildflower lined roads from about 6000 feet on up!

So many damn wildflowers!

Since the second day had a little less climbing, I used the extra time to go and explore the Wildhorse Lake Basin (and filter water).

So dang pretty. But so little snow as compared to last year.

My magical dispersed campsite. Zero fireworks heard, thank goodness.

Screaming descent needs a break sometimes.

Learning about the first peoples... the Numu, whose descendants are members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

Final stop... lunch!

A few tips for cycle tourists:

• The road on Steens Mountain usually opens around the first week of July. It opened early this year due to the low snowpack. 
• I parked in the little trailhead parking lot across from the Frenchglen hotel, which serves breakfast daily from 7:30 - 9:30 am and lunch Sunday - Thursday from 12 - 2 pm. Dinner is by reservation. The new operator is really nice and my post-ride lunch was outstanding.
• I am glad I rode this the direction I did for water access and the most reasonable way to split the climbing between two days. It felt a little funny having two 15 mile climbing days, and then a 40 mile day of mostly descent and rolling flat, but it worked out well. 
• I feel comfortable saying that the dispersed site has reliable water at least though July and early August. I don't know if it always runs, so when in double, you can always filter at Wildhorse Lake and then pack out extra water for camping.
• The campsite at Lily Lake was so cute and quiet, I would have preferred to camp there, but the water source wasn't really good for filtering water. More like a marshy puddle in early July. If I had enough water to dry camp, I would have, knowing I could fill just 1.5 miles up the road. But it was also just enough climbing that I didn't want to ride up the road to Fish Lake, get water, and then ride back. Ha. Both are typically mosquito-ey this time of year... but due to the low snowpack, it was oddly mosquito-free. That said, bring bug spray. 
• This route is really exposed and hot in the summer. You need to reapply sunscreen several times and don't underestimate how high up you get!
• This route can also be super windy near the summit. I got so lucky with the wind dying down at camp in my dispersed site, so make sure you have your tent staked down really well.

Bikepacking Overnights: Billy's Playground Modified

It's been a hard year and I am determined to get out bikepacking more and stay connected to my friends. When our country feels like it is falling apart and having a job that is meaningful but heavy, sometimes the activation energy seems almost like too much. That's when I am grateful for having some backup routes that I can pull out. This one was based off a Dirty Freehub route called Billy's Playground. I like to take some of their bigger gnarly rides and turn them into overnighters... and this one was fantastic. I would highly recommend this one to anyone!

The dirt was fast, the climbing was mostly reasonable for an earlier season ride, the company impeccable, and we scored a gorgeous walk in tent site. 

Fast rolling dirt out of Sisters.

Lake Billy Chinook Village Store and its GIANT chair!

Views of Lake Billy Chinook before a big descent. We were sad cuz we had to pedal downhill into a headwind. It is worth doing the short hike out at this pullout to see the rock umbrellas.

Our sweet campsite with water views!

Patrick is the only one who braved the cold water... the clouds made it cool down real quick.

Group photo on day two before leaving camp.

The gnarly climb out!

And more climbing up to Green Ridge. So much climbing.

A few tips for cycle tourists:

• We parked at the Sisters City Park which has free parking and allows overnight parking. We like their bathrooms for changing and proximity to delicious food post ride.
• Early season (aka early June), Perry South campground was really lovely and has nice bathrooms, potable water, and wood for sale. We were lucky as fire bans were not in effect for this campground, and since the campground was only about half full, it was also pretty peaceful. I had researched in advance and saw there were still plenty of sites left a few days out, so wasn't concerned. We had the Monty Campground as a back up, but that would have required one more climb that day. We were told that once it got hot (aka by July), reservations would be absolutely needed.
• The Lake Billy Chinook store is pretty limited in what it has. I was glad to have brought everything I needed, but they do have a strong drink/beverage game, and so I was happy to buy a cold single serving margarita there.

Vancouver Island Tree to Sea Mini

My friend Aparna rallied us all to meet up on Vancouver Island for some mountain biking. She and her husband already had some plans to climb and ride in Banff, and welcomed us to join on any or all of their plans. At one point, we had our whole crew and our respective partners in on the trip.

• Aparna and hubby -- doing an epic with a trailer to Banff and then to Vancouver Island
• LeeAnn (me!) and Patrick -- preferring to keep our whole trip on Vancouver Island and bringing so many bikes for bikepacking and mountain biking
• Ani and Mark -- Ani was going to join me and Patrick for bikepacking, and then Mark was maybe going to join for the mountain biking
• Elisa and hubby -- joining Aparna and Jamie for their whole shebang
• Nicole and her boo -- coming up just for mountain biking

Team Ani and Mark ended up feeling like the logistics were too complicated and backed out. Then Elisa's husband broke his wrist mountain biking just a week before the trip. And we were down to Aparna, Nicole, and me with our partners.

One of the epic Vancouver Island bikepacking routes is the Tree to Sea route, that typically takes well over 2 weeks to finish. Whelp, we did not have that kind of time. We had 3 - 4 days max. I saw some mini versions and created a route. I loved this 3.5 day route so much. It was hard, it was magic, and it made me fall in love with this corner of Vancouver Island. 

Patrick and I had only done a few easy overnighters together and always with other people. This would be our first bigger bikepacking trip just the two of us. I knew this guy loved me when he was excited for this part of the trip because it would be really romantic to get sweaty and struggle through some Type 2 fund together.

Magical paths in the rainforest.

Waterside biking.

We actually didn't get rained on too much, but we did find this tiny shelter at our first campground. Ha.

Little Bear Bay magic. It rained like the dickens overnight, but was magical both the day before and the morning after.

OMG bear fishing! Apparently at night, the salmon sleep in the bay and the smart bears come early morning for an easy meal. We were told this is a "good local bear" and just comes to eat without messing with campers.

Steep steeps.

We figured out how to securely strap a pizza onto Patrick's bike!

Last night camping!

One of a gajillion farm stands.

When you run out of space in the panniers.

The infamous salsa battle.

A few tips for cycle tourists:

• The caretakers of Kin Beach Provincial Park were so lovely -- the guy was also a bikepacker and was so excited to host us and talk bikes with us. They let us park our car there for free. There is also hiker/biker camping as well. We camped there our first night. It's right on the water and we missed some whales passing by just a few hours on our return.
• The first 15+ miles of the route and the last 15+ miles are the same, but those miles are dotted with farm stands that are a joy! Including competing salsa makers. 
• Dispersed camping is hard. Why? Because the undergrowth out here is dense. Luckily, people are nice. We relied on two first come first served campsites (Upper Campbell Reservoir Campground and Little Bear Bay) and while both were full, we managed to find a space to camp. The third campground had first come first served campsites and reservable ones (Miracle Beach), and while it was booked up, we were able to find a site that had been vacated early. If you want to rely on Miracle Beach, I'd recommend making a reservation in advance.
• If you stay at Little Bear Bay... and you absolutely should... it was a GEM, you will need to explore a little to find a water source. My research showed from a kayaker report that Pye creek was a reliable source and it wasn't too hard to find since there was a use trail there.
• Chonky tires recommend.

Bikepacking Overnight: Sisters to Smith Rock

One of my bikepacking besties has a goal to ride every single Oregon Scenic Bikeway and so I designed a mixed gravel route that incorporate the Sister to Smith Rock scenic bikeway for her birthday! This was party pace bike riding in its finest, complete with a coffee/beer stop at Redpoint Climbing in Terrebonne and easy resupply just miles before camp so you don't have to carry much food if you don't want to.  

Sunset was magical, the company was the best, and sometimes the adventures closest to home are the ones we need most.

Dirt roads heading out of Sisters.

Sometimes short people need a help from their taller friends!

Survived and getting ready to climb out from the creek.

Rolling into Smith Rock state park.

We stretched our legs and walked the rim at Smith Rock.

Bivouac camping area! It was cold!!!

Alpaca joy!

The paved road home.

A few tips for cycle tourists:

• If you do this route in the Spring, make sure to check the Wychus Creek water gauge to get an idea of what that water crossing looks like and if it is feasible. Under 160 CFS is about 18" deep with a moderate flow and is pretty safe for most folks (I am 5'2" so it was easy for my friend and harder for me as it was up to my knees). Over 200 CFS, would not recommend! 
• Camping is ample in the Smith Rock bivouac ad I'm told they will not turn away bike tourists. 
• Ani scored some mini creamers from the gas station!

Bikepacking Overnight: Klickatat Maryhill Loops (Not Recommended)

While I have gotten pretty good at route planning, sometimes, I get the intel wrong for all my best intentions and research. I am posting this SOLELY because I did not find much on the private property closure on the top of Maryhill Loops and I had seen other trip reports where people minimized the risks of trespassing.

Ani and I were craving Spring Columbia River Gorge wildflowers and the Klickitat trail was also on our bucket list. So off we went. We braved 25+ mph headwinds, 14% grades, and navigated some challenging conditions.

This is a route that I would NOT recommend as designed for several reasons. Trespassing at the top of Maryhill loops have clearly become an issue. The residents have put up a lot of signage and we did not feel comfortable with others who decided to just jump the gate. 

If I had to do this again, I would camp at the Maryhill State Park and do the Maryhill loops as a day ride and not incorporate it into a bikepacking trip. I'd also be curious to re-route this counter-clockwise and find a different way to do the loop!

Some gnarly doubletrack straight up a hill.

Gorgeous views!

Peak flower season on the Gorge!

We got to push this button on the road to go through the tunnel... its a take the lane situation sharing with cars.

Klickitat trail joy!

Our sweet dispersed campsite right on the water. Our neighbor? A goat. Like the guy brought his goat out camping.

Maryhill loops!

A few tips for cycle tourists:

• The Canyon Market in Klickitat is a gem and the staff were super nice!
• From what we could tell by other cyclists we saw, people tended to ride the Klickitat trail the opposite way we did.
• While the wildflowers in the Gorge in April are magical, holy crap the wind is not to be f*cked with!
  
• We camped out Friday night at the Deschutes Recreation Site (one of our favorites), and then did the mad dash on the highway over the river. It also has free parking vs paid parking at Maryhill State Park.
• If you do want to bike Maryhill loops, check out their website to make sure it isn't closed for a special event (e.g. they do a longboarding event there!) - https://www.maryhillmuseum.org/outside/historic-maryhill-loops-road. 

Bikepacking Overnight: White River - Wamic Loop

2024 shaped up to be a pretty dismal year for bikepacking. While we were able to get the whole crew together for a big camping weekend with mountain bikes, we got rained out of two bike tours. As we neared the end of bikepacking season, wildfire smoke settled into Central Oregon unseasonably late, and then much needed rain threatened the last trip we had on the calendar. But in the end, the OG crew of Ani and myself made it happen and had a blissful -- if hard -- two days out relishing the fall colors.

We rode the Dirty Freehub "White River Loop - Wamic extension" as mapped and camped at the Bonney Crossing Campground, which boasts this lovely one-star Google review:

Neither of us had ridden much this year, so it felt a little extra hard... but just note that riding it this way puts the vast majority of the climbing in the first day!

From wide farmland views, clear looks at Mt. Hood (Wy'east), golden oaks, larches, and the best of all the fall colors, we ended this bikepacking season with a commitment to get bigger badder bike rides for 2025!

Farmland art.

Me on a bike!

Windy dirty roads.

Dropping the descent into the Wamic River... not as fun as we wanted cuz it was pretty washboarded and loose.

Just another gorgeous river crossing.

But the fall colors and party hat can't be beat.

Mt. Hood (Wy'east) with a dapper cloud hat and sweet lenticular clouds.

Wamic coffee stop to get us up the last climb.

Bonney Crossing Campground is a gem of a primitive campground... no one but us and another bikepacking duo that came in after dark.

We relished the last of the golden rays of sun in fall colors on the trail across the road.

Morning moon and pink skies.

A few tips for cycle tourists:

• We hit this at just the right time after bow hunting season had ended but before the regular hunting season at peak fall color!
• While not marked on the Dirty Freehub map, there is a great dispersed campsite next to the Wamic River if you don't mind starting the day with a steep climb. And, I'd be a little weary of the water due to the agricultural runoff on each side of that canyon, which is why we happily opted for the Bonney Crossing Campground, which gets its water from the nearby wilderness area.
• There are some great food options in Wamic (a bar that serves food and a cafe with coffee, ice cream, breakfast, and wraps) and Tygh Valley (Molly B's diner).