Oregon Crater Lake Bike Tour
Spectacular and unforgettable. Great guides, great guests, great food, great routes, great support and awesome scenery!
Bicycle Adventures provides a worry-free vacation. We have taken 15-16 trips with BA, and ALL of our guides have been great!
This was my first guided bike tour and I could not have had a more awesome experience!
BA makes vacationing about as effortless as possible. The routes maximize scenery and minimize traffic, and the guides pretty much spoil you.
Dan's knowledge of this range and his passion for birds and unique humor made for a really informative and fun time. Taylor is amazing and so daring, willing to explore, plan ahead and educate us on plants etc. For being the first time these 2 were paired up, they did a remarkable job playing off of each other's skill sets... I really appreciate all the fresh, healthy fruit, salads and local foods that were offered.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
- Meet us in Eugene for a 6-day bicycle tour in the Cascade Mountains of central Oregon.
- Begin with two wondrous roads – the Aufderheide Scenic Byway, and McKenzie Pass – taking you to the east side of the mountains.
- Spend two nights in Bend – the undisputed adventure capital of eastern Oregon while you cycle through pine forests with volcano views.
- Hike by a river beneath basalt cliffs at renowned Smith Rock State Park.
- Savor two nights perched on the rim of the caldera at Crater Lake National Park Lodge.
- Cycle the rim of Crater Lake – a bucket-list ride if there ever was one!
- Finish with a cruise downhill to sparkling Diamond Lake for a peaceful ride on the bike paths along the shore.
One of our guests once expressed, “If I had one last day on Earth, I’d ride the rim at Crater Lake,” and we agree! Relish riding roads through forests of tall timbers beside sparkling rivers and snow-crowned peaks. Warm up on the low-traffic Aufderheide Scenic Byway as you pedal through dense forests along a river and over a low pass. Cycle through lava fields and mountain vistas on the McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway. Explore the brewpub-and-outdoor-lover’s paradise of Bend, Oregon. Hike Central Oregon’s surreal high desert. Spend two days in stunning Crater Lake National Park, and ride around the volcanic rim of the deepest lake in the United States. It all adds up to one phenomenal week!
This tour is operated under special use permit/s with the Deschutes National Forest, Umpqua National Forest and Crater Lake National Park. Bicycle Adventures is an equal opportunity provider.
Itinerary
Day 01
Meet in Eugene and hop right onto one of the ‘Top 10 Roads in the West’ - the stunning Aufderheide Scenic Byway.
Meals
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
McKenzie Riverside Cottages
Distance / Elevation
59.7 miles · +3659 ft / -3528 ft
After we meet in Eugene, we kick things off by riding the beautiful Aufderheide National Scenic Byway over a low pass (elev. 3750’) connecting two of the upper forks of the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers in the Willamette National Forest. Ride beneath dense old growth and past a sparkling reservoir on a route the Adventure Cycling Association once hailed as one of the top 10 roads in the West, “…a mecca for road riders looking for ultra-smooth pavement, low traffic and scenic beauty.” Spend tonight at McKenzie Riverside Cottages, a favorite haunt of President Herbert Hoover.
Day 02
Climb from old-growth forests to the lava fields of McKenzie Pass Scenic Bikeway on your way to Bend.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
McMenamins Old St. Francis School
Distance / Elevation
47.2 miles · +4608 ft / -2621 ft
Native tribes once used this route to access the mountains for fishing, berry picking and obsidian collecting. Cross the Cascade Range via McKenzie Pass Scenic Bikeway, a 3,700-foot climb spanning 22 miles. The average grade is just under 4% so it’s steady but not steep as you ascend through quiet forests up into open meadows. Then, for miles as you ride across the gentle pass, you have snowcapped mountain views on one side and formidable lava fields on the other. Have lunch with a view at the summit amongst a tumultuous sea of lava up to 2000 years old. Reward yourself with a long sweeping descent through majestic ponderosa pines into the Old West town of Sisters. Then it’s on to your two-night stay at McMenamins Old St. Francis School in the athletes’ mecca of Bend, Oregon. Enjoy the soaking pool at McMenamins – and have fun exploring the town’s craft brewpubs.
Day 03
Go for a hike at Smith Rock in the morning. Explore Bend, Oregon’s "adventure capital," in the afternoon.
Meals
– Breakfast
Lodging
McMenamins Old St. Francis School
After we go for a hike at the world-famous rock-climbing mecca at Smith Rock State Park in the morning, you have the afternoon to enjoy the Bend area on your own. The hard part will be deciding what to choose! Bend offers a plethora of choices: world-class fly fishing on rivers like the Deschutes and Metolius, stellar hiking and mountain biking and river rafting. In town, there are brewpubs, shops, art galleries and a lovely river walk to enjoy. Prefer to pedal? We’ll show you some great road cycling options in the area. Spend another night at McMenamins Old St. Francis School and enjoy the soaking pool, on-site restaurants, bars, and movie theater.
Day 04
Ride Dutchman Flat and Crane Prairie, then ride into Crater Lake National Park.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Crater Lake Lodge
Distance / Elevation
AM ride: 29 miles · +342 ft / -2,227 ft (or more)
PM Ride: 9.8 miles · +1,376 ft / -121 ft
Ride the Cascade Lakes Highway today. This gorgeous National Scenic Byway in the Deschutes National Forest wraps the foothills of Mt. Bachelor, curving from Dutchman Flat to lunch at Crane Prairie Reservoir. This breeding ground for osprey is also home to record-breaking rainbow trout. This afternoon, ride into Crater Lake National Park – an unforgettable cruise across a high meadow strewn with volcanic pumice from the blast of Mt. Mazama 8,000 years ago. Crest the rim for your first sight of stunning Crater Lake 1,500 feet below. As one of Oregon’s seven wonders, it’s nothing short of breathtaking! Spend the next two nights at Crater Lake Lodge, the lovingly restored National Park Lodge perched on the west rim. The views are fantastic.
Day 05
Ride Crater Lake’s spectacular rim – a challenging and glorious 35-mile route that tops Bicycling magazine’s ‘Dream Rides’ list.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Crater Lake Lodge
Distance / Elevation
34.4 miles · +4165 ft / -4163 ft
Circumnavigating the rim of Crater Lake is widely considered to be one of the most spectacular one-day rides in the country. PureWow’s travel page calls it one of the ’11 Most Zen Places on the Planet.’ On one side, a rocky cliff leads down to the deepest lake in the United States; on the other, thrill to a 100-mile panoramic view from 7,000 feet of elevation: the Cascade Mountains, Eastern Oregon’s high desert, Cinnamon Butte, The Sisters. We guarantee this will be one of the top 5 bicycle rides of your life.
Day 06
Ride to Diamond Lake - truly a gem!
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
Distance / Elevation
27.2 miles · +1,112 ft / -3,014 ft
You’ve earned some relaxing downhill today! Cycle north beside hypnotizing waters of Crater Lake one last time before descending into the Umpqua National Forest. Cruise the shoreline of lovely Diamond Lake on a traffic-free paved bike path to the resort where we load up for our return to Eugene, stopping for lunch along the way.
*Bicycle Adventures operates under special use permits while on Federal Lands managed by the National Forest Service (USDA), National Parks and Bureau of Land Management. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination: write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Bikes (See our Guest Info Packet for specific bike make and model.)
Have you been to Portlandia?
Our sister company, Cycle Portland, offers guided small-group bike tours exploring the vibrant city, bountiful breweries, or culinary wonders. The tours are a great way to explore the City of Roses before your bike tour begins, or after you’re out of the saddle.
Discover Portland by bike!