Jim O’Horo Columbia Gorge Explorer

INSURANCE NOTE: Only members of the Portland Bicycling Club or the Vancouver Bicycling Club will be covered for accident insurance by their respective clubs’ insurance policies (this insurance is supplemental to your primary policy and is solely intended to provide partial assistance with co-pays, deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses).  If you register for this ride and you are NOT a member of one of these two clubs, you will be fully responsible for your own accident/medical insurance. You are welcome to join either club prior to the ride to enjoy this benefit (join VBC here, or PBC here).

Ride Description

This four-day scenic touring classic starts in Vancouver and takes two days to ride east along the Columbia River, crosses the Columbia at Biggs Junction, and takes two more days to return to Vancouver along the Oregon side. For many years, Jim O’Horo, a member of both the Vancouver Bicycle Club and the Portland Bicycling Club, and an activist in the cycling community (think Alice B. Toeclips award), organized and led this ride. Jim passed away in 2014, and the ride was renamed in his honor.

This is a moderately paced, 4-day, self-supported (i.e., loaded) bike camping tour of the spectacular Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, covering 51-65 miles per day, through breathtaking but sometimes challenging terrain. The 2026 tour leaves Vancouver, WA on Friday May 22nd, traveling east in Washington, descending past the Stonehenge WWI Memorial, crossing the Columbia River at Hwy 97, and returning to Vancouver on Monday, May 25th by riding west in Oregon. The tour allows plenty of time for sightseeing at the many cultural, historical, and scenic points of interest. We will take side roads where possible to avoid congestion. Parts of Washington State Route14 are busy and narrow, but unavoidable.

We have reserved camping spaces for about 30 riders. Registration will remain open until we reach that number or until May 15th, whichever comes first. Online registration will be open until then, and mail-in registrations MUST be RECEIVED before registration closes, so that we can cancel any unneeded campsites.

Maps and cue sheets will be emailed to participants as in previous years, but we will have downloadable maps and cue sheets for your GPS or smart phones. Links for the downloads will be provided to registered riders.

If you want to try bicycle camping, here’s an inexpensive opportunity to experience some of the best scenery in North America. This tour has run for more than 20 years to rave reviews. Although this is a good match for both first-time and experienced “tourers,” riders need to be physically prepared for the daily mileage and sustained hill climbing (mileages shown below are close, but individual bike computers may vary slightly). Side trips and shortcuts may also affect the total mileage.

Schedule

Day 1. (49 miles) Vancouver to Home Valley Park. Starting at Larson’s Bakery, we’ll head out via local roads to SR14, then pass Beacon Rock, Columbia River Gorge Interpretive Center, Bonneville Dam, and the town of Stevenson, taking in the views of scenic Gorge peaks before camping at a small county park just past the turnoff to Carson. Supplies and restaurants are available in Stevenson. Ride Leaders will be available at 7:00 a.m. for check-in. All riders should leave the start by 8:00 a.m.

Check out some 2019 videos of the ride: Day 1 of 4 Columbia River Gorge Explorer

Day 2. (62 miles) Home Valley to Deschutes River State Park. Continue past stunning cliffs and peaks, through a series of tunnels, about 6, and passing Catherine Creek scenic area, the small towns of Bingen and Lyle, and the pictographs at Horsethief Lake State Park. Then climb through open hills with expansive Gorge views to Maryhill Winery and Maryhill Museum of Art (extensive collection of Rodin sculptures) before a breathtaking descent (9.8%, according to RwGPS) past Stonehenge and crossing the Columbia into Oregon and heading to our campsite on the Deschutes River. Some food (mostly fast food) is available in Biggs.

2019 day 2 video: Day 2 of 4 Columbia River Gorge Explorer

Day 3.  (49-52 miles) Deschutes State Park to Viento State Park. Warm up with a short ride to The Dalles for a hearty breakfast. Most riders traditionally eat at Cousins Restaurant. Then we’ll continue on the Historic Columbia River Highway for the steady climb to the Rowena Crest viewpoint, continuing on a car-free multi-use path through the spectacular Mosier tunnels, then via Hood River to our forested campsite. Supplies, restaurants, and bike shops are available in Hood River. For hardy souls with low gears and tough tires, there is also an alternate route on a backroad with a big hill and gravel. A new segment of the Historic Columbia River Highway should be open this year covering part of the route between Hood River and Viento State Park. It will allow us to spend less time on I-84 for that segment and allow us to ride through the Mitchell Point tunnels. Reminiscent of the original, historic tunnel, the new tunnel with five arched windows will provide Gorge views unseen for 70 years.

2019 day three video: Day 3 of 4 Columbia River Gorge Explorer

Day 4.(58 miles) Back to Vancouver, mostly along the Historic Columbia River Highway including recently added car-free paved trail sections, through Cascade Locks, past seven waterfalls including Multnomah Falls, with a climb to yet another spectacular viewpoint at Crown Point before descending to ride along the Columbia and back to our starting point. The link-up in the bike path between Viento State Park and Cascade Locks is now complete, so if you don’t mind another 600′ climb. ODOT construction may interrupt a small section of the trail from Cascade Locks to exit 40, so there may be some additional riding on the shoulder of the freeway, details to follow.

2019 day four video: Day 4 of 4 Columbia River Gorge Explorer

Things to Know

This tour was designed so that first-time bicycle campers can try loaded touring at minimal expense. Participants pay $35 with registration that covers the cost of our reserved group campsites on all three nights.

Yes, there are sustained hills, but no long grade exceeds 7%, and at the expense of missing some of the scenery, three of these can be bypassed.  The route has been designed to take advantage of quiet roads and multi-use paths at every opportunity, but there are still stretches where it is necessary to ride on the shoulder of a busy highway or freeway.

Although designed for camping, the route includes enough motels and B&Bs to provide other lodging options in the case of severe weather or just plain personal preference. If you will not be camping, please inform the ride leaders in advance.  Even if you do not camp with the group, the $35 registration fee is still required.

Each day provides multiple opportunities to stop at cafes, restaurants, and grocery stores (although there are no restaurants at the campsites); some riders choose to carry most of their food, while others prefer to minimize their load and eat out as much as possible or buy food at stores near the campgrounds.

Starting in the spring, registered riders will receive emails containing suggested gear lists and other information such as cue sheets and a detailed itinerary. There’s so much to see and do on this route you can’t possibly do it all, so we’ll supply a laundry list of possibilities including many historic sites, side trips to parks, hot springs, and several museums.

For more information, read our FAQs and check out some Columbia Gorge Highlights.  In addition, the downloadable Columbia Gorge Bike Map provides a useful overview of much of the area we’ll cover.

The ride leaves Friday, May 22, 2026, between 7:00 am and 8:00 am, in small group staggered starts, from Larson’s Bakery, 13411 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, Washington. Riders must sign in at the start. If you can’t make the early start (or just don’t feel like getting out of bed so early), the start will be open until 8:00 a.m. Just be prepared to encounter heavier traffic on Washougal River Road and parts of Highway.

For additional information or questions, please contact Mike Faden [email protected], Kim Allen [email protected], or Christi Horton [email protected], with any questions.

Click here to register