The Willamette River Loop is a mostly flat ride that offers a chance to check out the city’s south side. You’ll get some excellent views along segments of river bike paths and cruise by the towns of Milwaukie, Oregon City, and Lake Oswego. You’ll climb past Tryon Creek State Park and descend down a winding, beautiful, and vista-laden Terwilliger Blvd before finishing in Portland’s waterfront.
Start: Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Distance: 29.7-mile loop
Riding time: 1.5 to 3 hours
Best bike: Road bike
Terrain and trail surface: Paved road, bike path
Traffic and hazards: High pedestrian traffic along the waterfront bike path areas; lots of cars on OR 43
Fees and permits: None
Restrooms: None at trailhead; plenty along the route
Maps: Oregon Road & Recreation Atlas: Page 106 D4
Getting there: From downtown Portland, head east to the waterfront. Make a right on 1st Avenue. If you’re driving, park somewhere near 1st Avenue and Main Street and head 1 block east to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. GPS: N45° 31.113' / W122° 40.766'
The Ride
From Tom McCall Waterfront Park, head south on the Waterfront Park path. You’ll cross under the Hawthorne Bridge and then pedal across it as you make your way over the Willamette and onto Portland’s east side. In short order you’ll make your way past the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry and underneath the spanking-new Tilikum Crossing Bridge.
Don’t let the immediate views on the Springwater Corridor dampen your spirit. Once you pass under the Ross Island bridge, the city is behind you and the views of the Willamette really open up. The riding is easy here as you ride past the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, Oaks Amusement Park, and Sellwood Riverfront Park.
You’ll rejoin the world of automotive traffic as you enter Milwaukie. If you have the time and inclination, visit the downtown area across 99E from Milwaukie Waterfront Park. It’s quite charming. After skirting Milwaukie the ride pulls away from the Willamette River and heads toward the Clackamas River. After crossing it you’ll be treated to some nice views of the Clackamas before passing under I-205 and heading down Main Street in Oregon City. This is another great place to explore if you have the time. The end of the Oregon Trail, charming Oregon City has a lot to offer culturally.
Crossing the Willamette one more time, the ride now starts back toward Portland along OR 43. Perhaps the least-inspiring portion of the loop, OR 43 offers little in the way of views and can be heavy on the traffic. All that changes, however, once you reach Old River Drive, where views and peace are restored.
After crossing Oswego Creek you’ll be back on OR 43 briefly, but here’s another chance to visit one of the area’s explorable hamlets. Lake Oswego can easily and pleasantly eat up an afternoon if you let it, so be forewarned.
After another brief dalliance with OR 43, the ride becomes more scenic and peaceful as the only real ascent of the loop begins up Terwilliger Boulevard. There are no river views to be had here, but you’ll be right alongside Tryon Creek State Park, so you’ll have plenty of trees to look at. After the long climb, the descent back into downtown is beautiful, albeit seemingly brief. Now back where you started, the loop is officially over. But Veritable Quandary is right around the corner—and 30 miles earns you food and drink in my book.
Miles and Directions
0.0 Start at Tom McCall Waterfront Park near SW Main Street and Naito Parkway; head south along the bike path and under the Hawthorne Bridge.
0.2 Make a right onto the path leading up onto the Hawthorne Bridge.
0.5 After crossing the bridge, make a right onto the bike ramp leading down to the East Bank Esplanade.
0.6 Make a left at the bottom of the ramp.
1.0 Make a left where the path ends and follow the bike lane on SE Caruthers Street.
1.1 Make a right onto SE 4th Avenue.
1.2 Continue onto the Springwater Corridor.
4.4 Turn left onto SE Umatilla Street.
4.9 Turn right onto SE 16th Avenue.
5.2 Turn left onto Linn Avenue.
5.3 Turn right onto 17th Avenue.
6.3 Make a right onto the sidewalk at SE McLoughlin Boulevard and follow the bike path into the waterfront park.
6.8 Bike path ends, continue straight onto SE 19th Avenue.
7.1 Turn left onto SE Sparrow Street.
7.3 Stay right at the stop sign.
7.4 Turn left onto SE 23rd Avenue.
7.6 Make a left onto Park Avenue.
7.8 Turn right onto the Trolley Trail bike path.
8.4 Continue onto SE Arista Drive.
9.0 Continue onto the bike path that begins again on the left.
11.2 The bike path ends Continue onto SE Abernethy Lane.
12.1 Make a right onto Portland Avenue.
12.5 Turn left onto Clackamas Boulevard.
13.0 At 82nd Avenue make a right onto the pedestrian bridge over the river.
13.2 Make a right and pick up the bike path.
14.1 Turn left onto Main Street.
15.1 Turn right onto 7th Avenue.
15.5 Pass under I-205; continue onto OR 43.
17.7 About 100 yards beyond Mapleton Drive, look for an easy-to-miss gap in the railing on the right. Pass through this and continue onto Old River Drive.
19.6 Take the access path on the right.
19.9 Cross a pedestrian bridge.
20.0 Turn right onto Furnace Street.
20.3 Turn left onto Leonard Street.
20.4 Turn right onto OR 43.
21.1 Turn left onto Terwilliger Boulevard.
29.3 Turn right onto SW Salmon Street.
29.7 Arrive back at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
Local Information
Things to see: River views of the Willamette, Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI), Tryon Creek State Park, Portland waterfront
Restaurants along the ride: Rice Thai Cookery, 10614 SE Main St., Milwaukie; Ranee’s on Main, 1003 Main St., Oregon City; Veritable Quandary, 1220 SW 1st Ave., Portland waterfront