Rails To Trails

I'm a member of several cycling advocacy groups and my Senator has received more that a few emails asking for her support, but the group that is closest to my heart, after RUSA, is Rails To Trails. Their mission is to convert abandoned railway lines and make them available to cyclists and pedestrians.

Most of their trails are still ballast or dirt, suitable for hiking, mountain bikes, and perhaps road bikes with 28mm tires and skilled riders. Because they're old railways they tend to be flat, with awesome views, and quite often with amazing trestle bridges and cool tunnels.

I've only been on a couple of them - the Pacific Electric trail in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and the Kettle Valley trail in BC.

I'm planning my next cycling vacation and I see I've actually ridden on one more without even realizing it. There's a lovely small town in WA called Raymond that has a bike trail alongside the Willipa Bay. I didn't know it at the time, but that bike trail is just the Western tip of the Willipa River trail that extends 56 miles Eastward to Chehalis.



Willipa Bike Trail between Raymond and South Bend, WA



Then head South to cross the Columbia River on the Cathlamet-Westport ferry (the only safe way to cross the Columbia on a bike) and on to Vermonia, Forest Grove, and points South.

Ferry across the Columbia River at Puget Island

Half the fun of a great bike vacation is the planning of it.