The Columbia River Gorge is the one great motorcycle road near Portland that stays open all year, and the piece you actually want is the Historic Columbia River Highway rather than the interstate beside it. Built between 1913 and 1922 as the first planned scenic roadway in the United States, it was laid out to a maximum grade of 5 percent and a minimum curve radius of 200 feet, which is exactly why it rides the way it does. About 40 miles (64 km) of the original 75-mile (121 km) route are still open to vehicles, split into a western section from Troutdale and an eastern section ending in The Dalles.
Two sections, two completely different rides
Riders who only do the western 24 miles (39 km) out of Troutdale come away thinking the Gorge is a slow parade past waterfalls, and on a summer Saturday they are right. That section runs through dense forest with Crown Point, Latourell, Wahkeena and Multnomah Falls stacked close together, and it is the most congested scenic road in Oregon.
The eastern 16 miles (26 km), from Mosier to The Dalles, is the section riders actually recommend. Same 1910s engineering, a fraction of the traffic, dry oak-and-grassland country instead of rainforest, and the Rowena Loops — a set of stacked hairpins climbing out of the Rowena flats that is the best-known piece of pavement on the whole highway. If you have one afternoon, spend it east of Hood River.
Route at a glance
| Road | Historic Columbia River Highway (US 30), Troutdale to The Dalles |
| Designation | All-American Road, 70 mi (112.7 km) as designated by the FHWA |
| Open to vehicles | About 40 mi (64 km) — 24 mi (39 km) west, 16 mi (26 km) east |
| Built | 1913 to 1922, National Historic Landmark |
| Design standard | 5 percent maximum grade, 200 ft (61 m) minimum curve radius |
| Season | Year-round, subject to winter ice and snow-zone restrictions |
| Fees | No fee to ride the highway; a timed use permit applies to the I-84 Multnomah Falls lot in summer |
Open the route in Google Maps — Troutdale to Crown Point to Hood River to Rowena Crest to The Dalles, ready to send to your navigation.
Why a 1913 road still rides well
Most historic scenic roads are slow because they were built badly and never fixed. This one is slow because Samuel Lancaster designed it that way on purpose. He surveyed the first 21 miles to a maximum grade of 5 percent and a minimum curve radius of 200 feet, wide enough for 18 feet of macadam plus gravel shoulders, and used looping alignments to gain height without steep pitches. The result is a road with almost no compression, no sudden radius changes and no blind crests thrown in to save money — the corners are consistent enough that after ten minutes you stop reading each one individually.
It has the recognition to match: listed on the National Register of Historic Places, designated a National Historic Landmark, named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers, and carried by the FHWA as an All-American Road of 70 miles. The trade-off is that the design speed is genuinely low. This is not a road you attack, and the sections where riders try tend to be the sections where the tow trucks get called.
The western section and the Multnomah Falls problem
Leaving Troutdale, the highway climbs to Crown Point and Vista House, a 1918 observatory sitting on a basalt promontory with the Gorge opening east below it. That view is the reason the road exists — the engineers deliberately routed for scenery rather than the shortest line, and Vista House is where the argument gets made.
After that it is waterfall after waterfall down to Multnomah Falls, and this is where planning matters. The US Forest Service runs a timed use permit for the Multnomah Falls parking lot at I-84 Exit 31, required daily between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. from May 22 through Sept. 7, 2026, per the Oregon Department of Transportation permit page. Permits are not required on the Historic Highway itself in 2026. What is required is realism: there is no shoulder parking on the Historic Highway, the small lot at the falls is tiny and enforced with towing, and a motorcycle does not change that. Arrive before 9 a.m., ride through without stopping, or accept the queue. Checked August 2026, and this permit scheme has changed year to year, so confirm before you go.
Construction is the other western-section variable. Sections of the Historic Highway have been closed for extended rebuilds in recent years, and the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail has its own separate closures. TripCheck, the Oregon DOT traveller information site, carries the live status for both.
Mosier, the Twin Tunnels and the Rowena Loops
East of Hood River the highway changes personality. The Mosier Twin Tunnels section is now the state trail — closed to motor vehicles, so ride US 30 through Mosier instead — and the road climbs out of the valley into open grassland. The Rowena Loops are the payoff: a compact set of switchbacks with the road doubling back under itself, stone parapets from the original build still lining the outside edge, and Rowena Crest Viewpoint at the top looking back down over the whole set.
The loops are tighter than they photograph and the surface is old, patched and off-camber in places. They are also a favourite for photographers, cyclists and drivers stopping mid-corner. Ride them at the pace the 1913 design intended and they are excellent; ride them like a racetrack and the first blind hairpin with a parked car in it will make the point for you.
Wind, weather and the Washington side
Wind is the Gorge's signature hazard. The gap between the Cascade crest and the river funnels air through with enough consistency that Hood River built a windsurfing industry on it. On a bike that means sustained crosswind on the exposed eastern sections and sharp gusts where side canyons open, especially around Rowena and The Dalles. It is manageable, but it is tiring, and a tall screen with luggage on the back makes it worse rather than better.
Winter is rideable but conditional. Unlike the Cascade passes, the Gorge highway stays open year-round. What varies is ice, freezing rain from east-wind events, and posted snow zones on the connecting mountain routes. Oregon posts traction tire and chain requirements when conditions warrant; check current conditions before committing to a winter run.
The Washington side is the underrated half. SR 14 runs the north bank with far less traffic and continuous river views, and pairing it with the Oregon side over the Hood River bridge makes a genuine loop instead of an out-and-back. It is faster, less scenic in the immediate sense, and much more relaxed.
Gear notes for the Gorge
This is a stop-heavy ride, which creates two specific annoyances. The first is a flat phone by mid-afternoon after a morning of navigation and photos, on a route where you are constantly re-checking which viewpoints are open. Running navigation on a bar-mounted riding system rather than the phone keeps the handset in your jacket and charged, and a bi-directional fast charger refills it at the lunch stop rather than leaving you dark for the ride home. Our GPS navigation setup guide covers the mounting and power side of that properly.
The second is the Multnomah Falls corridor itself. Slow-moving traffic, drivers braking for a viewpoint they just spotted, and pedestrians stepping between parked cars make this the most likely place on the route to be involved in something you did not cause — which is the practical case for a camera, covered in our motorcycle dash cam guide. If you are continuing south from here, the Mount Hood loop starts from the same western end of this highway.
FAQ
Do you need a permit to ride the Columbia River Gorge?
Not for the highway itself. A timed use permit applies to the Multnomah Falls parking lot at I-84 Exit 31 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. from May 22 to Sept. 7, 2026. Timed permits are not required on the Historic Columbia River Highway in 2026, but the scheme has changed between years, so check ODOT before you ride.
Which section of the Historic Highway is best on a motorcycle?
The eastern 16 miles from Mosier to The Dalles, for the Rowena Loops and the light traffic. The western section from Troutdale has the famous waterfalls and most of the congestion.
Is the Gorge open in winter?
Yes, year-round, unlike the Cascade pass roads. Ice and east-wind freezing rain are the real winter hazards, and Oregon posts snow zone requirements on connecting routes when conditions call for it.
How long does the ride take?
The FHWA allows about two hours to drive the designated All-American Road without stopping. In practice a Portland day trip taking in Crown Point, the waterfalls, Hood River and Rowena runs six to eight hours with stops.
Can you avoid the crowds?
Ride the western section before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m., or skip it entirely and start at Hood River. Weekdays outside July and August are dramatically quieter than summer weekends.
