The Eastside Loop
Mileage: 21 or so
Elevation Gain: 1295
This beautiful loop runs through Hood River and Odell’s orchards. The traffic situation isn’t fantastic for the first half of the ride, but the views of the orchards, Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams are spectacular.
Start at the west end of town at the intersection of Country Club and Cascade Avenue. (Or start downtown, but the mileages are from the corner of CC and CA). Head up Country Club until it T’s into Barret Drive at 2.97 miles. Turn left. Take a right on Markham Drive at 3.2 miles. Go one mile and take a left on Portland Drive. Portland ends at Tucker Road (5.25 miles). Turn right. At 6.25 miles, veer right towards Odell and climb a fairly steep hill. Follow the road through Odell, and then follow the signs for Highway 35. Just before you hit the highway (9.76 miles), take a left on Neal Creek Mill Road. At 10.0 miles, turn right on Sunday Drive. Cross highway 35 and continue on Sunday Drive until it dead ends into Neal Creek Road (10.6 miles). Turn right. At 11.1 miles, take a left on Thompson Road. At 13.15 miles, turn right on Fir Mountain Road. Take a quick left onto Eastside Road. Follow Eastside past Panorama Point and down a very steep hill. Be careful – there’s often gravel on the steep downhill. At 18.2 miles, take a left onto Old Columbia Road, and prepare for a fast, curving downhill. Go straight through the four-way intersection at the bottom of the hill. To retrieve your car, take a right on Front street (becomes Cascade) and follow it all the way through town to the intersection of Cascade and Country Club, where you can retrieve your car.
