Oregon Bike Tours

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Lizard Head Cycling Guides offers four very different Oregon bike tours in the Pacific North West, each with their own unique take on a state renowned for it’s world class cycling.

First, we offer the Willamette Valley Bike Tour which covers the upper to middle portion of the verdant Willamette Valley of northwest Oregon, a region known for world class wineries, farm fresh foods, and it’s easy going and gentle cycling terrain. This tour is geared towards intermediate cyclists looking for a relaxing and leisurely Oregon cycling tour.

Second, we offer the Columbia River Gorge Bike Tour which takes you along the Columbia River Gorge from the lush rain forest environment near Portland up to the near arid high desert region above Hood River along more aggressive terrain. This tour is geared towards intermediate to advanced cyclists looking for more climbing and more diverse terrain.

Third, we offer the Wallowa Mountains Bike Tour to alpine mountaintops, along the raging Snake River, through Hells Canyon (North America’s deepest river gorge), high into the Wallowa Mountains and through ghost towns, bustling villages, and the painted hills of ancient fossil beds in between. This tour is geared towards intermediate to advanced cyclists looking fair amounts of climbing along remote back country roads.

And finally, we offer our most challenging Oregon tour, Crater Lake & The Cascades, which takes you up to some of the most highest passes and elevations in the Cascade Mountain Range in the southeast region of the state including Crater Lake and McKenzie Pass. This tour is geared towards more advanced cyclists looking for a more challenging yet rewarding cycling tour.

Please see below for a brief synopsis of each tour and please feel free to contact us for more information. We can even combine any two of these tours to make an epic 2-week grand tour of Oregon. Please inquire!

Oregon Bike Tours: Highlights

Willamette Valley Bike Tour

Columbia River Gorge Bike Tour

Crater Lake & The Cascades Bike Tour

Willamette Valley Bike Tour: Overview & Itinerary

Our Willamette Valley Oregon Bike Tour offers miles and miles of quiet rural roads along gentle rolling terrain weaving through the farmlands and vineyards of the fertile Willamette Valley. The tour includes multiple vineyards, superb lodging and quiet roads such as the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway.

The Willamette Valley is a quality wine producing region on par with California (but far less known). Enjoy great riding and wine on the Willamette Valley Tour.

Lizard Head Cycling Guides offers this tour with 5-Day and 6-Day itineraries.

Vineyards in the Willamette Valley

Beautiful roads, beautiful skies

Tour Dates

Potential tour dates are listed below and not all tour dates will run. Lock in your preferred tour date early as unopened tour dates will be closed. Please see the Spring/Autumn Tour Calendar and the Summer Tour Calendar for confirmed departures. Any unopened date can be a Custom Week (9 riders required). Please contact us via email or call 970.728.5891

To easily register for a particular tour, please click the Book Now! link after the tour date listed below. This will select the tour name and the appropriate date on the registration form.

NOTE: The 5-Day and 6-Day tours can run concurrently. The 5-Day tour will start from McMinnville one day after the 6-Day tour. Please note on the registration form if you are signing up for the 5-Day tour.

2025 Willamette Valley Tour Dates

September 7 to 12, 2025 (Book Now!)
September 14 to 19, 2025 (Book Now!)
September 21 to 26, 2025 (Book Now!)

Tour Status Notes: NO STATUS = Date Set, no riders have signed up. TOUR OPENED = Tour Opened, rider minimums not met. TOUR A GO! = Tour is Go, rider minimums met. SOLD OUT = Tour Full, rider maximums met.

Why Should you Sign-Up Now and OPEN a Tour Date?
This is the proverbial chicken and the egg conundrum! We need our cyclists to first commit to the date that works for them so that we can commit to that date.

For starters, when you OPEN a date you get to pick your preferred departure date, and there is no penalty if the tour does not run. Once you pick your tour date, Lizard Head closes nearby dates and funnels all additional riders to your chosen date until the tour meets its 6 rider minimum.

BONUS: As an added bonus, we can also hold a spot for you on another tour date of your choosing. There is no fee to switch to another tour date.

In conclusion, if you want a tour to run, we need you to sign up and not wait for others to do the same! Waiting for others may mean that a tour date takes longer or does not confirm. Just Do It! Once a few riders jump into the proverbial waters, others will follow!

Basic Overview

Starting & Ending Town for 6-Day Tour: Portland, Oregon (Portland International Airport – PDX)

Starting & Ending Town for 5-Day Tour: McMinnville, Oregon. Guests can drive to McMinnville and leave their car for the duration of the tour. Guests can also fly into Portland International Airport (PDX), but will need to secure a shuttle to McMinnville before the start of the 5-day tour. Lizard Head can shuttle you back to Portland at the end of the tour.

Tour Length: 6-Days Cycling/5-Nights Lodging or 5-Days Cycling/4-Nights Lodging

Mileage Options: 225 to 310 Miles, 6-Day. (Can I keep up on this tour?)

Ability Levels: Intermediate (2/3) , Upper Intermediate (3) – to Advanced Cyclists. Mostly rolling terrain with a few short climbs.

6-Day Tour Cost: $3,350 per person with shared accommodations. Add $495 per person to this Tour Cost for a private room each night of the tour (5-Nights).

5-Day Tour Cost: $2,860 per person with shared accommodations. Add $395 per person to this Tour Cost for a private room each night of the tour (4-Nights).

Tour Discounts: Please see our Reptile Rewards & Tour Discounts page to learn more about Reptile Rewards, Tour Discounts, and Group Discounts. Tour discounts are not stackable with any other discounts or promotions – only the highest valued discount is provided. Please note that for discounts to apply the tour minimum must be met.

Early Bird 2025 Thanksgiving Discount - For 6-Day or longer tours take $150 off the tour cost. Discount applies to new registrations only made before December 5, 2024. Please make sure to mention this offer when you register.
Excludes Self-Guided tours. Tour discounts are not stackable with any other discounts or promotions.

Tour Includes: 5 or 6-Days guide service, 4 or 5-Nights lodging (based on tour length), all meals (except 2 dinners), forest service & entrance fees, energy food, liquid refreshments, in-tour shuttles, and mechanical support. Alcoholic beverages, bike rental, and massage (if available) are additional.

6-Day Tour with 5-Nights Lodging: (subject to change)

Night 1: McMenamins Hotel Oregon or McMinnville Inn, McMinnville, Oregon
Night 2: Silverton Inn & Suites, Silverton, Oregon
Night 3: The Grand Hotel in Salem, Salem, Oregon
Nights 4 & 5: Courtyard by Marriott, Corvallis, Oregon

5-Day Tour with 4-Nights Lodging: (subject to change)

Night 1: Silverton Inn & Suites, Silverton, Oregon
Night 2: The Grand Hotel in Salem, Salem, Oregon
Nights 3 & 4: Courtyard by Marriott, Corvallis, Oregon

Road Bike Rentals

NOTE: The make, model, and specifications of rental bikes may differ from what is described below. Please contact us if you have any specific needs for a rental bike or have any questions about rental bikes.

Lizard Head Cycling Guides is proud to rent Scott Bikes. The Scott Addict 10 Disc was designed from the ground up with those longer days in mind. With geometry that is less focused on racing and more on enduring, the Addict 10 will be your go to when you’re looking to put the miles in.

The Scott Addict 10 Disc features: Carbon Frame and Fork, Shimano Ultegra 2x11 Drivetrain, 34x32 Compact Gearing, 30mm Tires, and Hydraulic Disc Brakes. Approx. Weight: 16.89 lbs / 7.66 kg (without pedals)

☛ Learn more about our Rental Bikes and Equipment

Road E-Bike Rentals: Click Here for more information on our Road E-Bike Rentals including pricing. Please note that E-Bikes are not available for certain tours including those that involve camping. Please contact us for more information before registering for a tour. NOTE: E-Bikes are great, but our tours are designed to be ridden without motorized assistance. We offer "bumps" along the road so that everyone can stay together.

Tandems and Recumbents: Lizard Head Cycling Guides happily accommodates both tandem and recumbent bikes on our tours.

If you have any further questions, please read more on our Rental Bikes FAQ page. You can also email us at info@lizardheadcyclingguides.com or call us at 970.728.5891

Overall Route Map

Below is an example of the daily routes for this tour and are subject to change based on season, available accommodations, road closures, and other factors. The actual routes will be made available to registered participants before their tour, so please view these routes as a general outline as to what to expect.

Sample 6-Day Itinerary*

*PLEASE NOTE: Tour itineraries are subject to change and modification based on the group, available accommodations, road construction, road closures, and other unforeseen circumstances including weather, wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, landslides and/or other acts of nature. Also, the distances and elevation profiles shown below may not reflect the actual distances and elevations while on tour as these are provided here to give an idea as to the anticipated mileage and terrain. Please view this itinerary, the distances, and elevation profiles as a general outline as to what to expect while on this tour.

NOTE: The 6-Day/5-Night itinerary is shown below. The 5-Day/4-Night itinerary eliminates Day 1 and follows Days 2 through 6.

Day 1 – Vernonia to McMinnville (55 miles): After our morning meeting, we shuttle from Portland to start riding near the town of Veronia where Day 1’s route travels south along the beautiful Banks-Vernonia State Trail. This route is free from cars and deep in the lush Oregon forest as it winds it way into the most Northern region of the Willamette Valley past farms, fields, orchards, and vineyards. Beautiful! There will be aid stations throughout the morning and then in the early afternoon there is a stop at Soter Vineyard to sample some of the fine wines produced in this region and to enjoy lunch. After our late lunch and wine tasting, there is a short shuttle to our lodging in McMinnville, Oregon at the famous McMenamins Hotel Oregon.
55 miles +1,710 feet / -1,940 feet
Day 2 – McMinnville to Silverton (46 miles): We start riding directly from the Hotel Oregon in McMinnville and weave our way through the farmlands and vineyards of the fertile Willamette Valley. Early in our ride we stop to check out Erratic Rock State Natural Site which consists of a 90-ton glacial rock that was deposited from over 500 miles away during an Ice Age flood. This day will be a relatively easy one as the riding is primarily along the floor of the Willamette Valley on low-trafficked rural roads with little elevation change… well, except for a little “lump” in the middle. Don’t worry it is only a short 650-foot climb of interest. We then cross the Willamette River by taking the Wheatland Ferry and have lunch in Willamette Mission State Park. Post lunch the final miles take us across the verdant valley floor to end at Benedictine Brewery for some well deserved post-ride celebratory brews. The day ends with a quick shuttle to Silverton Inn & Suites in Silverton, Oregon which will be our lodging for the next two nights.
46 miles +1,665 feet / -1,580 feet
Day 3 – Silver Falls State Park (36 miles): On this day, enjoy a small taste of the mountains on a leisurely morning loop ride to Silver Falls State Park. Lunch will be enjoyed at the park and be sure to take a hike afterwards to explore several of the amazing waterfalls. We’ll pack comfortable hiking or walking shoes into the support van before departing for the ride. We end the day back in Silverton for another relaxing evening at the Silverton Inn & Suites.
35 miles +2,770 feet / -2,770 feet
Day 4 – Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway (55 miles/EFI 70 miles): Starting from delightful downtown Salem, our destination today is to Corvallis, Oregon. The route along the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway and along the banks of the Willamette River is lush and peaceful. Our ride ends in Corvallis, Oregon which offers a vibrant beer, wine, and restaurant scene. There exists an optional E.F.I. (Every Freaking Inch) route of 70 miles for those wanting to get in more miles by riding early morning from Silverton, Oregon to the standard ride start in Salem, Oregon.
55 miles +1,345 feet / -1,280 feet
Day 5 – Southern Willamette Valley (47 miles): Enjoy a mostly flat ride continuing along the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway in the morning, cross the Willamette River, and finally through a bit of the undulating terrain of the western Oregon coastal mountain range. Today’s winery stop is at the lovely Tyee Wine Cellars located on the scenic Buchanan Family Century Farm which was founded over 130 years ago in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Here we will have lunch and savor the fine Pinots, Gewürztraminers, and Chardonnays. Post lunch is a short shuttle back to Corvallis to enjoy the final evening of our tour.
47 miles +965 feet / -935 feet
Day 6 – Corvallis to McMinnville (45 miles): On the last day, we will pedal one last time north through the Willamette Valley and enjoy a fantastic farewell lunch at the Bryn Mawr Winery. This day will be a relatively easy one as the riding is primarily along the floor of the Willamette Valley on low-trafficked rural roads with little elevation change with the exception of some minor “undulations” towards the end of our ride. After lunch at Bryn Mawr Winery, the tour ends with a shuttle back to Portland. Well done!
45 miles +2,560 feet / -2,000 feet

Columbia River Gorge Bike Tour: Overview & Itinerary

Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River offering exceptional cycling and recreational opportunities along its remote, hilly terrain with its magnificent scenery, lush rain forests, abundant waterfalls and majestic views of the Columbia River, Mt. Hood, Portland and even as far as Mt. Rainer and Mt. Saint Helens in adjacent Washington State. Orchards and wineries abound in this verdant growing region.

The Columbia River Gorge

Mt. Hood as seen from Lost Lake