Biker Girl - Ashland, Oregon

My husband was headed to Ashland Oregon for an Aikido (a martial art) seminar, and I had heard that Ashland was a great town with great biking—so I said I was going too!

I did two rides over the weekend, a 53 mile loop on various roads, including the interestingly-named Dead Indian Memorial Highway. The other ride was a 22 mile out-and-back on a bike path that is under development. The trail currently connects Ashland with Medford, but a long distance trail in planned. See my journal entries for details on these rides.

One thing I did discover while in Ashland, is that it has a near perfect mix of outdoor adventure, arts and culture, and small town intimacy. Surrounding the town is public land for hiking, biking, rafting and anything else you can think of. In town there is good food, live music, art galleries, and theatre. The town itself is pretty, with 100-acre Lithia Park with its entrance smack in the middle of downtown. Ashland Creek also runs through the downtown area.

Before my visit I also had no idea how many vineyards and wineries were in the Ashland area. Winery tours are available. Check with the Ashland Chamber of Commerce for more information.

Quick Tips:

A stay at the Ashland Motel cannot necessarily be recommended. See my separate journal entry. It wasn’t appalling or anything, but if you can spend a bit more money and get a better place, do it! Actually, the Ashland Hostel looked inviting from the outside, with a great location – but I didn’t wander in so I can’t recommend it or not. There is also an extensive Bed and Breakfast network in Ashland – check out Ashland Bed & Breakfast Network for a start.

See my separate journal entry on places to eat.

Ashland is best known for its Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Founded in 1935, the website says that it is one of the "oldest and largest professional non-profit theatres in the nation." We didn’t catch any performances, but heard raves from all we spoke to.

For additional information on where to stay, eat, and have fun, look at the Ashland Chamber of Commerce website.

Other useful websites include:
Ashland Woodlands & Trails Association
City of Ashland
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest

Best Way To Get Around:

As this is a biking journal, of course I say the best way to get around is by BIKE!

There are a number of bike shops to rent bikes at if you don’t want to bring your own bicycle:
Ashland/Rogue Valley Cycle Sport
Adventure Center
Siskiyou Cyclery
Bear Creek Bicycle

Our Room:

I’m pretty sure this is the smallest room you could find in Ashland. While everything was old in years and style, it was clean. Well, the bathroom (especially the shower) was so old, that I’m not sure that the hardest scrubbing would ever make it look clean. There was a bed, a dresser, and a television. I think that pretty much covers the furniture. There was maybe a 2-foot walk area on all sides of the bed. There was air-conditioning as well, mostly needed to drown out some unsavory (at least if you aren’t the one participating) sounds in the night.

The Atmosphere:

This was a family-owned motel. All the family members that I met were extremely nice and helpful.

Food and Other Amenities:

There was a swimming pool – again, old but clean. We didn’t use it, as the temperature wasn’t quite warm enough to make it attractive. Directly next door was an AWESOME café called the Morning Glory Café, which had excellent food, and even better coffee.

Location:

This is not within walking distance of downtown, so maybe not a wonderful location in that regard. But it was directly across the street from Southern Oregon University, where I was able to check email at the library.

Security:

This was the sort of motel in which a few local people live. There was one resident next door to us. I know he at least had keys to the laundry room. The man seemed nice enough, but when people live there, it makes me wonder what keys may have come into their possession. Also, the locks seemed flimsy.

Price: $55 per night, double occupancy

Ashland Motel

This ride was the first recommendation of a biking friend and also of the bike shop employee I talked to at Ashland/Rogue Valley Cycle Sport.

Starting from town, I biked southeast on Siskiyou Boulevard, the main drag in town, to Highway 66 or Green Springs Highway. First I crossed over the interstate and went through a busy area where I had to take care not to get hit by a car. But much to my relief, the way soon turned rural.

I passed many signs for wineries and vineyards, and contemplated biking 53 miles while doing wine tasting. Nah… maybe not such a good idea. I pedaled on, enjoyed the rolling terrain – not too steep. Next I passed Emigrant Lake Recreation Area, a beautiful area with colorful paragliders circling in the blue sky.

At mile point 9, I started to climb through Oak Savannah. Then, I climbed more. Then, I climbed more. Get the picture?? I climbed for about 9 miles. It was grueling, but I was able to grind my way up to a small café at the intersection of Green Springs Hwy and Hyatt Lake Road. I was very happy to have a snack and drink before heading on.

Hyatt Lake Road is more sheltered by trees than the area I had been going through. Hyatt Lake and Howard Prairie Lake are both visible from the road, and cool breezes coming off the lakes were just what was needed to keep me going. The way again became rolling hills rather than the steady uphill grind I had been doing. The best part of this piece of road was at the end, just before the intersection with Dead Indian Hwy, when I got a surprise view of 9495-foot Mount McLoughlin. Gorgeous!!

I turned left onto Dead Indian Memorial Hwy, expecting the downhill back to Ashland to immediately start. Unfortunately, first I had to climb about 4 miles to a ski area/pass. I told a little break there, and then bundled up for the downhill. Fantastic!! I didn’t pedal for miles and miles. The tight curves were a bit unnerving, and I had to brake, but what a rush!

I highly recommend this ride for experienced bikers looking for that perfect 53-mile paved loop.

There is a map that I purchased at the bike shop for $2.50 called the Jackson County Bicycle Map that covered this ride and others.

The Bear Creek Greenway is a bike and pedestrian path that will eventually connect Ashland, Oregon to Central Point, Oregon—a distance of 20 miles following the Bear Creek stream-bed. The path is not currently finished—so far only 11 continuous miles exist between Ashland and Medford, plus some addition unconnected sections in the Medford area (16 miles total completed).

Although I was just checking out the Summer 2006 newsletter on the Bear Creek Greenway website, and they are talking about being in the final stretch of trail construction. They say that the trail has been 30 years in the planning, fundraising, and construction. Kudos to them for sticking with it and (just about) getting it done!

I got onto the trail by following the signs off of Oak Street. The trail is paved and runs between the Bear Creek drainage and Interstate 5. Some sections of the trail were too close to I-5 for my liking, but others were in peaceful wooded areas that were very quite considering the proximity to the highway. I saw deer and many birds, and of course many people. The trail was nicely maintained as well.

The trail ended at Stage Coach Drive in Medford. I ran out of time to try it, but it was recommended to me to continue west on Stage Coach Drive to the town of Jacksonville. Jacksonville started as a gold mining camp in 1852. After having done through the typical ups and downs, it is now refurbished as a historic tourist destination, complete with museums, restaurants, shopping, and cultural activities.

Morning Glory Café, 1149 Siskiyou Boulevard, (541)488-8636

This was my favorite of the places that we ate. The breakfast selection was especially incredible. Gourmet omelets seemed to be the specialty—I absolutely LOVED the caramelized onion, toasted walnut, and Gorgonzola omelet. The coffee here was also the best I’ve had in a long time. We had one lunch at Morning Glory—Dan had a hamburger, one he said was excellent. My sandwich was…. Morning Glory Café had just a great atmosphere—it was colorful, cozy, and inviting. The staff was excellent also. It was worth the higher-than-average breakfast and lunch prices, for the high quality food and service.

Morning Glory menu
Morning Glory Restaurant

Standing Stone Brewing Company, 101 Oak Street, (541)482-2448

Our friend’s eyes actually rolled back in his head in sheer pleasure after he tasted his first sip of the Double IPA at Standing Stone Brewery. Seriously, I thought he was having some special experience that should have been in private! The food was pretty good too, and the atmosphere here was fun and lively. The historic industrial building is interesting. One night there was live music, and there is deck seating that was perfect on a calm and lovely night.

Standing Stone Brewing Company

Also good were:

Deep’s Indian Cuisine, 31 Water Street, (541)482-7300

Thai Pepper, 84 N Main Street, (541)482-8058

But there were plenty of other choices in many price ranges. We would have to stay much longer to check them all out!

Also check out the Ashland Food Co-op for good healthy hiking and biking snacks.