Note: As of 2013, this road has been closed above Oceanside due to a landslide.As of early 2022, the work is expected to be completed in the autumn of 2023.
I had an opportunity to ride this road in August of 2007. I’d heard all sorts of stories about how horrible the road condition is for this highway, and now I understand why.
This road has some truly great scenery. It’s built on Cape Meares, which like much of the Oregon Coast is simply one massive sand dune. The roads down here are pretty much built directly on top of the sand and the big trucks really tear up the pavement. Unsurprising really, since as one would expect, sand shifts around quite a bit.
If you’ve got an adventure-style bike, this whole area rocks. I have about 6 inches of travel both fore and aft on my V-Strom, and it got a workout. I was pretty loaded down, and this was one of the few areas where it was absolutely necessary to stand up on the Strom’s pegs.
All the criticism and cautionary tales aside, this road is a giggle. I was tearing up and down these roads in the rain and enjoying myself immensely. There was almost nobody else out there on that Monday afternoon, and I had the pavement pretty much all to myself.
- Road Name: BayOcean Road / Netarts Highway / Cape Meares Road
- Counties: Tillamook
- Length: 18
- Towns: Barnegat, Netarts, Tillamook, Oceanside,
Overview Map:
