Cyclists are invited to attend the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Scenic Bikeway Committee meeting on October 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the department’s office in the North Mall Office building, 725 Summer St. NE, Suite C, Salem. The meeting is open to the public.
The Oregon Scenic Bikeway Committee is an advisory group for the consideration and management of routes nominated by the public for state scenic bikeway designation. Its eleven members include representatives of bicycle advocacy organizations, tourism organizations, local governments, and state agencies involved in bicycling recreation or transportation.
Oregon’s Scenic Bikeway Program
The Oregon Scenic Bikeway Program, the first of its kind in the country, identifies and develops the “best of the best” bicycle routes in the state by promoting designated routes through Travel Oregon and providing signage to help people navigate the routes. The Oregon Scenic Bikeways program now has twelve designated bikeways statewide. The bikeway program is a partnership between Cycle Oregon, Travel Oregon, Oregon Department of Transportation, and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
Cascade-Siskiyou Lakes Loop Considered for Official Bikeways Designation
The Scenic Bikeways Committee held an open house September 30, 2014 at Pioneer Hall in Ashland, inviting public comment to help gauge whether the Cascade-Siskiyou Lakes Loop, a Southern Oregon route popular among bicyclists, should be designated as a State Scenic Bikeway.
The Cascade-Siskiyou Lakes Loop was elevated by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission’s Scenic Bikeways committee earlier this year, and is now awaiting public input and then a management plan that addresses signage, marketing and long-range goals for enhancing the route.
The route begins in Ashland, climbs the Greensprings on Highway 66, makes an optional side trip to Tub Springs State Park, travels north past Hyatt Lake and Howard Prairie Lake, and then descends down Dead Indian Memorial Road.
To view the Oregon State Scenic Bikeways Statewide Map, click here.
