Bike From North/Northeast
BIKING FROM NORTH/NORTHEAST
NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE
North/Northeast Portland has something the rest of the east side has lost: Diversity. There is always something interesting to be found in this quickly changing area of Portland. Bike culture has established itself in the form of DIY unicycles, double bikes, and bike gardens. The bike routes aren’t quite as incorporated into the areas planning as in the SE and downtown, but marked bike-friendly streets crisscross the neighborhood like any where else in the city. A hill borders the divide between the SE and NE, but otherwise riding around is pretty flat.
ROUTE INFO
**In general** Bike-friendly streets are marked by sharrows. Some bridges are bike-friendlier than others. Particularly bike-friendly bridges: Hawthorne, Morrison, Steel, Broadway. Less bike-friendly bridges: Ross Island, Fremont, Sellwood.
Route-wise, the key is to find the Vancouver/Williams routes that take trains of bikers north-south (along with the Mayor) to the entrance of the Broadway Bridge Crossing, the Steel Bridge Crossing, or the Eastbank Esplanade.
Broadway Bridge is your route if you would like to cut through Downtown efficiently up 6th Ave to cross the freeway and hit the start of either Terwilliger or Barbur (both right turns, one after another once you curve left over the freeway). See the downtown/central city routes for Barbur and Terwilliger info.
Steel Bridge is your bet if you want a carless ride to school. Take this multi-use by the hospital tram and through the condominiums along the water and continue onto the Willamette Greenway Trail. All multi-use, slow, going, random turns ”“ but just keep hugging the water until you see the Sellwood Bridge and you’ll know you made it. To get to the Riverview Cemetery cross under the bridge to the entrance with the street light on the other side. See the southeast page for more information on the Riverview Cemetery. See the downtown/central city route for more info about the Willamette Greenway.
Eastbank Esplanade is a wonderful ride, very peaceful with one rude awakening of a crossing at the Sellwood Bridge and then a short but steep climb through the Riverview Cemetery. The Esplanade starts at the lower level of the south side of the Steel Bridge. Then ride south until you transition to the Spring Water Corridor just before the Ross Island Bridge. The route ends, but just follow it the left and make a quick right on Grand Ave (that’s Springwater Corridor). For info about the Springwater, Sellwood connection and Riverview Cemetery climb, see the southeast route info.
Or, take the eastside waterfront bikepath. It hooks up with the Springwater Corridor. The connection is not entirely obvious so check it out before your first day. The Sprinwater will put you out to cross the Willamette using the Sellwood Bridge. See this route for that plan. The Springwater Corridor is lovely ”“ you ride right past a wetland wildlife preserve!
Check out the Southeast page for Springwater/Sellwood Bridge route info.
BIKE SHOPS
NoPo:
- Abraham Fixes Bikes 3508 North Williams Ave 503-953-5260
- Cascade Cycling 122 N Killingsworth 503-281-0255
- The eBike Store 201 N Alberta 503-360-1432
- North Portland BikeWorks 3951 N Mississippi 503-287-1098
- Metropolis Cycle Repair 2249 N Williams Ave 503-287-7116
- Weir’s Cyclery 8247 N Lombard 503-283-3883
- Revolver Bicycle 6509 N Interstate 503-285-1084
NE:
- Bike Tires Direct 5741 NE 87th Ave 800-682-0570
- Bike Gallery Hollywood 5329 NE Sandy Blvd 503-281-980
- Community Cycling Center 1700 NE Alberta 503-288-8864
- Cyclepath 2436 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd 503-281-0485
- Cyclopedia 5711 E Burnside, Suite B 503-308-1245
- Goods BMX 2808 NE MLK Jr. BLVD. Suite O 503-282-5408
- Hollywood Cycling 5258 NE Sandy Blvd 503-281-1671
- The Missing Link 7215 NE Sandy 503-740-3539
- Universal Cycles 2202 E Burnside St 503-943-6152
- Upcycles 911 NE Dekum 503-388-0305
- The Outer Rim 10625 NE Halsey 503-278-3235
HOW TO BIKE COMMUTE IN PORTLAND
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