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Crater Lake National Park

Road Cycling in Oregon with Western Spirit Cycling

Highlights

  • One of Bicycling Magazine's top ten rides
  • Explore a beautiful and practically undiscovered part of southwestern Oregon
  • Stay at a great bed & breakfast and the Crater Lake Lodge

Full Description

Explore Crater Lake National Park with our incredible 5-day road bike trip.

We start with rolling farm and forest terrain south of the national park. Then on Day 2 we climb up to the rim of the crater for our first views of the lake. On Day 3 we ride around the lake and stop for a hike down to the water level and a boat ride across.

This is a beautiful ride that undulates along the rim and through the surrounding forest. On Day 4 we head north to the Umpqua River. Now we are traveling down, down, down and the last night of the trip is spent at a famous fly fishing lodge on the banks of the Umpqua River.

Elevations on this trip range from 2,800 to 7,100 feet, so get ready to climb, climb, climb. However, when you've had enough our support van will be ready for you. You have the opportunity to control the challenge. Lodging includes a great bed and breakfast and the Crater Lake Lodge.

Physical Difficulty: Moderate to Advanced.

Altitude: 2,800 - 7,100 feet.

Includes:

  • All meals from lunch on first day to lunch on last day
  • Support vehicle
  • Guides
  • Campsites

Excludes:

  • Rental fees
  • Gratuities for your guides
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Applicable sales tax

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1

We will shuttle to our starting point at Fish Lake. Mt. McLoughlin towers above us to the east and we skirt its shoulder while heading north. We ride through lush meadows surrounded by towering forests as we descend to the tiny town of Butte Falls. This terrain gives very few hints of the dramatic volcanic activity which once dominated the region. From Butte Falls we roll up and over Carney Flat and then continue downward into Prospect. We will spend the night at the historic Prospect Hotel, where Teddy Roosevelt, Zane Grey and Jack London all slept when they journeyed to Crater Lake. All of the rooms at the Prospect have private baths. Yippee. TOTAL MILEAGE - 43 miles

Day 2

Today is the big day. We will earn some serious relaxation on the porch of Crater Lake Lodge, "earn" being the key word. During our ride today we will have a great opportunity to learn about trees of the incredibly diverse forests of Oregon. There are the Western Hemlock which have droopy needles and Dr. Seuss like tips. The giant yellow Cedars shed their bark in great strips. And finally there is the mighty Douglas Fir, named after one of the most famous naturalists in history, David Douglas. Douglas traveled on foot throughout much of the northwest, logging over 4,000 miles in a single year, while collecting specimens and taking notes. And all you have to do is pedal up about 4,000 feet! For the next two nights our home will be the Crater Lake Lodge in its majestic setting right on the rim of the caldera, geology speak for a sunken volcano. All rooms at the lodge have private baths. TOTAL MILEAGE - 38 miles

Day 3

Today we will be riding the rim of the caldera and hiking down to lake level. The western side of Crater Lake Drive presents us with incredible views of the lake and Mt. Scott towering above the rim. We will get an early start and begin by spinning our way on the Western Rim to the Cleetwood Trailhead, the only trail to the lake itself. A short 1.6 mile hike will bring us down to the boat dock where we will head out on the boat for a spin around the lake. We will lunch on the shore when we return and then a somewhat longer 1.6 mile hike will bring us back up the rim for our afternoon ride. Now we will head east for the much hillier and more challenging ride on the Eastern Rim. Again hors d'oeuvres will await us on the porch of the lodge. TOTAL MILEAGE - 31 miles

Day 4

We leave our perch on the rim and head north today. Our last views of the lake will be at the North Junction before we descend into the Pumice Desert. This is where quite a bit of Mt. Mazama ended up when it blew its top way back around 6,300 BC-a very recent event in the grand geologic scheme. We continue to Diamond Lake. Mt. Bailey rises on the western shore of the lake and at over 8,000 feet it is a popular backcountry skiing area in the winter. On the eastern shore stands Mt. Thielsen, a jagged and rocky peak that attracts only the bravest climbers. Our climbing days are primarily behind us as we continue to descend to the banks of the North Umpqua River. This river is designated as Wild and Scenic and you will soon see why. Our goal is the Steamboat Inn where we will stay in beautiful cabins right on the river, all with private baths. TOTAL MILEAGE - 63 miles

Day 5

With regret, we leave the Steamboat Inn after a very serious breakfast and continue west along the Umpqua. This area was homesteaded in the early 1900s by Perry and Jesse Wright. It is easy to imagine how they fell in love with the beauty of the place, but it is harder to imagine living here 30 years before the highway was completed. To survive on their ranch they packed everything in on pack trains of horses on narrow trails above the rushing water. They saw the transition to automobiles and electricity and really appreciated the fact that others could now enjoy this inspiring area. We'll have lunch with a view and then load the bikes for our trip back to civilization. TOTAL MILEAGE - 29 miles

About The Operator:

Western Spirit Cycling

Headquarters:

Moab, Utah

Established:

January 1989

The History of Western Spirit

"Back in the day", as our oldest guides say, Western Spirit Cycling was founded by a charismatic mad bike rider named Lu Warner. It was 1989; Lu couldn't get enough of riding his bike and decided he should impart some of his joy on the masses. He acquired a Suburban, dubbed "the burb” and a couple of guides and started taking people around the White Rim. Now Lu can be found in some semi-state of retirement in Crested Butte, CO, but his vision was just the beginning.

Just for the record, yes, we still have the burb. It's retired. And those "couple of guides" are our finest Rachel & Johnny - no sign of retirement there!

Then the Mid-90s

Ashley Korenblat bought Western Spirit in 1997 and since then has spent many days riding unknown trails (with a headlamp in her backpack, just in case) creating the plethora of trips that Western Spirit now offers. Ashley is a graduate of Dartmouth and Tuck Business School, a former bike racer, former Wall Street captive and possessor of entrepreneurial spirit. She was president of Merlin during the Titanium mountain bike heyday and served as the IMBA President working to sustain trail availability to everyone. Combine all that with the desire for a Moab lifestyle and an alternative view of a fulfilling career path, and you have the perfect recipe for the owner of a cycling tour company.  Enter Mark. Mark is our charming, wicked-fit, voice of reason, miraculously lured from his ski town tradition to live in the desert. Ashley and Mark got married in 1999 in Moab and now run the company together.

Well, actually Kip runs the place. Kip is Ashley and Mark's young boy and he has his own bike helmet and chariot. He is also beginning to tear it up on the dirt with his training wheels.

Our office staff is comprised of mostly gals...and Mark. Thank goodness for Mark! Mark is our bike junkie and can be seen pedaling on a daily basis. Ashley makes the best backcountry bacon you will ever have, but definitely burns off those calories towing the little Kipster around town in his trailer. Anne Clare loves riding her road bike and hiking in the mountains. Sheri and Tonya both love the water and do their best to kayak 365 days a year. Emily is pretty "green". She is the founder of a non-profit organization, Community Rebuilds that promotes affordable and eco-friendly housing.

All of us have worked outdoors and are familiar with what you will experience on a Western Spirit trip. At any given time when you call you can talk to someone who has been on any trip that interests you. That's because we love to be out there too!

Our Philosophy

In our busy world, we often don't get to be outside enough. Even if you do, there's some phenomenon that just makes you want more. Nothing like going somewhere to make you realize all the other places you still need to go! Traveling outside makes you see Mars when it's the closest to earth it'll ever be, makes you smell the fragrant lupine covering the mountain slope, makes you feel the wind, see the perfect sunset, catch an eclipse of the moon, experience the herd of elk in the alpine meadow, and start to tell time by the location of the moon in the night sky.

What's that all worth in our busy world? Well, it is our world.

On all of our tours, we strive to protect our fragile mountain and desert environments. Many of our campsites are remote and unimproved, and we seek to leave them better than we found them.

Meals

Food is one thing we take pretty seriously. Our guides are great backcountry chefs and your trip includes all meals from lunch on first day to lunch on last day.

Support Vehicle

Our customized trucks and vans carry all of your gear as well as many camper comforts! We have the coolest custom F-450's in the industry. Our guides have incredible backcountry experience, but the best part is that they are all super friendly and look forward to a week of riding with you.

Campsites

We camp primarily in pristine locations where it's quiet, dark and peaceful. The finest morning view comes with a hot cup of cowboy coffee. All shuttles are included from our meeting place to the start of your ride. At the end of the trip we shuttle back to our meeting place.

Permits

Western Spirit Cycling, Inc. operates under special use permits from the USDA Forest Service in the Boise, Coronado, Dixie, Grand Mesa, Gunnison, Kaibab, Manti La Sal (Moab and Monticello Ranger Districts), San Juan, Sawtooth, Sierra Vista, Uncompahgre, Challis, Clearwater, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Caribou-Targhee, Black Hills, Mount Hood, Umpqua, Nantahala, White Mountain, Monongahela, and Pisgah National Forests and by Dakota Prairie Grasslands. As well as under permits issued by the Bureau of Land Management in the San Juan Resource Area; Henry Mountain Field Station; Moab, Arizona Strip and Grand Junction Field Offices; Grand Staircase National Monument; and by Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon, Crater Lake and Blue Ridge Parkway National Parks. Western Spirit is a concessionaire in Canyonlands National Park.

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