A forest service road that winds through the Willamette National Forest east of Eugene has been designated as Oregon’s 18th scenic bikeway.
At its Nov. 20 meeting, the Oregon Parks and Recreation commission approved the designation for Aufderheide Drive.
The 60-mile route connects the Oakridge/Westfir area to Rainbow and McKenzie Bridge. It passes Cougar Reservoir and Terwilliger Hot Springs, and parallels the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers.
At the commission meeting, Cycle Oregon’s Steve Shulz said the road is already popular for cyclists.
“The route’s beauty, pristine riding surfaces and geographical positioning to small communities and other recreational activities, such as mountain biking, hiking, fishing, and kayaking, offer a full outdoor recreation experience for all visitors,” Schulz said.
Aufderheide Drive is already part of a "Scenic Byway," which is a designation primarily intended for motorists. The new designation will make it the fourth scenic bikeway that lies entirely or partly in Lane County.
The scenic bikeway proposal had been in the works before the pandemic and was on hold until now.
The scenic bikeway program was launched in 1999. It's the only one of its kind in the United States, according to Shulz.
