Oregon could soon have a new state-designated scenic bikeway winding through old-growth forests in southeast Lane County.
The 60-mile Aufderheide (pronounced OFF-der-HIDE-ee) Drive runs between the McKenzie River and the town of Oakridge, meandering past Terwilliger Hot Springs, the Cougar Reservoir and dense forests that are home to the elusive northern spotted owl.
Similar to Oregon’s scenic byways program for drivers, the scenic bikeways program highlights routes that showcase the state’s natural beauty and tourist attractions. Oregon is the only state with a scenic bikeways program, though California and Washington could soon follow suit.
“It’s really about tourism and economic development,” Steve Schulz, executive director of Cycle Oregon, a bicycling advocacy nonprofit. A state designation tells cyclists that a particular route is safe, beautiful and fun, he added.
While the ride through Aufderheide Drive may be scenic, it’s not without its challenges, as the route climbs up to 3,300 feet. Schulz said more casual cyclists can cut the ride short before hitting the hill, or they could veer off to nearby campgrounds.
The designation won’t come with major structural changes to the road — like new bike lanes or curbs. The program installs signs along the route, and Cycle Oregon helps local jurisdictions and community groups find funds to maintain those signs as well as roads and pathways.
Cycle Oregon and Travel Lane County, a nonprofit that promotes tourism in Eugene and Central Oregon Coast, have been working with state officials on designating Aufderheide Drive as a scenic bikeway since 2013. Wildfires in the following years stalled those efforts, then the scenic bikeway program went on hiatus during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Schulz said. The state last designated a scenic bikeway in 2017 with the 27-mile Crooked River Canyon route starting in Prineville. That was the state’s 17th scenic bikeway.
During a public hearing about Aufderheide Drive on Monday, Travel Lane County staff said they hope the bikeway attracts cyclists to remote towns. Development manager Connor Nolan pointed to the bikeway program’s 2014 study showing that cyclists spend almost three times as much as other travelers during overnight stays.
“We want to attract these high-spending visitors to our rural communities,” Nolan said. “We want to provide them a marquee cycling experience — something that they’ll never forget.”
FILE - Aufderheide Drive runs past the Cougar Reservoir, seen in this August 2023 photo, as well as campgrounds, hot springs and dense forests east of Lane County.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission will consider the Aufderheide Drive scenic bikeway designation at its September meeting. If approved, it would be Lane County’s third scenic bikeway.
“These experiences really establish Lane County as a cycling destination,” Nolan said.
Related: Two New Scenic Bikeways In Southern Oregon
For Schulz, Oregon’s scenic bikeways program is a way of bridging a cultural divide between traveling cyclists and residents of rural towns whose economies once relied on logging and milling industries. While not everyone may be thrilled about having cyclists on their roads, he said the local feedback on Aufderheide Drive has been positive overall.
“People are really supportive of it,” Schulz said. “They know what tourism can help with their communities. They want to highlight their resources and show themselves off a little bit.”