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Typically, when we take advice from others, we go with the flow and just do it and it usually ends well. When cycling Nehalem Bay to Pacific City, this wasn’t the case. Friendly advice from others ended in us enduring one of the hardest days on the entire trip from Seattle to San Francisco.
Cycling Nehalem Bay to Pacific City is the sixth of nearly 30 daily diaries of our cycle trip from Seattle to San Francisco.
If you’d like to read from the beginning, check out, getting to Seattle. Each post in this cycle series will contain our daily journal entries that we kept via Track My Tour,photos captured throughout the day, and the exact route, duration, and elevation gains for the given ride.
Read Our Complete Guide to Cycling the Pacific Coast Highway Here
Let’s dive into Biking the Pacific Coast Highway, Day Five, Nehalem Bay State Park to Pacific City, Oregon.
Cycling Nehalem Bay to Pacific City
Coming off of our favorite day on the entire PCH bike route, we were excited to hit the road today. We were even more thrilled that our friend drove over to spend a day riding with us, and we’d be spending the night at our friends’ place with a hot tub and pool!
I think those little things are what kept us going, as this day became the hardest day on the entire west coast bike route for us.
We took the friendly advice from others to stick more to the coast, and ended up climbing 800 feet, straight up, within only a few short miles! Now, we had just experienced loads of elevation gain the day before, but this was nothing like that, it was legitimately straight up…
As in, we were literally popping wheelies as we rode because the weight of the panniers was more than the front of our bikes causing the bikes to want to flip backward.
IT WAS BRUTAL.
Jason took the option of just laughing hysterically with Brad at how miserable the climb was, while I, Heather, ended up literally throwing my bike on the ground when I would get to a rest point. All I wanted to do was quit, yet we pressed on.
I remember Brad would cycle up around a corner and then come back telling me we were almost to the top (lying more times than we can count), but knowing that if he came back with any other news I wouldn’t be able to keep going.
It was an absolutely killer day on the Oregon bike route, and one that we’d willingly take a different route for then have to experience that climb again!
Biking Nehalem Bay to Pacific City Day Five Quick Facts
- Miles // 55.98 miles
- Saddle Time // 5 hrs 18 min
- Elevation // 2,287 feet
- Accommodation // friends in Pacific City, but freecampsites.net just further south for others!
- Water // many towns along the way to fill up
- Food // Tillamook Cheese Factory for ice cream and cheese mid-ride!Our Total Gear List for Cycle Packing
Pacific Coast Highway Day Five Journal Entry
Saturday 8 Aug 2015 22:00
DAY 5: Wow, what a day. We took off from Nehalem Bay State Park with one more person, our close friend Brad! The four of us went on down the road into what looked like a wall of clouds and rain in the distance. Although it didn’t start pouring on us till the second half of the ride, we still had fun with it.
We ended up taking a nice afternoon lunch break at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. The four of us indulged ourselves in cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. It wasn’t the best food for cycling, but it sure did taste like the best. After lunch we took off into the rain; it didn’t let up till we reached Pacific City.
Before we started the day, we were all thinking it would be an easy day with no more than 800 feet of elevation gain. But with some advice from a couple of other people to take the alternate route that would get us closer to the coast, see the Three Capes, and have better views forgot to warn us of an 800-foot vertical climb in the latter part of the ride.
The part you should not do…
We were all shocked at the hill. Each time we crested a banking corner we thought we made it to the top but never did that actually happen. It had seemed as though we were on a never-ending mountain. Heather was so exhausted that Maarten was pushing her up the road (he was able to do this because he sent his trailer home with Brad’s wife, Kala).
At one point, Brad and I were laughing hysterically because the mountain just never stopped. Eventually, we made it to the top. We climbed 800 ft in 41 minutes. We were toast. After cycling 5 days straight, we needed a rest day and that is what tomorrow is for. Just hanging out and doing nothing.
For the day, we cycled 55.9 miles with an elevation gain of 2,287 feet. The overall distance is 288.74 miles.
Cycler’s Tips for Nehalem Bay State Park to Pacific City | PCH Day 5
- Stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory! If you don’t want to do the tour, you can still sample the cheese and indulge in some ice cream! They also offer great food for lunch too!
- From there, you could just continue down Highway 101, and ride all the way to Winema Beach (our rest day area after today’s ride). You wouldn’t be riding along the coast, however, you will be skipping the brutal mountain
- The “ride closer to the coast” that we took was treacherous! Hands down, the hardest ride so far. Take a look at the map, and you’ll see it really was straight uphill. We’d suggest not taking this route and actually just sticking to the normal road instead!
- Pacific City is a cute coastal town. There are places to stay in Pacific City, but you can also camp for free just south of the city. Look at freecampsites.net to find a spot for you!
More on Cycling the Pacific Coast Highway
Cycle Rules in Oregon | A Bicyclist’s Manual
Did you know, in Oregon, as a cyclist you’re technically considered a car and must oblige by vehicle road rules? Use that knowledge as the confidence to take over the lane when there’s not a safe shoulder and really own the road!
Our Complete Guide to Biking the Pacific Coast Highway
This post contains our gear list, all our daily journal entries, FAQs on cycling the PCH, and downloads to make your PCH cycle trip easier!
Next Daily Journal Entry on our Pacific Coast Highway Bike Tour
Our first rest day of the entire trip AND, proper wild camping right on the Oregon Coast!
Previous Daily Journal Entry on our Pacific Coast Highway Bike Tour
Our favorite day on the entire PCH bike tour… 2,000+ feet in elevation, but lots of epic downhill rides too!
Camping for Free on your Bike Tour
Interested in learning more about camping for free on your bike tour? We’re sharing ways to find free camping, what you need to know about free camping, and even our favorite places!
Have questions about day five, cycling Nehalem Bay to Pacific City? Need a bit more information about the trip as a whole? Or just want to share your experiences? We’d love to hear from you.. start a conversation below!
