Head West young man… and bring your bike! Portland is known as a bike friendly town, but there are also parts of the Oregon Coast where biking is a lot of fun. In particular, Astoria’s 4-mile long River Walk and the nearby Fort Stevens State Park. Astoria used to be a very industrial place with rough roads and not the most tourist friendly environment. They’ve come a long way in the past 15 years. The River Walk is a great way to see the city on a sunny day. On a cold, rainy day, not so much. We had 80 mile an hour winds on our last visit and the bikes stayed home. The River Walk trail runs along the Astoria waterfront past the Columbia River Maritime Museum(well worth a visit), under the Astoria-Megler Bridge and is just a couple blocks from the heart of downtown. There are plenty of places where you can divert into town for food, drinks or art galleries, then return to the waterfront to continue your journey. Since it is a paved path, it is shared by walkers, joggers, bikers and strollers. If you are feeling lazy, you can even hop on and off the Astoria Riverfront Trolley( ) for a minimal fee when it is running.
