Date Reviewed: 2/06

Updated: 4/06 with alternate route and GPS file

Length: 22 miles

Technical Difficulty: Difficult

Location: This fun route is closed due to a significant slide. A very fun bypass was found. It contains 2.6 miles of rather steep dirt road. Start from the south to meet dirt while heading uphill.

Click for a Garmin Track of this route. The track begins at Hwy 36 and ends at the junction of Five Rivers Rd and Lobster Creek Rd.

For those without GPS... Start at the junction of Indian Creek Rd and Hwy 36. Follow Indian Creek Rd for about 8.5 miles to the junction with Rd 3278. Turn right onto Rd 3278 and ride until reaching pavement in about 2.5 miles. This will be Rd 32. Turn left and continue to Hwy 36. Watch for the tricky junction with Rd 3250. Stay right at this junction.

At some point the road will be fixed. Bikes could actually navigate the slide section after about 30 minutes of pick axe work (something not condoned by this site). The directions below are for when Rd 32 is repaired.

From the south, start on Indian Creek Rd (N44° 04' 53.20" and W123° 47' 22.80"). This is located between mile posts 10 and 11 on Hwy 36. After riding 2.5 miles on Indian Creek, turn right onto Rd 32 (N44° 05' 55.29" and W123° 48' 33.51"). The only tricky turn is where Rd 32 meets Rd 3250 (N44° 12' 44.73" and W123° 48' 44.62"). Stay right and continue on Five Rivers Rd (may be labeled Rd 32) to Hwy 34.

From the north, start on Five Rivers Rd (N44° 21' 34.60" and W123° 49' 46.44"). This is located between mile posts 19 and 20 on Hwy 34. Although on some maps it appears that Rd 37 offers a tricky junction, this is not the case. Rd 37 is actually somewhat difficult to find.

Connects With: Lobster Valley Rd, Hwy 34, Hwy 36, Rd 37, and Rd 3250.

Amenities: None

Places Of Interest: Fisher Covered Bridge and fantastic back country.

Review: After enjoying this road on a yearly basis, February 2006 found a slide quite impassible for mortals riding V-Stroms. This report was posted with faith that it won't stay closed for long.

Road 32 is quite unique. Few one lane roads in the coastal mountain range run north-south. Even fewer cover distance on ridge tops. Rd 32 connects Hwy 34 in the north to Hwy 36 in the south. Almost half the distance is along a river with the remainder spent on ridge tops. The road is worthy of riding based solely on this unique combination.

From the south, the ride starts with Indian Creek Rd. The large, well maintained road appears to be a major thoroughfare. This appearance quickly disappears when it becomes apparent that almost no corners are marked. This includes one that should be rated for around 15 mph. In addition to tight corners appearing without warning, there's the problem of early spring sand. Enough people live on the road to warrant sanding when icy. However, not enough people to warrant sweeping the sand away. In other months, the tight corners and grippy pavement make the 2.5 miles spent on Indian Creek Rd quite memorable.

The turn onto Rd 32 will feel like a big mistake. Rd 32 takes off as a tiny one lane thing while Indian Creek Rd continues with two well maintained lanes. Due to its small size and poorly maintained appearance, finding Rd 32 almost requires setting the odometer or using GPS.

Rd 32 will remain small and poorly maintained for eleven miles. In wet weather, moss in-between tire tracks gets quite slippery. Dirt patches appear without warning. So do extremely tight, blind corners. Unless poking along, this road is quite technical and potentially demanding. On the V-Strom the operative term was exhilarating. The road was a blast! Since the 1500cc cruiser and SV1000 riders trailing along (dual sports rule on this road) had similar thoughts, Rd 32 is enjoyable on quite a few bikes.

After an aggressive descent, Rd 32 becomes Five Rivers Rd and gains an extra lane. While curvy, after miles of technical one lane riding, this section is quite relaxing. Pavement is good, some corners are marked, and the scenery is outstanding. Upon reaching Hwy 34, turn left for Waldport in 20 miles or right for Corvallis in about 40 miles. While it doesn't go anywhere special, the pure uniqueness of this route makes it an annual favorite. It's definitely worth trying.

This report will be updated when it's known that the road is open.

Rider Comments:

"Very nice and is an easy ride. Just putt along at 10 mph. One is isolated on it though. Much more so than on other roads and this gives it an adventure nature. I broke a battery at the end of it and had begun a 10 mile push to the main road. When the only guy on the road loaned me a battery that got me home."- Dennis, Salem, Oregon

As of May 2008, the road is still closed, technically. A couple of motivated riders have scraped the apexes of the little dropoffs which would allow a brave dual sport rider to traverse it in dry weather. [Ed.]

"The road's been blown out there near the top for a few years now. There's a logging road bypass about a mile north of the end. From there it's about 3 miles of mostly downhill gravel logging road, connecting to Indian Creek Road several miles from Hwy 36. Riding south on Indian Creek from that point to Hwy 36 at Indianola is very, very nice."- Steve Clark, Albany, Oregon

"The bypass has been improved. It's freshly paved from just before the first hairpin, about a mile downhill from the north end, all the way past the second one, which is a bit less than a mile from Indian Creek Road. It's not all done yet, but now the most severe downhill section is 1+ lanes of pavement, with a paved turnout just downhill of that first hairpin. The parts that haven't been paved yet are all very good hard-pack, instead of the loose stuff that was there before." Steve Clark, Albany, Oregon