Crater Lake Rim to Roseburg
Rim to Roseburg is an amazing, epic downhill ride…fast and beautiful. Experience an almost 7,000 feet elevation drop in about 100 miles.
It’s an exciting ride but because of the relentless downhill for about half of its length, make sure your brakes and other equipment are in good shape. And, particularly in the higher elevations, watch for pavement changes, smooth to rough, and narrowing lanes. Remember to Share the Road as you race downhill. Route 138 often carries truck traffic, including logging trucks during warmer seasons and RVs on weekends. Although drivers are usually courteous, lanes can be tight along some stretches and it’s important you stay safe.
You start in Oregon’s only national park, stunning Crater Lake, and head north to Route 138, an Oregon and National Scenic Byway. Turning West on 138, you pedal towards Diamond Lake, Oregon and its legendary rainbow trout fishery. Diamond Lake Lodge might be a good place to provision up if you’ve forgotten anything. As you ride towards Diamond Lake, pause and admire Mount Thielson to the north — a raw spike against the sky — the remnant of an ancient volcano.
Past Diamond Lake you’ll find beauty all around you in long, downhill stretches and more unique natural features, including many waterfalls, beautiful rock formations, and a hot spring. The Toketee Ranger Station lies just off Route 138 and offers a place to water-up and obtain natural history information, including a waterfall brochure that might help you pick some spots to stop on your way to Roseburg. Several waterfall locations offer toilet facilities and outstanding rushing-water views.
Stop at the at the Last Resort and Dry Creek store for snacks and beverages and, later, at the world-famous Steamboat Inn for lunch. You might want to call ahead to the Inn to check availability. Further along, the Bureau of Land Management has facilities at Susan Creek, including toilets and rest areas.
Later in the ride will be the Idleyld Trading Post and more food and drink opportunities in Glide, Oregon.
While in Glide, be sure to check out the Colliding Rivers overlook and interpretive area. It’s the only place in the world where two rivers, the North Umpqua and Little Rivers, meet head-on in swirling chaos. Nearby, a log-cabin Exploration Center will give you more information about the area. When you arrive in Roseburg, you will find breweries, a winery, good food, and comfortable lodging waiting for you.
If your bike needs servicing, Canyon Creek Bicycles and Waldron’s Out Door Sports both offer repair and accessories.
The Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce operates a Visitors’ Center at the junction of Spruce Street and Washington Ave. The Center has a lot of useful information about amenities and resources in the area.
Crater Lake is accessible from many directions and roads. For example, if traveling along I-5, drivers can take Oregon Exit 30 at Medford and follow signs to Crater Lake, or take Exit 124 in Roseburg and follow Route 138 east, or take Route 97 from Bend to Route 138. Of all the routes, the scenery and riverscape along Route 138 from Roseburg to Crater Lake are the most dramatic and beautiful.
Photos From This Ride
Fine food at True on Main Street in beautiful, historic Downtown Roseburg.
Stop in for good coffee and something to eat at the Darkroom on Jackson Street in the Heart of Roseburg.
Food truck for mobility with a brew pub for a base, Salud offers unique food and drink for all comers in the Heart of Roseburg.
Nothing better than a brew pub after a long bike ride! Draper\'s is ready to serve you!
Looking for authentic Mexican cuisine? Mariachi Loco is a local favorite on Jackson Street in the Heart of Roseburg.
No better Greek food in Oregon than Alexander\'s Greek Cuisine on Jackson Street in historic Downtown Roseburg.
Brix offers a restaurant, a bar, an event center, and a coffee bar...all within a block of one another on Jackson Street and then at Oak Avenue and Main Street. Great food and drink at every location.
Need to build up those carbs? Try Dino\'s Ristorante for authentic Italian food at the corner of Douglas Avenue and Jackson Street in historic Downtown Roseburg.
Little Brothers Pub on Main Street near Douglas Avenue in Downtown Roseburg serves up good brews and excellent sandwiches with the fixin\'s.
Kiosks with maps of the Heart of Roseburg let the pedestrian or the bicyclist know where to find essential services
Each kiosk in Downtown Roseburg interprets information about the Land of Umpqua
Two Shy Brewing is located in an off-the-main-drag location near Garden Valley Boulevard. Go find \'em, their craft brews are excellent!
Old Soul Pizza offers wood-fired pizza excellence in the Heart of Roseburg on Main Street.
Big sign, great craft brews.
Head over past the Roseburg Armory north of the airport for some of the best craft brews in Oregon at Old 99 Brewing Company, Arrive early if you can; otherwise, the local cyclists will have grabbed all the good seats!
Like trains? Try a brew and burger at McMenamin\'s Roseburg Station. Yes, the railroad was the reason for Roseburg\'s existence back in the 19th Century, and now the old train station offers up craft brews, wine, and lots of menu choices.
Roseburg\'s urban winery, Paul O\'Brien Winery, where they not only ferment and age the wine on site, they also serve it to you in an elegant tasting room!
No better place than the Bagel Tree for fresh bagels and coffee at the corner of Jackson Street and Diamond Lake Boulevard in beautiful Downtown Roseburg.
French pastries in the Heart of Roseburg on Jackson Street near City Hall. Bon appetit!
O\'Toole\'s Pub serves draft beer, wine, and delicious food on Jackson Street in the Heart of Roseburg across from City Hall.
the Canyon Creek guys know what they are doing and can give you good advice about where to cycle..
Here\'s Chief Repair Wrenchhero, Aaron, fixing up a casualty.
Waldron\'s sells bike and all manner of outdoor equipment...kinda like Roseburg\'s version of Cabela\'s. They repair bikes, too. Check \'em out sometime.
