Larch Mountain Road

The most demanding road climb east of Portland proper and a standard benchmark for the city's serious club riders. The Larch Mountain Road departs the Columbia Gorge scenic corridor at Corbett and climbs through the Douglas fir forest of the Cascade foothills to the 1,240m summit plateau of Larch Mountain — a volcanic shield with a viewpoint accessed by a short trail from the parking area at road's end. The 22.5km ascent maintains a consistent 5-6% gradient for the lower two-thirds before pitching to 7-9% on the final 6km through the denser forest above 900m. The road is closed to vehicles between November and late May due to snow accumulation on the summit; the gate closure at Bridal Veil makes an excellent cycling start point when the full road is open. Traffic is light on weekday mornings; weekends in summer see moderate use from vehicle-borne hikers visiting the summit viewpoint. The Sherrard Point viewpoint at the top, accessed via a 400m foot trail from the road end, frames all five major Cascade peaks (Hood, Adams, Saint Helens, Rainier, Jefferson) in a single panorama on clear days.