Oregon's fledgling scenic bikeways program is ready to quadruple in number of routes and mileage.

Managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the program has only one route, the 132-mile

, which opened last year.

The state parks commission added three routes during its meeting in John Day, bringing the total miles to 525. (The commission unanimously approved the bikeways during its meeting at the Grant County Regional Airpoprt.)

Oregon is the only state with this type of formal scenic bikeway program. Tourism promoters expect it to draw cyclists from around the world as word spreads and the program grows.

"We're the first in the country with this level of route scrutiny," said Alex Phillips, manager of the state scenic bikeway program for Oregon State Parks.

The new bikeways are the 179-mile

, a tour of cattle and fossil country in the John Day River Valley; the 108-mile

, a wheat farm and forest ride out of Heppner; and the 106-mile

, a trio of rides in the ponderosa pine forest and high desert around Sisters. (These are PDF files and may take a moment to open.)

More routes are under study for designation. Primary emphasis is scenery, but the routes must offer safe riding conditions on low-traffic roads.

Bikeways are signed in both directions at each turn. Detailed maps, with listings of support services, will be on websites run by state parks, Oregon tourism and local proponents.

Mapped cycling tours are common in Oregon and elsewhere, but this program rises above others with its emphasis on scenery, its detailed protocol for approval by the state recreation agency, and the commitment by local governments and citizens to promote them and provide services.

Signs were placed on the first route in the Willamette Valley last year. Under state parks' leadership and the help of Cycle Oregon officials, the valley route between Champoeg and Eugene was designed by cycling advocates to serve as a prototype for other groups to follow.

It's not possible for state parks to count users on the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, but at least one restaurant on the heart of the route has noticed an uptick in touring cyclists.

"We've had a lot more come through our door," said Randy Ginn, owner of Main Street Coffee in Brownsville. "We were already the hub for local bike traffic, but our national and international riders have picked up exponentially. Just recently we've had them from Idaho, New York and Norway. We've increased our deck space and outside tables because that's where they want to sit."

Locally planned

The three newest bikeways were proposed and planned locally, then underwent a rigorous examination by a state committee before being submitted to the parks commission for approval.

Part of the Old West route in Grant County has been attracting cyclists since 1976, when U.S. 26 through the heart of the county was made part of a cross-country bike corridor by the

of Missoula, Mont.

Ever since, cyclists from afar have been biking through Grant County. Recently, three in their 20s crossed paths when they spent a night at the Bike Inn at Mount Vernon, a small John Day River town where U.S. 26 and 395 cross paths. Two of the cyclists were on their way between Portlands (Maine and Oregon), the other was riding from Cannon Beach to his home near the New Jersey Shore.

"We love it here. We hadn't seen trees in a week crossing Idaho. We could actually smell them," said Valerie Sartor of Howell, Mich., who was pedaling west on a tandem with David Shinabarger of Woodstock, Ill. "We could be doing this, or be back at home working a summer job at Subway."



Beautiful countryside

Long-distance cyclists are not the focus of the scenic bikeway program, even though the two experiences will overlap in the Old West corridor.

"We want to attract families and groups of friends to see our beautiful countryside and ride our lightly trafficked roads," said Mike Cosgrove of John Day, the local proponent of the Old West route and chairman of the state bikeway committee. "The economic impact of cycling is not going to replace the closing of a sawmill, but four or five cyclists a day can be quite profitable to some of the small communities along the way."

The Bike Inn, at the north edge of Mount Vernon, is one of those places, though it is not run for profit. Christy Rheu Waldner asks for donations and has received everything from a pile of coins, totaling 80 cents, to a few bills adding up to $45.

She offers a self-contained living unit behind her house where touring cyclists are welcome to drop by and stay overnight. It has a bed and futon, camping space, full kitchen, bathroom, Wi-Fi, guitar and more.

"It's a big county, so it's nice to have company," she said. "What are they going to do, steal my TV and ride away with it on their bicycle? I meet lots of interesting people. One guy was dating his way across the country. He used the Internet to land a dinner date down at the cafe, another with a park ranger at Baker City and had three set up in Missoula."

Oregon's new scenic bikeways, pending designated this week:



Old West:

A 178-mile loop, east on U.S. 26 from John Day to Austin Junction, northwest along the Middle Fork of the John Day River, south on U.S. 395 to Long Creek, west to Monument and Kimberley, south past John Day Fossil Beds National Monument to Dayville, then east back to John Day.

Blue Mountain Century:

This 108-ride requires only seven turn signs as it goes from Heppner east to Ukiah, north to Nye Junction and back west to Heppner.



Three Sisters:

The 38-mile McKenzie Pass ride goes from Sisters on the east to Belknap Hot Springs on the west. The 35-mile Sisters to Smith Rock ride follows lightly used paved roads between the two central Oregon landmarks. The Metolius Loops is three rides of 33 miles total for various abilities from the Camp Sherman Store.



On the web: