Hills Creek Road ride a great way to get away without going too far.

Byline: THE OUTSIDER By John Rezell The Register-Guard

Ken Wilson cracked a sly grin beneath his gray beard, his "what-do-you-think-of-this" grin, as we paused from our bike ride for a moment to look back east toward Eugene and beyond.

We could see the east side of Mount Pisgah, and beyond that, Spencer's Butte. In front of us, the Willamette Valley, just outside of Jasper.

You may remember Wilson from my first column adventure last year. We went mountain biking in the alleys of Springfield. Wilson has a penchant for finding neat places seemingly right under our noses.

That's what we were enjoying at the moment, a quiet ride out of Springfield that quickly leaves the buzz of traffic and the city in your rearview mirror.

Wilson took me up one of the old Weyerhaeuser truck roads, aka, Booth-Kelly Road, out toward Jasper.

It isn't a big-time off-road adventure. The road is paved. But it offers a motorized vehicle-less alternative to the river trails, with hardly any of the biking or hiking traffic.

"My chance to get out alone in a hurry," Wilson said. "The quickest route to solitude."

We hooked up with the road just off of 42nd Street, south of Main Street, just before crossing the railroad tracks.

The truck road, which used to bring logging trucks on an express route right into Springfield and the lumberyards, hugs the railroad tracks for a mile or so, sandwiched by residential neighborhoods.

It squirts out at the end of Bob Straub Parkway (some call it the Jasper Extension) and 57th Street. That's where you can pick up the closed road, and take it all the way out to Hills Creek Road.

You find yourself confronted by a large yellow gate and a few warning signs.

That means it's time to find out what's what.

The first signs off 42nd Street say no motor-propelled traffic. That means cyclists and hikers are welcome, according to Jeanne Hunt, Weyerhaeuser's forest land use manager in Springfield.

Hunt says the old truck road from Springfield to Hills Creek Road is open to cyclists and hikers nearly all the time. If you find a "closed" sign up, that means, of course, it's closed.

According to Hunt, venturing on the rest of Weyerhaeuser roads depends on conditions. On the other side of Hills Creek Road, the barricade includes a large white sign familiar to a lot of outdoors folks. It lists everything that it prohibits, which does not include bicycles or foot traffic.

It does say "authorized access" only. Hunt said that means it is important to call the toll-free number listed on the sign. You'll get a recorded message that tells you current restrictions.

For instance, back in early March, those roads were open to bikers and hikers weekdays after 4 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays. They open an hour before sunrise and close an hour after sunset.

The restrictions, however, vary depending on the area you happen to be in. The toll-free number has options for each of the areas, so it's important to check it out for the latest information.

In the meantime, you're free to use the old Booth-Kelly Road. It's a neat place to take the kids, although the hills will give them a serious workout challenge. We enjoyed it over Spring Break as a family.

Once again, a fun alternative, right under our noses. Thanks again, to Ken.

John Rezell, aka, Raz, can be reached at [e-mail].