ROAD TRIP.

Byline: Karen McCowan The Register-Guard

Lane County's newest scenic byway will have you quoting Tolkien:

Still round the corner

there may wait

a new road or a

secret gate.

It was years in the making - the first paving of three former logging roads linking Cottage Grove and Oakridge began nearly 20 years ago.

But when the U.S. Forest Service completed the final stretch last month, it indeed created an inviting new road: Crisp white fog lines snake along a ribbon of blue-black asphalt, beckoning cyclists and motorists alike.

One section of the route even forms a Hobbit-like gateway, with red and gold-leaved branches arching in a brilliant canopy overhead.

The real payoff, though, comes further east, after sharp switchbacks carry you to an open summit near 5,164-foot Grass Mountain. This panorama is unlike any other in the county. A 150-mile chain of Cascade peaks march north to south with their white caps of fall snow: Mount Jefferson, Black Butte, Mount Washington, Three Sisters, Diamond Peak, Mount Thiesen, Mount McLoughlin.

Then, as you drop down Larison Rock Road, a final vista comes into view: the blue-green waters of Hills Creek Lake.

The newly paved road (76 miles as measured from Interstate 5 to Highway 58) is being touted as a recreational and competitive cycling route by Lane County tourism officials and the cities of Oakridge and Cottage Grove. Randy Dreiling at Oregon Adventures in Oakridge (968-5397) offers guided bike tours of the route.

But it's also great Sunday Afternoon Drive material.

Plan at least two hours each way for the meandering trip - more if you want to hike along Brice Creek at the bottom or linger over the view from the top.

Officials for both cities credit Umpqua National Forest District Ranger Deb Schmidt with overseeing completion of the road. The Lane County Board of Commissioners approved the use of federal Title 2 funds for the bulk of the final $500,000 paving and striping project, which Oakridge and Cottage Grove also supported over the years.

To reach the road from the southern Willamette Valley, travel south on Interstate 5 to Cottage Grove and take Exit 174. Proceed 18 miles east on Row River Road, past Dorena Lake and Baker Bay Park, until you reach Brice Creek Road (Forest Service Road 22).

Stay on Brice Creek Road all the way to Forest Service Road 5850. Before turning left there, however, you should proceed across FSR 5850 about a quarter mile and turn left at the short, gravel road leading to an old log deck that overlooks Hills Creek Lake, the Cascade foothills and nine mountains.

Then head north on FSR 5850 until you reach FSR 2102. Turn left there, following it to Highway 58 just east of Oakridge.

A few tips before you set out:

Signs at some intersections with other Forest Service roads can be confusing. Ignore those that direct you on other (quickly unpaved) routes to Cottage Grove or to Highway 58. Your route consists of FSR 22, 5850 and 2102.

Most of the scenic route is a winding, one-lane road with occasional turnouts. As such, it is not suitable for carsick children or monster RVs.

While the entire route has been paved, at least one short section of pavement was washed out in a slide.

There are no restrooms between Oakridge and a pit toilet at Lund Park campground along Brice Creek. Budget your beverages accordingly.

CAPTION(S):

The Forest Service recently finished paving the last section of gravel of a scenic route between Cottage Grove and Oakridge. Brice Creek Road is also called Forest Service Road 22. The Associated Press The summit of the scenic drive offers a splendid view of the Three Sisters and other Cascade peaks. Stephanie Barrow / The Register-Guard Chris Pietsch / The Register-Guard Don Stone watches for traffic before merging onto Brice Creek Road with his dog, Mitzy.