DamTour 2010 :    

 

20 Dam Good Places to Ride !

Study your maps and combine dams for some great weekend (or longer) trips. Check the "Ride Talk" page for postings of other riders looking for someone to ride along. You can also log your progress. The list below gives the GPS, and approximate location, but be sure to check out each dam page for more detailed information and local resources, and sometimes rider perks.

When you have photos of your dam visits email them to me for ranking credit. These are great places to visit on a motorcycle. Enjoy the ride and be safe.

* A note on GPS coordinates: These are approximate, but should be close enough to get you there. Don’t expect a guided tour. :-)

2010 Dam Tour List   (*clicking on the GPS co-ordinance will take you to that map.)

OREGON . . .

  1. Timothy Lake Dam  ( 72 miles from PDX -- 232 miles from Sea-Tac )
    The Dam is just 12 miles off of Highway 26 near Blue Box Pass, but can be accessed by paved road either from the east or west side. The road actually crosses over the dam.
           GPS  45.11417°N - 121.80500°W    or   45° 6’ 51” N - 121° 48’ 18” W

  2. Haystack Dam  ( 128 miles from PDX -- 284 miles from Sea-Tac )
    Haystack Dam is southeast of Madras about 11 miles. SW Haystack Drive off of Jericho Lane is a mile east of Highway 97. If you like dirt roads, you can come in from Hwy. 26.
           GPS   44.49944° N - 121.15361° W    or   44° 29’ 57” N - 121° 9’ 12” W

  3. Mainline #1 Dam  ( 188 miles from PDX -- 344 miles from Sea-Tac )
    Mainline #1 is a private dam on Maury Creek, just off of Highway 380 at milepost 41.1, 14 miles west of Paulina, Oregon. Don't get confused, there are two different dams. You can see Mainline #1 from the locked gate, and take your photo there.
           GPS   44.10667° N - 120.20500° W    or   44° 6’ 24” N - 120° 12’ 17” W

  4. Tahkenitch Dam   ( 195 miles from PDX -- 344 miles from Sea-Tac )
    Tahkenitch Dam is next to Hwy 101, just north of Gardner, Oregon. The lake is on the east side, but the dam is on the west side of the hwy.
           GPS   43.80775° N - 124.15405° W     or   43° 48’ 27” N - 124° 9’ 14” W

  5. Crescent Lake Dam( 196 miles from PXD -- 346 miles from Sea-Tac )
    Crescent Lake Dam is located 3 miles off of Highway 58 east of Willamette Pass near Crescent Lake Junction. Crescent Cut-off Road, is a nice short cut back to Hwy 97.
           GPS   43.50172° N - 121.97347° W     or   43° 30’ 6” N - 121° 58’ 24” W

  6. Wolf Creek Dam ( 283 miles from PDX --  358 miles from Sea-Tac )
    Wolf Creek Dam lies 6 miles west of North Powder, Oregon off Hwy 84. The roads to the dam are paved, but the parking lot at the dam is gravel.
           GPS   45.05278° N - 118.01806° W     or   45° 3 ’10” N - 118° 1’ 5” W

  7. William L Jess Dam (aka Lost Creek Dam) ( 305 miles from PDX -- 455 miles from Sea-Tac )
    WL Jess Dam, also called Lost Creek Dam, creates Lost Creek Reservoir on the mighty Rogue River not far from its headwaters at Crater Lake Oregon. The dam is about 30 miles from Medford.
           GPS  42.67083° N - 122.67222° W     or   42° 40 ’ 14” N - 122° 40’ 19” W

  8. Mason Dam (318 miles from PDX -- 392 miles from Sea-Tac )
    Mason Dam forms Phillips Lake on the Powder River not far from Baker City, Oregon. You can pick up this dam on your way to The Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally. Just off Hwy 7.
           GPS   44.67139° N - 117.99833° W     or   44° 40’ 17” N - 117° 59’ 53” W

 

WASHINGTON . . .

  1. Cowlitz Falls Dam ( 89miles from Sea-Tac -- 119 miles from PDX )
    Cowlitz Falls dam is a relatively new dam that forms Lake Scanewa on the Cowlitz River southwest of Randle, Washington. There are dual sport options to this dam.
           GPS   46.46657° N - 122.10888° W     or   46° 27’ 59” N - 122° 6’ 31” W

  2. Aberdeen Lake Dam ( 95 miles from Sea-Tac -- 139 miles from PDX )
    Aberdeen Lake on Van Winkle Creek, is just off of Highway 12 east of Aberdeen. Previewing this dam adds a warning to riders getting back out onto the highway due to traffic.
           GPS  46.98062° N - 123.74248° W     or   46° 58 ’ 50 ” N - 123° 44’ 32” W

  3. French Canyon Dam ( 165 miles from Sea-Tac -- 202 miles from PDX )
    French Canyon Dam is just outside of Tieton, Washington. Tieton is just 6 miles above Naches, at nearly 2000 feet elevation. The last 350 yards to the dam is on a gravel road named French Road.
           GPS  46.71005° N - 120.79214° W    or   46° 42’ 36” N - 120° 47’ 31” W

  4. The Dalles Dam - Washington side only. ( 240 miles from Sea-Tac -- 85 miles from PDX )
    Although this dam spans the Columbia River and is accessible from Oregon, you "must" visit this dam on the Washington side near the fish ladder. Take Hwy 197 just off of Hwy 14 to reach the access road to the fish ladder just before crossing the bridge into Oregon.
           GPS  45.61417° N - 121.13663° W     or   45° 36’ 51” N - 121° 8’ 11” W

  5. Salmon Lake Dam ( 257 miles from Sea-Tac -- 390 miles from PDX )
    Salmon Lake Dam looms over the small town of Conconully, which is about 17 miles northwest of Omak VIA a paved road. Be sure you are at Salmon Lake Dam and not Conconully Dam. Be sure to check out this dam page for special rider perks.
           GPS  48.55833° N - 119.745009° W     or   48° 33’ 29 ” N - 119° 44’ 42” W

  6. Mill Creek Dam ( 281 miles from Sea-Tac -- 246 miles from PDX )
    Mill Creek Dam is just east of the city of Walla Walla, on Reservoir Road. It is paved all the way, but watch out for speed bumps. Check out the rider perks (Backstage Bistro).
           GPS  46.06421° N - 118.26382° W     or   46° 3’ 51” N - 118° 15’ 49” W

  7. Lower Granite Dam ( 286 miles from Sea-Tac -- 342 miles from PDX )
    Lower Granite Dam is located on the Snake River about 30 miles downstream from Clarkston, Washington. Paved road access to the dam from the south is VIA Hwy 12, about 20 miles west of Clarkston. From the north VIA Hwy 194 through Almota
           GPS  47.83000° N - 117.91667° W     or   47° 49’ 48.002” N - 117° 55’ 00.01” W

  8. Boundary Dam ( 393 miles from Sea-Tac -- 457 miles from PDX )
    You MUST take you picture from the base of the dam, accessed after you pass through a tunnel, that will allow a photo of your bike with the dam in the background. The viewpoint is on the west east of the dam (& worth the extra miles). You access the west side of the dam via Boundary Road out of Metaline.
           GPS  48.98722° N - 117.34639° W     or   48° 59’ 13”N - 117° 20’ 47” W

                     
WA Dams       OR Dams

BONUS Dams . . .

  1. Pit #3 Dam (424 miles from PDX -- 573 miles form Sea-Tac )
    Pit #3 Dam is on the Pit River forming Lake Britton. It is about 10 miles north of Burney, CA. Pit#3 is one of seven dams along this section of the river. The powerhouse is currently under construction and access across the dam/bridge is closed.
           GPS  41.02167° N - 121.67500° W     or   41° 1’ 18”N - 121° 40’ 29” W

  2. Swan Falls Dam ( 443 miles from PDX -- 517 miles from Sea-Tac )
    Swan Falls Dam is on the Snake River in southern Idaho about 25 miles south of Boise Idaho. There are both paved roads and gravel roads that access the dam, do your homework prior to visiting the dam.
           GPS  42.24345° N - 116.37898° W     or   42° 14’ 36”N - 116° 22’ 44” W

  3. WAC Bennett Dam ( 975 miles from PDX -- 815 miles from Sea-Tac )
    Way up north in the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia is Bennett Dam, creating the largest lake in North America on the Peace River. The place is so large, that tours of the dam and powerhouse go by bus. Williston Lake stretches over 140 miles in the Rocky Mountain Trench.
           GPS  56.01800° N - 122.20668° W     or   56° 1’ 4” N - 122° 12’ 24” W

  4. Buffalo Bill Dam ( 937 miles from PDX -- 904 miles from Sea-Tac )
    The dam creates Buffalo Bill Reservoir on the Shoshone River high up in the Rocky Mountains east of Yellowstone in Wyoming. Cody Wyoming is just 7 miles to the east.
           GPS  44.50162° N - 109.18404° W     or   44° 30’ 5” N - 109° 11’ 2” W

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