James and I didn’t begin RVing for the normal reasons—like loving camping or wanting to explore the country. We started RVing because we were sick of standing in portajohn lines at bike events. That’s genuinely how it started.
After one too many starting line waits in cycling gear, we thought: what if we just brought our own bathroom? Three RVs and 15 years later, it turns out they’re good for a few other things too. Mostly, they’re the reason we can just pick up and go, riding our bikes pretty much anywhere we want.
Visiting Oregon
That’s how we ended up in Oregon recently.
Did you know Oregon has a Scenic Bikeways program? The state has around 18 designated road routes that highlight some of the best scenery, history, and towns in each region. We’ve made it a personal goal to ride them all someday.
This time, we had our eye on the Covered Bridges Tour Route near Cottage Grove. Lane County has more covered bridges than any county west of the Mississippi, and this bicycling route strings several of them together. I’d been wanting to ride this one for years. It’s a 36-mile route that takes you past — and sometimes straight through — a handful of historic covered bridges. It feels less like a ride and more like a scavenger hunt. I love bike rides that have destinations, goals, or things to chase.
Where We Stayed
We got lucky with this one.
There’s a campground right along the route — Baker Bay Campground — so there were zero bike logistics to figure out. No breaking camp to drive to a trailhead. No stressing about whether someone would snag our site while we were gone. We don’t travel with a tow car, so those are real considerations for us most of the time—but not here.We sat outside with our coffee the morning of the ride, gave our cat, Mel, a few scratches, told him to guard the RV, and rolled out. Easy as that.
Camping on Baker Bay
The campground at Baker Bay is simple — dry camping, no hookups, one vault toilet, and it sits right on Dorena Lake. Most of the sites are tucked into trees along the shoreline. We were there in the shoulder season and shared the entire campground with just one other RV, which made it feel even more special.
The sunsets over the lake were kind of unreal. The water would go glassy and still, and everything felt strangely quiet— the kind of quiet that makes you lower your voice without realizing.
I imagine it feels very different in the middle of summer when the campground is full, but that’s one of the perks of traveling in the shoulder seasons. Same beautiful destination. Completely different experience.
The Ride Itself
We rode the route clockwise, so we took a right on Shoreview Drive when we headed out of the park. In less than 2 miles, we turned onto another country road that is unbelievably pretty— and also where you tackle the one real climb of the whole route: Garoutte Road Hill.
It’s not long, but it gets your attention. We shifted down, settled in, and just spun our way up. Honestly, I like it when a ride challenges you a little. Once you’re at the top you get rewarded with your first of the six covered bridges — the Stewart Covered Bridge.
It was built in 1930 and is no longer in use, but it’s still really something to roll up on.
Visiting Cottage Grove
A few miles later, we rolled into the town of Cottage Grove, which is a small enough town that bicycling felt safe and easy. That’s where we found the next covered bridge—the Chambers Railroad Bridge—and this one we biked right through. Fun fact: it is the only covered railroad bridge west of the Mississippi. There was also a little park there with a large interpretive sign giving the history of the bridge. We jumped off our bikes and checked it out.
Reaching the Footbridge
At one point in town, we rode over a narrow swinging footbridge. We had it completely to ourselves, so naturally we reverted to being 10-year-olds and took turns making it sway while the other rode across. It felt like a fun house floor. Except on bikes. Suspended over a river.
From town, the ride transitions onto the Row River Trail, a paved path built on an old rail line. About half of it runs along the other side of Dorena Lake from where we were camped. There were glimpses of the water through lush forested stretches, and I kept catching the smell of blooming flowers drifting across the trail. I thought, this is why we ride instead of driving. You experience a place differently on a bike. You notice things.
When we rounded the bend for the last leg, we thought we were done seeing covered bridges, but this ride had one more surprise. As we turned back onto Shoreview Drive, right in front of us was the Dorena Bridge — 105 feet long, beautiful construction, little windows letting in strips of light.
Riding across the wooden plank floor, ba bump ba bump ba bump, was the perfect ending. We didn’t see that one coming, but it was our favorite of the whole day.
Returning to Baker Bay
We rolled back into Baker Bay happy.
And this is where RVing shines. Instead of loading bikes onto a rack and driving somewhere else, we left our bikes in the RV and walked down to the lake. Shoes off, feet in the water, talking about the day.
We made dinner outside that night. Nothing fancy — griddled chicken and veggies that tasted way better because we’d ridden all day. The sun dropped behind the trees, the water went still again, and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.
Final Thoughts
That rhythm — ride, recover, relax — is exactly why we still plan trips like this. As someone who cares a lot about building movement into real life, I love it when a destination gives you a reason to use your body. The bridges weren’t just something we drove past—we earned them. It’s that extra effort that makes an experience like this even more memorable.
