Coffee Tour of Southeast Portland
City Tour, 15 miles
Maria Schur, aka Bicycle Kitty, is the curator of the Coffee Tour.
Portland is known for its friendly bike infrastructure, delicious local coffee, and fabulous bridges. You'll experience, taste and see a nice variety of these as you tool around some favorite east side bike paths and greenways, and check out some hot coffee spots.
Start off at my favorite café in the whole wide world, Water Avenue Coffee. From there, hop on the Eastbank Esplanade bike path, which goes right by the Hawthorne Bridge and our brand new Tilikum Crossing Bridge. Tilikum is a Chinook word meaning "Of the People" and, fittingly, this bridge over the Willamette River is only for mass transit, pedestrians and bikes. Riders can detour to go over the bridge and back for kicks.
From there, head on over to Stumptown Coffee Roasters on Division, arguably the most famous coffee roaster in Portland. They're a small business success story. Then, west on Lincoln, which is a really nice neighborhood greenway and a slight downhill to Ladd's Addition's famous rose gardens, then to Tiny's on Hawthorne, which is a favorite morning meet up spot for local cyclists.
This is a good time to continue west to return to Water Avenue for those who've had enough miles or enough caffeine or both. Don't fret, you still rode eight miles and saw three great cafes.
Or, continue on to Albina Press on Hawthorne to fuel up for a ride up one of Portland's most well-known buttes and parks: Mount Tabor. Don't let the "mount" scare you off, it's a very gentle grade and a short hill with a pretty scenic payoff.
Then it's time to beat it back west, along Stark and then another neighborhood greenway, Ankeny. You'll pass through the beautiful Laurelhurst Park, going up a small hill, then coast almost all the way back to the river for one last look at the Esplanade bike path before returning to the start spot.
Map & Logistics
Paper Map
Voice Navigation App
Download the RideWithGPS app to experience this route with voice navigation.
Clever Cycles is both an amazing bike shop and rents the best bikes in North America.
Bikes
- Clever Cycles - $30+ daily for Brompton folding bikes and family cargo bikes includes a lock, helmet and map
Transit Connections
Tri-Met (Map) - 100% of buses outfitted with bike racks and bikes allowed on light rail many times of the day.
Start & end of route - Rose Quarter Transit Center (Yellow, Green, Blue Red lines)
What to bring?
Cash for coffee or treats along the way
highlights
A. Water Street Cafe 1028 SE Water Ave #145 | www.wateravenuecoffee.com | 503-808-7083
A local favorite with a great location, Water Avenue Coffee is a popular meeting spot for local cyclists. 7 days 7am-6pm
B. Stumptown Coffee Roasters 4525 SE Division St | www.stumptowncoffee.com | 503-230-7702
They are a local success story, this once small coffee roaster is now quite large. Named after an old nickname for Portland, some might say Stumptown makes the best coffee in town. The nickname originated from Oregon City residents, who found the banks of the Willamette bare of trees and pimpled with stumps instead. M-F 6am-7pm / Sa-Su 7am-7pm
Tiny's Coffee Southeast
C. Tiny's Coffee Southeast 1412 SE 12th Ave | tinys.coffee | 503-239-5859
A favorite meet up spot among local cyclists, with lots of comfy chairs and outdoor seating too. M-F 6am-7pm / Sa-Su 7am-7pm
D. Albina Press Coffee Shop 5012 SE Hawthorne Blvd | 503-974-6584
A delicious array of pastries and the like await at Albina Coffee Press. This is a good place to fuel up before the climb up Tabor. 7 days 6am-8pm
extras
1. Tilikum Crossing Bridge
Tilikum is a Chinook word meaning "of the people" and it's also the name of Portland's newest bridge, which is for use by pedestrians, cyclists and mass transit only - no private motorized vehicles allowed.
2. Mount Tabor Summit
Ride up one of Portland's most well-known buttes and parks: Mount Tabor. Don't let the "mount" scare you off, it's a very gentle grade and a short hill with a pretty scenic payoff.
3. Eastbank Esplanade
The Esplanade is the park-like strips that frame our beloved Willamette (rhymes with dammit!) River. We can thank one of Portland's mayors, Vera Katz, for the development of the Eastbank bike path. You'll pass a bronze statue of her just before the Hawthorne bridge and it's traditional to wave and say "thanks, Vera".
