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OVERVIEW:
The 4 Day Eastern Washington Tour is a 295 mile loop, starting and ending in beautiful Chelan in Eastern Washington. This tour has it all - beautiful quiet roads, lush valleys, and challenging climbs up several mountain passes. Due to continued demand this tour will again be offered twice in 2011!
Download the route map (PDF)
WHAT TO EXPECT:
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY
This tour is rated Advanced. This four day tour has a 75-mile daily average and significant climbing every day. We climb Loup Loup and Waconda Passes as well Cache Creek Hill and a long hill out of Grand Coulee Dam. Please note there is no “rest day” on this tour – we will be riding four days straight (Friday thru Monday).
WEATHER
May and June can be unpredictable in Eastern Washington. They are likely be warm and dry (even hot!), but you should also be prepared for both rain and cold temperatures as this tour goes through stretches at high elevation and over two high mountain passes.
MEALS
This tour will provide breakfast, lunch and snacks on riding days. One breakfast will be “off the sag wagon”. Dinners are on your own.
LODGING
Quality of lodging varies from basic to quite nice
ITINERARY:
Thursday, May 19 or June 2
We meet the first night on the shore of Lake Chelan and get to know each other over dinner and a briefing meeting.
Friday, May 20 or June 3 - 85 miles– approximately 5500’
We start off riding along the scenic Columbia River. From there we wind our way gently up the beautiful Methow Valley to the base of Loup Loup Pass. Climbing the western slope through farmland and pine forests, we get up to 4,000’ and enjoy a beautiful descent down to Okanogan and Omak where we will spend the night.
Saturday, May 21 or June 4 - 70 or 102 miles– approximately 4200’
This day allows you to choose from two options. In both routes we follow the Okanogan River up to Tonasket. From Tonasket, we will climb little known Wauconda Pass up to 4300 feet - or you can turn off the highway approximately 300’ short of the pass and take a longer but very scenic route through the Toroda Creek and Kettle River Valleys. The climb up Wauconda is gradual, through pines and open meadows. Both routes bring us to the tiny town of Republic, an old mining town, where we’ll stay for the night.
Sunday, May 22 or June 5 - 70 miles– approximately 3800’
This day starts with a lovely descent down the Sanpoil River Valley, through ranches, forest lands, and the Colville Indian Reservation. After approximately 30 miles, we start one of our steepest but shortest climbs - up Cache Creek Road. This road climbs through pine forests to an elevation of 3,300 feet, meanders across a plateau for a few miles, then descends down to the Columbia River, affording panoramic views of the valley north of the Coulee Dam. The descent brings us shortly into the town of Coulee Dam where we will stay at one of our favorite motels at the foot of the dam.
Monday, May 23 or June 6 - 70 miles– approximately 3500’
After a steep climb out of Coulee Dam to a viewpoint above the dam we cross the high plateau where ranchlands can be seen extending for miles in all directions to the small town of Mansfield for lunch. We drop back down on McNeil Canyon Road where we can look down on Lake Chelan and the Columbia River before crossing it. We end the tour with one final climb back to Chelan. Here we’ll say goodbye and each take home fun memories and the feeling of having left the workaday world behind for a few days.
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