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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 recent increase in demand this tour will be offered twice in 2010!
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 Manilla 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 20 or June 3
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 21 June 4 - 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 22 or June 5 - 70 miles– approximately 4200’
We’ll take it a little easier on the second day, following the Okanogan River up to Tonasket. From Tonasket, we will climb little known Wauconda Pass up to 4300 feet. The climb is gradual, through pines and open meadows. We only descend part way down the pass to the tiny town of Republic, an old mining town, where we’ll stay for the night.
Sunday, May 23 or June 6 - 70 miles– approximately 3600’
This day starts with a lovely descent down the Sanpoil River Valley, through ranches, forest lands, and the Colville Indian Reservation to the town of Keller and an arm of Roosevelt Lake. Just past Keller, we start one of our steepest but shortest climbs - up Manila Creek Road. This road climbs through pine forests to an elevation of 3300 feet, meanders across a plateau for a few miles, then plunges 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 24 or June 7 - 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 to the Columbia River for the last time on McNeil Canyon Road where we can look down on Lake Chelan, cross the Columbia River, and make one final climb up 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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