Bikepacking from Spokane to Seattle

Trip Overview

• Dates: 7/3/24 – 7/6/24
• Length: 4 Days
• Distance: 358 Miles
• Elevation: 10,266 feet

In an effort to expand my outdoor activities beyond hiking and running, I agreed to join a group of my friends biking from Spokane to Seattle when Grace extended the invitation. I wasn’t totally certain about the success I would see. Grace is a much more avid biker than I am and I had slight concerns I was throwing myself into the deep end having only gone on a couple overnight road bikepacking trips. Regardless, I knew the trip would be a blast based on the group going even if I, and my bike, was struggling. Plus, it was nice joining a trip without being the main planner behind it.

Grace, Will, and Traut had left early on the 2nd to catch a bus out to Spokane (the much smarter form of transportation out there), while Ollie and I were meeting later to catch a 5PM train. This meant I had most of the day, in between real life work, to work on packing my bike up and making sure it was trail ready. I replaced my brakes, readjusted the front derailleur, dumped a load of sealant into my tires, and cleaned my chain until it was practically silent, taking care of some tasks that had been on my to-do list for a long time. Nothing works like a big trip to force productivity! My main concern were my tires. Since I got them converted to tubeless they both had very slow leaks – not an issue for biking a few miles here and there around Seattle, but I was hopeful with some maintenance that they would survive the trip.

After packing up I ran out to snag some food. Ollie and I wouldn’t be getting in until 12:30AM the next morning and I needed about a day and a half of food before the first resupply. When I got back most of the sealant I had put into my front tire was on the floor. An old hole had reopened and allowed the new sealant to seep out. Without much of a choice, I hopped on my bike and headed to meet Ollie before heading down to the train station.

Other than a bit of sealant briefly spraying from my front tire, the trip down to the train was uneventful. Ollie and I handed our bikes off to the Amtrak baggage employees and awkwardly carried our bike bags to our seats and enjoyed the slow ride out of Seattle. To make a long story short, the train ride ended up being an incredibly eventful trip and we arrived in Spokane, an hour late at 1:30AM, with plenty of stories to kick the trip off. Getting off the train felt a bit strange. Almost exactly a year prior I was getting on the train in Spokane to head to Glacier National Park. After walking through the group of already exhausted looking people waiting to get on the train, I felt confident getting off the train in Spokane was far preferable to getting on. Ollie and I biked together through the deserted streets to reach the hotel Grace had thankfully booked a room at for the night and soon we were inside in bed getting a few hours of sleep before the journey kicked off the next day.

Day 1: Spokane to Ralston

Day 1 started slowly. I was not particularly happy getting out of bed after the long travel day and limited sleep the night before. However the promise of free breakfast downstairs got the group and me moving and soon I was eating a waffle and eggs drinking coffee while trying to laugh away the pre-trip jitters I can never seem to escape. Back in our hotel room we packed up everything that had made its way out of bags and after I sheepishly pumped some extra air into my slightly deflated front tire we left the hotel. We took a quick parking lot start photo that exists somewhere on someones phone and set off. it was 8:30 and already I could feel the heat starting to set in. We were riding into the desert right as a heatwave was hitting and would face temperatures reaching triple digits.

Our first task was just to get to the Columbia Plateau Trail, which we would use to connect to the Palouse to Cascades trail. But first we had to ride through Spokane, trying to ignore angry commuters flying by, to reach the Fish Lake Trail. Less then a mile into the ride we had our first small mishap. A bottle bounced out of a strap and flew into the road. Miraculously, it skidded through the tires of multiple cars and came to rest on the far side. Not wanting to sacrifice any water capacity, Ollie retrieved it and rejoined our caravan.

We quickly reached the paved Fish Lake Trail and my tire immediately started leaking sealant. I pulled over to try and get it to seal again, desperately spinning the tire to force sealant into the hole. As it sealed up, Will noticed I had stopped next to a huge snake. While I didn’t know what type of snake it was at the time (learned it was just a bull snake later on), the obvious lack of a rattle made the encounter very relaxed at it slithered away from the trail.

We continued on the Fish Lake Trail enjoying the smooth pavement, shaded trail, and the company of the local road bikers in front and behind us. After a little while, the road bikers all turned off onto a road as we stuck to the trail, thinking nothing of their departure. Very soon we found out why they turned off. We were met by a high fence in the middle of the trail blocking our way forward. What was worse was we could see across the short closed stretch to the far side where the trail continued. As we backtracked to the turn off, we laughed at how the trip was starting and complained about the road bikers drafting off of us and not warning us the trail ended. Backtracking didn’t take long and the detour around the quarter mile closure went quickly and we reached Fish Lake, the start of the Columbia Plateau Trail, and the first gravel surface. Once on the gravel, the trees very quickly disappeared leaving us baking in the morning heat.

Aside from the sun exposure, the start of the Columbia Plateau Trail was quite pleasant. I was excited being on gravel and being in the desert terrain was fun. We had heard that there were rough stretches along the CPT, but so far we weren’t having much trouble. There were stretches through areas that had been blasted out with larger rocks and deeper gravel that could send your front tire suddenly in an unexpected direction – especially while trying to eat and drink, but mostly it was solid and allowed us to enjoy the expansive views.

Our first checkpoint along the CPT was Lamont – a tiny community just of the trail – about 45 miles into the day. The promise of a rest in a shaded park with access to water kept us going through the heat. But before we reached Lamont we had a major obstacle that we would have to deal with. We reached the rough section of the CPT and our pace ground to a halt. The trail surface transitioned to large loose rocks that our tires could barely handle. Going fast was nearly impossible and going slow caused my front tire to constantly be turned left or right by the rocks. We suffered through a mile or two of the rough “trail” before hopping off onto a gravel road that led us into Lamont where we hopped off our bikes and sat in the shade, a little shell shocked at how hard the trail had suddenly become. We rebounded quickly eating lunch and cooling off in the shade. The residents of Lamont kindly allowed us to refill our water and stay as long as we wanted in the park in the center of the town.

Our original plan was end the first day where the CPT crosses the Palouse to Cascades Trail – about 60 miles into the day. But it was early in the afternoon and we weren’t sure how good the camping would be on the BLM land at the intersection so Grace called a trail angel in Ralston who told us we could sleep in the town park and he would make sure the nighttime sprinklers were off. With a destination 30-some miles away we refilled all of our water and headed out of Lamont. With no disagreement from anyone in the group, we decided to avoid the rest of the CPT knowing it would be a truly miserable 15 miles to the PTCT. A gravel road paralleled the trail and we happily cruised along it. Eventually we crossed back over the CPT and thinking it was our only option to get to the PTCT, I turned onto it, not knowing the road connected further along. Thankfully there was only a couple hundred yards of the brutal loose rock terrain before I reached a bridge that crossed over the PTCT. Down climbing to the trail proved to be a bit awkward, but we made it down safely and headed west toward Ralston, happy that the gravel on the PTCT was far more manageable.

After dealing with the CPT’s trail rough “gravel,” we were cruising on the Palouse to Cascades Trail. We had about 17 miles left to camp and spirits were high. Conversations eventually slowed down as we all started to get tired from a long day in the sun, but we continued to make good miles, looking forward to eating dinner and relaxing in Ralston. Unfortunately we had one final obstacle in front of us. A trestle along the trail was out and the reroute went through what looked like dirt or gravel roads on our maps. We turned onto the reroute and were met with a wide open cow pasture.

The roads turned out to be dirt double track paths mostly used by cows wandering the pasture. The dirt was loose and we were kicking it up into the air as we passed through. Dozens of cows ran off and stared at as as we passed through their territory until one massive bull decided to stand its ground and force us briefly off track to get around it. By the time we reached the end of bumpy and dusty reroute, we were all spent and pushed the final two miles into Ralston trying to clear our throats of the fine dust that coated them.

We finally reached Ralston to find 3 other bikers already enjoying the pristine grass, clean water, and open facilities that were opened for us. Glad to be done for the day, we settled in for the night, enjoying the sunset while eating dinner, hosing off, and celebrating the tough day we had finished.

Day 2: Ralston to The Columbia River

Day two for me started early. I tend to wake up very early the first night or two on trips and this adventure was no exception. The group of riders who were in Ralston when we arrived hitting the trail as I awoke around 4:30AM. The horizon was just starting to light up as they pedaled back to the Palouse to Cascades Trail. After a few minutes in my shelter I crawled out hoping others in my group would stir soon so we could take advantage of the pleasant morning. I enjoyed a quiet and cool morning watching the sunrise from the Ralston Community Center.

Eventually, the rest of my group stirred and we went about cleaning up our makeshift camp and ate some breakfast talking about our first destination for the day. Unlike the first stretch from Spokane to Ralston we would be heading through a few towns throughout the day. Our first stop, Lind, was about 15 miles away and thankfully we had the option to stick to paved roads to reach it, which we all happily voted for over the rough trail.

The miles to Lind went by quickly. The calm morning meant little headwind and moderate temperatures and soon we were enjoying “breakfast” from a mini mart in Lind. With the promise of more towns with more food options ahead (Warden and Othello) we quickly left Lind. We weren’t exactly sure of where we wanted to end the day, but were hopeful to reach the Columbia River, which would put us over 100 miles for the day.

After the brutal first day we had, the roads were a wonderful change of pace. We flew into Warden happy to stop at the grocery store for cold drinks, extra snacks, and ice cream. On my second trip into the store for some cold beverages, the cashier asked if I was a biker. After responding I was, she quickly asked:

“And you’re doing this for fun…?”

I sheepishly told her we were and headed back out into the heat of the day, which was almost certainly approaching 100 degrees.

Before heading out of Warden we had the idea to try and super glue the hole that refused to close in my tire. The road was slightly better, but I was still forced to run very low PSI and pump air into it every so often. I ran into the hardware store that was thankfully right next to the picnic table we were lounging at, grabbed some super glue, and put it on the frustratingly small opening in my tire that refused to cooperate. After putting extra sealant in and pumping the tire back off we turned due South and headed to Othello, our minds focused on the Walmart and Taco Bell along our route.

We were officially back on the Palouse to Cascades Trail, which at this point was all paved. No complaints were issued from our crew. As we sped along the road, I realized sealant from my front tire had found its way through the super glue and was lightly misting my arms and legs. I decided to keep riding and planned on trying the super glue again as soon as we got to Othello with the hopes of letting it dry longer.

Eventually the Walmart came into view and we pulled in to get some more snacks for the road. As I worked my way through the cars and humans in front of Walmart, I was forced to make a sharp turn and my front tire blew off the rim. Thankfully no damage was done to the tire itself, but I stayed outside, finally resigning myself to putting a tube in, while the others went inside.

After replacing my tube and replenishing snacks, we headed across the parking lot and basked in the AC inside of Taco Bell. We had another 50 miles to go to complete our day and the next 35 miles had no water sources, so we took our time eating and drinking as much water and soda as we could to power us through the tough stretch.

We were all sad to leave Othello and the AC generously provided by Taco Bell for the early afternoon heat weighed down with as much water as we could all carry. Departing Othello took us through some of the apple orchards of Eastern Washington before we were forced off the smooth pavement and back onto gravel. Thankfully this section of the trail was hard packed, car worthy, gravel.

As we continued forward I became more and more reminded of hiking through the Bootheel of New Mexico on the CDT. The sun and heat were relentless and the exposure was making it hard to take breaks. Stopping in the heat and sun just felt like we were extending the amount of time spent in the exposure, but as we kept pushing forward I could feel my energy draining. The group got quieter and started to spread out as the hottest part of the day descended on us.

After some grueling miles Grace pulled off at the first bush we had seen in miles so the group could join together again. Will had dropped a fair ways behind and as he rolled up we saw why. His front tire was basically completely flat and needed to be changed. As he started to prepare to change it Grace, who had gone ahead around a corner called for us to join – we had somehow stopped a hundred feet from the first real shade since we left Othello. We happily enjoyed the shade provided by a big cliff band blocking the sun as the group set to work on Will’s tire.

Will’s tire being put back together and the edge of the shade slowly creeping closer and closer to us eventually forced us back onto our saddles and we set off towards our next water source. We still had 15 miles to go to reach it, which felt like it dragged on forever. My energy was severely waning as my body was teetering on overheating. Even though we were headed downhill, it felt like I was having to push my way down the road through the relentless heat.

Finally we reached the turnoff to the water source – a lake in the middle of the valley we had been biking through. We stood at the turnoff for a few minutes debating if we wanted to make the quarter-mile side trip to the lake or push 5 more miles to a gas station next to the river. Ultimately we opted to continue on. We split up the remaining water we had, put our heads down, and let the thoughts of ice cold drinks carry us the next 5 miles. The 76 coming into view on the horizon assured us we had made the correct decision and once we got there we collapsed in the shade making multiple trips inside for cold drinks.

I’m not sure how long we stayed at the gas station, but it was long enough to notice evening setting in. The sun was starting to drop a bit lower, the heat was a tad bit less intense, and the 8 miles left in front of us was starting to look more and more manageable. We took off, excited to be closing in on camp and getting to the west side of the Columbia, which felt like big milestone in the trip. We cruised across the river on a trestle and hopped onto the paved road on the other side leaving the official PTCT once again to get to Wanapum State Park Campground. The softer light, river views, and our bodies being substantially less hot made the ride into camp breeze by. When we arrived we took a quick picture realizing the 103 miles we had covered was the first century most of the group had ever done! We happily set up camp and jumped into the Columbia before taking advantage of the free showers, eating dinner, and crawling into our sleeping bags to get some rest before the climb out of the Columbia River began the next day.

Day 3: The Columbia River to Lake Easton

The third day dawned far too soon. I had woken up during the night to wind howling through our campsite. We had gone to sleep in blissful stillness in the surprisingly quiet campground. Traut and I had cobbled together a way to string up our bug nets using tree branches, both our bikes, and a fair amount of paracord and the wind was testing our ingenuity. Perhaps if I had been less exhausted I would have thought more about our shelters when the wind came through, but thankfully it held without issue and when morning arrived we were able to admire our handiwork from the night before.

The day before we had confirmed we would be meeting Jake and Molly in Ellensburg and they would finish the ride out with us. With that in mind and the promise of full city amenities, we packed up and got to riding. We opted take the Vantage Highway up and out of the Columbia River having heard the official stretch of trail from the river to Ellensburg was sandy gravel and a rough slog. Thankfully only had a few cars pass us as we struggled up the hill in the heat. Starting the day off with a 2,000 foot climb was challenging, but absolutely paid off as we crested the hill and got our first view of Mount Rainier.

Wanting to make sure Jake and Molly weren’t waiting for us, we flew down the short hill and pushed hard on the long shallow descent into Ellensburg. As it turned out, we arrived way before they were able to and we were able to enjoy a leisurely late morning eating food and cooling off in AC.

Once Jake and Molly were dropped off by Mel, we grabbed some snacks and headed through Ellensburg to reconnect with the Palouse to Cascades trail. Those who had experienced the past two days of rough terrain were delighted to find the train to be hard packed gravel that even had intermittent shade! With the addition of new faces, we sped along the trail, conversations flowing freely, headed towards our next destination – Cle Elum. At this point we had a full on peloton crushing miles on the gravel and we flew through the first 15 miles, following the Yakima River, only pausing in one of the tunnels we passed through to enjoy the cold air.

Since we had left Ellensburg, we had been slowly climbing at a nearly imperceptible grade towards Cle Elum and eventually Snoqualmie Pass. As we climbed, so did the heat. The next 10 miles suddenly started to feel brutal. Breaks became more frequent and everyone was scrounging hoping to discover unseen electrolytes. Eventually the turnoff to Cle Elum arrived and we made a beeline for the McDonald’s we had unanimously agreed was the place to stop. We stumbled into the McDonald’s, a bit dazed, but happy to have a respite from the triple digit heat.

After regaining our senses we made a plan for the night. There were a few back country campsites closer to Snoqualmie Pass we could push to, but we decided only another 15 miles would be plenty for rest of the day and end at Lake Easton campground and enjoy the amenities it had to offer. With a plan in mind, we headed over to the grocery store to gather food for the evening and buy all of the Liquid I.V. we could find.

Once back on the trail, it became quickly apparent that our time in Cle Elum had done us well. We were all moving more efficiently towards camp and the trail was becoming increasingly more shaded, marginally reducing the lingering heat. As the miles ticked away, our energy slowly diminished. We were all pushing through our tiring legs and looking forward to whatever camp held in store for us.

As fate would have it, camp proved to be the most challenging portion of the ride from Cle Elum. Fourth of July weekend meant the campground was fully booked up. We found the hiker/biker sites and the seven of us started to settle into a camp that would have been small for two people. We soon learned that the site we were was somehow booked, even though no one was there. Grace took change and had a lengthy discussion with the campground hosts, which thankfully resulted in us getting to stay in a larger site whose renter for the night had not shown up.

Pleased with the new, better, accommodations, we ate dinner and set up our mishmash of shelters. Jake, Traut, and I walked the short trail down to the edge of Lake Easton and dove in, getting some of the dirt from the long, hot day off our bodies. Slightly cleaner and significantly refreshed, we strolled back to camp and crawled into bed.

Day 4: Lake Easton to Seattle

Day four came too quickly and we managed to pack our large campsite into our small bike bags and start riding early than any of the previous days even though we had added two more people. Perhaps we were becoming more efficient in camp or perhaps it was due to the decision we made to finish the trip in four days and reaching Seattle and our far more comfortable beds!

Compared to the temperatures we had been dealing with, the ride out of Lake Easton was nearly chilly in the shade. The cool temperatures didn’t last long as we quickly approached Hyak and the tunnel through Snoqualmie Pass. I was very pleased to see the familiar peaks of the pass coming into view and happily stared up at them as we cruised along the familiar Lake Keechelus. Our first brief stop came very quickly at the Hyak parking lot so we could all throw a layer on to get through the 2+ mile long Snoqualmie Tunnel.

After throwing on layers we dove into the long tunnel. We stopped in the middle and turned off our lights leaving us in nearly complete darkness. I realized at this point that the light I could see in front of us was not a lantern as I thought, but was actually the end of the tunnel. We kept moving and soon reached the end of the tunnel and officially reached the west side of the Cascades. In front of us was a 2,000 foot descent with views of the mountain to our right and the day riders slowly making their way up to the pass.

The ride down from the pass was very easy and a very nice reprieve from the climbing we had done the day before. The mountains occasionally peaked through the foliage that was giving us nice shade on the way down. At this point in the ride, Ollie was dealing with an Achilles tendon issue from the big days we had been doing and was struggling to push hard. Jake and I hung back and bit with him and enjoyed the ride down to Rattlesnake Lake and the official end of the Palouse to Cascades trail.

From Rattlesnake Lake our route home became a bit more complex. We would have to piece together varies trails (Snoqualmie Valley Trail, Preston-Snoqualmie Trail, Issaquah-Preston Trail, and others) to get back into Seattle. Our first step was the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, which was steeper than the trail to the pass and allowed us to finish out our big descent into North Bend with only a few pedals. The day was heating up as we flew into North Bend and we stopped to grab sandwiches and enjoy some AC before the next step of our journey.

Leaving North Bend felt like one of the most challenging stretches of the trail. The factors of heat, 3 long days of riding, and a steep climb were all compounding to make what would normally be a relaxed ride quite hard. On top of that, we were having to navigate through a neighborhood to connect to reach the Preston-Snoqualmie Trail. After getting through the neighborhood, we came to a large power line clear cut that descended steeply to the trail we needed to be on. Some confusion ensued about whether we should be headed downhill or not until someone pointed out a single track trail that ducked into the woods to our left.

With gravel bikes loaded up with overnight gear, we dove headfirst down the single track, working our way through tight switchbacks, rough divots, and protruding roots, which proved to be too much for my mediocre single-track skills and sent me tumbling into some bushes on the side of the trail. Fortunately, aside from a large bruise on my quad, my bike and I were unharmed. Unfortunately for me, Jake saw the whole event and came rolling up behind me laughing. After collecting myself and making sure nothing had flown out of my bags, I sped off down the rest of the single track and met up with the full group.

Once through the single track, we sped along roads and paved trails heading into Issauquah only stopping to replenish water and soak our shirts. We had made it through the network of trails we needed to patch together and the rest of the ride would be smooth sailing. Issaquah offered a great spot to pause as the Golden Arches of McDonald’s came into view. For me, it also offered a good place to once again replace the tube in my front tire, which had sprung a leak again.

Once my tire was back in a ride-able condition, we left Issaquah and headed north along the relatively new East Lake Sammamish Trail. It was a fun stretch as we went full on peloton-mode trading off pulling into the wind all the way to Marymoor park, where we stopped once again to fill up on water and refuel for the final push into Seattle. Crossing the 520 bridge felt like a bit of a victory lap. The familiarity of crossing the bridge felt great especially with the cool wind coming off of Lake Washington.

As the end of the bridge came closer, so did the end of our trip. We made a beeline to the Fremont dock for a celebratory swim in Lake Union. Once there we weaved through the crowds of Seattleites basking in the summer heat to an empty spot on the dock and happily dove in. We hung out in the water for awhile, enjoying the cool water and contemplating what dinner plans would look like. We were unfortunately had landed on an ending location that left us just a few miles short of another century. With that in mind, we all quickly agreed to take on the extra few miles to grab a beer and a burrito and officially end our trip with another 100 mile day.