Tag: Washington

Gran Fondo Goldendale

Today I participated in my first organized cycling events since 2019 – Gran Fondo Goldendale. The route is close to the border between Washington and Oregon states and passes near the Columbia River Gorge. It is a mix of paved and gravel road with a bunch of decent climbs that add up to more than 6000 feet of elevation gain over 88 miles. Here are some pictures from the ride.

The last two pictures are from a nearby Maryhill Park that has a Stonehenge replica and great views towards Columbia River Gorge.

Iron Horse Trail gravel ride

Iron Horse Trail is a gravel trail that used to be a railroad path from 1909 till 1980. When going East it has an easy 2% grade until the Snoqualmie tunnel. It passes several trestles and has nice view of the Cascades and I-90 highway.

Looks like it got recently renamed to Palouse to Cascades trail. The parking at the beginning of the trail is closed but it is possible to park at the Tanner Landing and then ride the Snoqualmie Valley trail that leads to the Iron Horse trail.

Here are the pictures and the video from today’s ride.

Iron Horse Trail Downhill

Ride to Artist Point

Today I and my friend took a day off from work and rode to the Mount Baker Artist Point. The start of the ride at Glacier Public Service Center is a little more than 2 hours drive from Seattle. The actual ride is 48 miles round trip with 4800 feet of elevation gain. The primary reason I wanted to do this ride is the awesome scenery and the views of Mount Baker at the top of the climb.

For anyone who is thinking of doing this ride I recommend to do it on a work day in order to avoid car traffic. Also make sure to take enough water as there is no water sources after the start. In my case two 24 oz bottles were enough on a sunny morning ride where temperature ranged from 55 to 72 F.