CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
1106 km from Snoqualmie to Brier, about 20 h 05 of riding. The stops in between: Arlington Heights, near Stanwood, near Shelton and White Center. The climbs: near Prairie Ridge, Scenic stretch in Cottage Lake, near Issaquah and near Lakeland North. It tops out at about 850 m.
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 64 km this is Chinook Pass Scenic Byway, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Snoqualmie sits in the foothills of the Cascades, about half an hour east of Seattle along Interstate 90. The town is best known for Snoqualmie Falls, where the Snoqualmie River drops about 270 feet into a misty gorge. The falls have long been sacred to the Snoqualmie Tribe, and today they draw visitors from around the world. Fans of the television series Twin Peaks will also recognise the area, as much of the show was filmed in and around Snoqualmie and North Bend.
Read the complete Fuel stop near Snoqualmie write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
North Cascades Highway is where the day begins. Next is Seattle / Pacific Northwest return.
The North Fork of the Stillaguamish River flows west out of the Cascades here, through a wide valley of farmland and forests, past the small communities of Arlington Heights, Oso and Darrington, on its way to Puget Sound. You are in the hills above the valley, east of Arlington, and on a hot day on the way back from the North Cascades, the river and the small lakes in the area offer a chance to cool off.
Read the complete Near Arlington Heights, on the way back write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Seattle / Pacific Northwest return comes up 55 km in. Next is Food stop near Stanwood.
Stanwood sits at the mouth of the Stillaguamish River, where it spreads into a delta of farmland and tidal marshes before reaching Puget Sound. The town was settled largely by Norwegian immigrants in the late nineteenth century, and the Scandinavian heritage still shows in local names and festivals. It is the gateway to Camano Island, connected to the mainland by a short bridge, and a pleasant stop on the way north.
Read the complete Food stop near Stanwood write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
A break here. Next is Photo stop near Shelton.
Photo stop near Shelton, early in the day. Next is North Cascades Highway checkpoint 8.
Ferries are the quiet heart of this corner of Seattle. White Center, a modest, diverse neighbourhood, lies just inland, and Lincoln Park offers forest trails, beaches and views over the water.
Read the complete Near White Center write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Finish at North Cascades Highway checkpoint 8. That is the ride. Next is Scenic stretch in Waller.
Waller is an unincorporated community on the eastern side of Tacoma, in Pierce County, a semi-rural area of small farms, woodlots and scattered homes between the city and the Puyallup River valley. It is not a famous place, but it is a good example of the green, rolling country that surrounds the Puget Sound cities.
Read the complete Scenic stretch in Waller write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Scenic stretch in Waller comes up 276 km in. Next is High point near Prairie Ridge.
Prairie Ridge is a residential community on a plateau above the Puyallup and White River valleys, south of Bonney Lake in Pierce County. The ridge rises above the surrounding lowlands, and on clear days the view of Mount Rainier is spectacular, the great volcano filling the south-eastern sky with its glaciers and snowfields.
Read the complete High point near Prairie Ridge write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Back to North.
The tall, bare face of Mount Si dominates the horizon, a steep ridge above the town that stands about 1,270 metres tall and is one of the most climbed hills in Washington. Behind it the range goes on, forest after forest, to the passes.
Read the complete North write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Finish at Back to North. That is the ride. Next is Cascade Loop and Stevens Pass.
Next is Scenic stretch in Cottage Lake.
Scenic stretch in Cottage Lake tops the climb. Next is High point near Issaquah.
High point near Issaquah is the summit of this stretch. Next is Photo stop near Lakeland North.
This is where the road stops climbing. Next is Cascade Loop and Stevens Pass checkpoint 8.
Cascade Loop and Stevens Pass checkpoint 8 closes the day. Next is Food stop near Belfair.
Food stop near Belfair is where this day stops to eat. Next is Seattle / Pacific Northwest return.
774 km in you reach Seattle / Pacific Northwest return. Next is Back to Cascade Loop.
Kenmore sits at the top of Lake Washington, where the Sammamish River slips in and the long freshwater lake that defines eastern Seattle finally runs out of room. For a rider coming back from the North Cascades Highway, this is the last relaxed corner before the city.
Read the complete Cascade Loop write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Back to Cascade Loop closes the day.
Fuel stop near Snoqualmie → Near Arlington Heights, on the way back is 113 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Food stop near Stanwood → Photo stop near Shelton is 127 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Photo stop near Shelton → Near White Center is 69 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Scenic stretch in Waller → High point near Prairie Ridge is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
High point near Prairie Ridge → Back to North is 61 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Back to North → Fuel stop in Brier is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fuel stop in Brier → Scenic stretch in Cottage Lake is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Scenic stretch in Cottage Lake → High point near Issaquah is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
High point near Issaquah → Photo stop near Lakeland North is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Photo stop near Lakeland North → Boulevard Park is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Food stop near Belfair → Near Lofall, on the way back is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.