Itinerary

Day 1: Ride to Sunrise on Mt. Rainier.

We will be riding in the National Park before noon! Our first ride takes us first along the White River and then high up onto the north side of Mt. Rainier to the Sunrise Visitors Center at 6400 feet. Pedal up through dense forests to the tree line. Once on the ridge, pedal past alpine meadows while admiring the views that extend northward almost to Canada, and southward to the Tatoosh Range, Mt. Adams and beyond. Do your best to stay on the road! The mountain is so close you can feel the cooling breezes from the glaciers. After lunch at Sunrise, cycle back down and then up to Crystal Mountain ski resort where we spend the night at Quicksilver Lodge
Meals: lunch, dinner. Lodging: Quicksilver Lodge
Distance: 58 miles (or more) Elevation = 5954 ft / -4851 ft

Day 2: Pedal Mt. Rainier National Park via Chinook Pass.

Again, virtually all the cycling today is within Mt. Rainier National Park. Once we’ve descended from the ski area, we climb to Chinook Pass and Tipsoo Lake – arguably the prettiest pass in the Cascade mountains. After the pass, we coast downhill for 15 miles, losing 3500 feet of elevation. Have lunch beneath – and take a short walk through – the oldest grove of trees in the park before starting the climb to Paradise on a spectacular road that wends its way up the mountain from the southeast. Ancient trees tower overhead, waterfalls plunge over cliffs, streams cut through gorges and lakes reflect stunning mountain views. Traffic is less here, too, as most vehicles approach from the west. End the day at historic Paradise Inn on Mt. Rainier, which has hosted the likes of skater Sonja Henie and President Harry Truman. The accommodations at this classic National Park Inn have been beautifully redone over the last two years – come see the improvements!
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, Lodging: Paradise Inn
Distance: 57 mi Elevation: +7348 ft / -6270 ft

Day 3: Spend the day in Paradise

Paradise defies all superlatives and is simply too amazing to miss. The revered naturalist and National Parks advocate, John Muir, described Paradise as “… the most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings.” Local natives referred to these gardens as Sahalee Illahee, “land of peace”. We find it hard to come up with any higher recommendations. Hiking trails abound at Paradise. Marmots, black bear mountain goats and black-tailed deer abound as well. Go for a walk or hike on your own. Spend some time at the Visitors Center. Or just relax, read a book and soak up the views from the Inn. Lunch and dinner are on your own today.
Meals: breakfast

Day 4: Cycle through Gifford Pinchot National Forest to to Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mt. St. Helens

Ride alongside a river through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest along a little-used country road heading toward Mt. St. Helens. Approach from the northeast, cycling straight into the route that the exploding gases and ash took during the eruption of May 18, 1980. At first the evergreen forest looks normal, but then we notice pebbles of white pumice on the forest floor. Going further, we see that some trees have lost branches. Then standing dead trees appear, then trees that were knocked down by the blast. They lie like spilled toothpicks on the hillside, their trunks all neatly pointing to the still smoldering crater. Devastation seems complete until we crest a ridge and view the ultimate — no trees. Here the hot volcanic gases blasting at over 500 miles per hour not only knocked everything down, but literally blew it all away. From a vista overlooking log-filled Spirit Lake, a park ranger tells us the incredible story of the explosion, the current buildup of a cinder cone in the volcano’s crater, the dramatic increase in volcanic activity since September 2004, the amazing reemergence of life in the 1980 blast zone, and the possibility of a future eruption. Awesome! From Mt. St. Helens we van to the Columbia River and the elegant Skamania Lodge – a full service resort where we spend the night.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner Lodging: Skamania Lodge
Distance: AM: 20-25 mi descent, PM: 18.6 mi (one way), or 37.6 mi (out and back)80 mi, Elevation AM decend about 3500 ft. PM: +3279 ft ft / -1795 (one way) +5102 ft / -5117 ft (out and Back)

Day 5: Cycle the Columbia gorge’s “waterfalls route”

Waterfalls and taking it easy are the name of the game today. The Columbia Gorge has some of the finest waterfalls in the world! Enjoy a leisurely departure time from Skamania Lodge today – in case you want to enjoy the Gorge Interpretive Center, do some ziplining or hit some golf balls. If not, you can pedal out early and spend more time viewing magnificent waterfalls. The cycling is more leisurely today as well, giving you a chance to recover from yesterday and a chance to rest up for a big climb tomorrow to Mt. Hood. Pedal a network of bike paths that takes you past world-famous Multnomah Falls and a multitude of others. Arrive in Hood River early enough to enjoy this mecca of brew pubs in a town renowned for windsurfing and outdoor recreation. Watch the sails on the water or go for a swim in the river. The Best Western plus Hood River Inn, where we stay tonight has its own beach as well as a pool.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Lodging: The Best Western plus Hood River Inn
Distance: 43 mi (or less) elevation: +2721 ft / -2857 ft

Day 6: Ride from orchards in the Hood River Valley up to subalpine meadow at Timberline lodge on the Mt Hood

Begin cycling amongst the apple and pear orchards of the Hood River Valley. Ride along a tumbling river through thick forests of tall firs in Mt. Hood National Forest as we ascend toward the mountain. Finish the day with a climb up to Timberline Lodge (famous for its place in The Shining). Spend the night here and enjoy a superb meal in a spectacular setting: at an elevation of 6,000 feet, the views are majestic.
Meals: breakfast, lunch. dinner Lodging: Timberline lodge
Distance: 60 mi elevation: +8233 ft / -2703 ft

Day 7: Cruise down the flanks of Mt. Hood and say hello to Bigfoot

Enjoy a lovely, long, and well-earned cruise down the flanks of Mt. Hood all the way to … Boring, Oregon. Yes, that’s the town name, but it’s far from as dull as it sounds. After all, here we will stop and say hello to Sasquatch (if you didn’t already on the tour) at the North American Bigfoot Center. Finish with lunch at one of the delicious food trucks for which the Portland-area has become justifiably famous before returning to your hotel.
Meals: breakfast, lunch. Distance: 48 mi elevation: +1597 ft / -6985 ft

* This is a general itinerary. Tour itineraries are subject to change based on the group, available accommodations and other unforeseen circumstances such as the weather, local conditions, government intervention, that may affect the quality of the trip and/or safety of the participants. Please view this itinerary as an outline as to what to expect on this tour.

Lodging

Quicksilver Lodge
Paradise Inn, Mt. Rainier,
Skamania Lodge,
Timberline Lodge
The hotels, Inns, and B&Bs we use are always among the finest the area has to offer. Our smaller group sizes(max. 13) allow us to stay at some award-winning places that can’t handle groups of 25 or more. We work closely with the innkeepers to make sure they understand your needs and ours, whether that is having a place to store your bike, an early morning breakfast or a convenient place to park the van, they are as committed to your vacation experience as we are.

Lodging is based upon two people to a room with a private bath. If you’re traveling solo on any of our trips, we’ll assign you a roommate of the same gender and often of the same age bracket. There is no extra charge if we can’t find you a roommate, even if you sign up the day before the trip starts. You can guarantee yourself a private room and bath if you pay the Single Room Fee.

Included:

• Hotels
• Luggage transfer.
• All meals included except one lunch and one dinner
• Road / hybrid bike
• Hiking & Bigfoot Museum

Not included:

• Night before and after the tour.
• Flights to and from the tour
• Gratuities guides

Pricing / Tour dates

Tour price 2023: $ 3878.- pp .single fee: $ 1047.-
You can avoid a single supplement by sharing a room with another rider.
Extra option rental E-bike $200.-pp
Tour dates 2024:

* Note: Mt Rainier NP limits both the number of tours we can operate (two) and the number of cyclists per tour(10), so reserve early to be one of the 20 lucky cyclists per year who get to take this tour!

Conditions

Deposit 25%
The deposit payment for a tour must be paid within two weeks after the booking is confirmed.
The remaining payment is due 90 days before the start of the tour.
For tours that are booked within 90 days before the start of the tour you will pay 100% of the tour price

Information

Meals and dining:
We know how important breakfast is to make sure your day starts off right. Most breakfasts are served at the inn where we spend the night and are either a set menu or a continental breakfast buffet. But if there is a local restaurant with a reputation for a great breakfast, we can guarantee we will find it and you will be treated to a nutritious meal to start the day.
Lunch is provided at a state park or similar scenic setting midway during the day’s ride. Guests are always surprised at the variety and quality of lunches we prepare. Besides sandwich fixings and cold drinks, we offer fresh fruits and vegetables and hot lunches such as tortellini with pesto or veggie burritos. If you prefer a certain item of food or drink, just let your tour guide know and we will be sure to prepare just the right lunch to keep your energy up for the rest of the day.
During the day water, fruit juices, soft drinks, energy bars, fruit, and snacks are available from the van. A cold beer from our cooler waits at the end of the day, and you can relive the day’s highlights at our wine and cheese party before dinner.
Dinner is eaten together at the best restaurant in the area. At most restaurants, you order what you want from the menu. Except for alcohol, everything is included, even appetizers, salad, soup, and dessert. If we have to shuttle everyone a short distance to get to that special place, we do it. We like to eat well.

If you have any special dietary requests, please let us know in advance. We regularly accommodate vegetarians and other restricted diets. All of our meals are carefully selected to provide you with the unusually high nutritional and caloric needs of your body on an outdoor adventure.