6-06-17
Gary
and I did our first after work bike trip through the Snoqualmie Tunnel
in 2005.
At 35 miles with about 2000' of elevation gain it is a great loop trip.
We have always done it after work mid week which means daylight is a
concern. Near
the end is two miles along I-90 and we do not wish to ride along a 70
mph highway in the dark. For that reason we aim for a time near the
longest daylight of the year. Over the years I had done the trip four
times and Gary all five. John had been on the last two trips. We missed
the past three years as schedules just did not fit. Gary will be out of
the country for much of June and I was surprised when he suggested it
with just one day's notice. I was free but unfortunately John was not.
It looked to be an almost perfect mid low 70s day. A half a day later
the forecast moved up to an 84 degree day. 2000' of gain mostly on a
gravel railroad grade in mid 80s heat did not sound as good. Especially
when I had not been on my bike in at least a year. I signed on anyways.
I met Gary just off Exit 38 up the hill from North Bend. It was only 81 degrees when we started out at 3:32 pm. My least favorite part of the trip is the climb from the road up to the railroad grade. Steep and gravelly. Gary motored right up. I was not feeling that well. At the top the fun began. 13 miles with about 1300' of gain up to the tunnel. The grade has a gentle steady grade making for easy biking. The first half of the grade was mostly in the shade. Much less hot than I expected. For whatever reason our pace was the slowest of my five trips. Was it the hot day, getting older, or an earlier than usual start and my concern about time? Regardless, we took a few photo stops but mostly kept on the move.
Breaks in the forest provided views across the valley to Mt. Defiance, Bandera, and Granite Mountains. The snow is melting fast. We stopped at the Humpback Creek snowshed. Since my last trip there are more picnic tables and campsites along the grade. They make good spots for short breaks. There is an informational signboard at Humpback Creek now. As we neared the tunnel we were mostly out in the sunshine. Warm but not too bad. Dinner was right at the tunnel. A rider with a tent strapped on my bike stopped and then headed into the tunnel shortly before us. The tunnel is 2.25 miles long and get very dark very fast. the east end turns at the end blocking much of the light ahead. We did not have John and his super powered bike light. It was a little more challenging with smaller headlamps. On an earlier trip Gary had a thermometer and we recorded 49 degrees in the tunnel. We quickly dropped 30 degrees once in the tunnel. With a jacket it was pleasantly cool.
Fifteen minutes later we popped out at the east portal. Rather than biking down to the parking lot and then dropping to the main road then riding back uphill we chose to head right up the hillside. Gary brings a rope and with one person in front and another behind we quickly moved the bikes up to the road right at the entrance to Hyak. Now we just had a few miles up uphill to Snoqualmie Pass. This time not even a single car passed us coming up. At Traveler's Rest we took another break. At 7:07 we headed down. Quickly we passed under I-90 and onto the old road. This is the best part of the loop. We zoomed up to 30 mph. There are several very sharp turns and some more easy ones. In 7 1/2 minutes we were down to the Denny Creek trailhead parking lot. Neither of us was aware that a new paved lot has been put in across the road. The grade eased but we still made very good time. At fifteen minutes from the pass we reached I-90.
We crossed the highway and turned right on gravel Tinkham Road. There was new gravel at the east end and it was a little slick. The farther we went the better the traction. The road has been regraded and there are very few pot holes. The gentle downhill grade made for more easy biking. near the end we finally reached the concrete pad where a creek flows over the road. It is usually dry in June. Not this year. The splash was high enough to soak my knees. Gary went through before I had time to get a photos. I joked that he should pedal back through it. To my surprise he did. I took a photo and a short video of the creek crossing. A few minutes later we reached pavement. We passed the road up to the McClellan Butte trailhead and crossed back over the highway.
It was now 8:04 pm. The sun was nearly setting but we had plenty of daylight left. One more break and we headed down the on ramp. The two miles of highway riding goes by very fast. It is all downhill. Exit 38 is right at milepost 40. From there the last part is on the old Highway 10. We made it back to our cars at 8:27 pm. We did fine on the ride. Not having done any rides in some time there was a little discomfort. Hiking every week keeps me from those aches and pains after a hike. This trip has a lot to recommend it. A steady uphill grade, the tunnel ride, and a fun fast descent from Snoqualmie Pass. As usual we saw half a dozen bikers and a few cars on the road sections. Otherwise there is a lot of solitude, even on a sunny afternoon. Hopefully we will get in many more June tunnel bike trips.
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Trips - 2017
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I met Gary just off Exit 38 up the hill from North Bend. It was only 81 degrees when we started out at 3:32 pm. My least favorite part of the trip is the climb from the road up to the railroad grade. Steep and gravelly. Gary motored right up. I was not feeling that well. At the top the fun began. 13 miles with about 1300' of gain up to the tunnel. The grade has a gentle steady grade making for easy biking. The first half of the grade was mostly in the shade. Much less hot than I expected. For whatever reason our pace was the slowest of my five trips. Was it the hot day, getting older, or an earlier than usual start and my concern about time? Regardless, we took a few photo stops but mostly kept on the move.
Breaks in the forest provided views across the valley to Mt. Defiance, Bandera, and Granite Mountains. The snow is melting fast. We stopped at the Humpback Creek snowshed. Since my last trip there are more picnic tables and campsites along the grade. They make good spots for short breaks. There is an informational signboard at Humpback Creek now. As we neared the tunnel we were mostly out in the sunshine. Warm but not too bad. Dinner was right at the tunnel. A rider with a tent strapped on my bike stopped and then headed into the tunnel shortly before us. The tunnel is 2.25 miles long and get very dark very fast. the east end turns at the end blocking much of the light ahead. We did not have John and his super powered bike light. It was a little more challenging with smaller headlamps. On an earlier trip Gary had a thermometer and we recorded 49 degrees in the tunnel. We quickly dropped 30 degrees once in the tunnel. With a jacket it was pleasantly cool.
Fifteen minutes later we popped out at the east portal. Rather than biking down to the parking lot and then dropping to the main road then riding back uphill we chose to head right up the hillside. Gary brings a rope and with one person in front and another behind we quickly moved the bikes up to the road right at the entrance to Hyak. Now we just had a few miles up uphill to Snoqualmie Pass. This time not even a single car passed us coming up. At Traveler's Rest we took another break. At 7:07 we headed down. Quickly we passed under I-90 and onto the old road. This is the best part of the loop. We zoomed up to 30 mph. There are several very sharp turns and some more easy ones. In 7 1/2 minutes we were down to the Denny Creek trailhead parking lot. Neither of us was aware that a new paved lot has been put in across the road. The grade eased but we still made very good time. At fifteen minutes from the pass we reached I-90.
We crossed the highway and turned right on gravel Tinkham Road. There was new gravel at the east end and it was a little slick. The farther we went the better the traction. The road has been regraded and there are very few pot holes. The gentle downhill grade made for more easy biking. near the end we finally reached the concrete pad where a creek flows over the road. It is usually dry in June. Not this year. The splash was high enough to soak my knees. Gary went through before I had time to get a photos. I joked that he should pedal back through it. To my surprise he did. I took a photo and a short video of the creek crossing. A few minutes later we reached pavement. We passed the road up to the McClellan Butte trailhead and crossed back over the highway.
It was now 8:04 pm. The sun was nearly setting but we had plenty of daylight left. One more break and we headed down the on ramp. The two miles of highway riding goes by very fast. It is all downhill. Exit 38 is right at milepost 40. From there the last part is on the old Highway 10. We made it back to our cars at 8:27 pm. We did fine on the ride. Not having done any rides in some time there was a little discomfort. Hiking every week keeps me from those aches and pains after a hike. This trip has a lot to recommend it. A steady uphill grade, the tunnel ride, and a fun fast descent from Snoqualmie Pass. As usual we saw half a dozen bikers and a few cars on the road sections. Otherwise there is a lot of solitude, even on a sunny afternoon. Hopefully we will get in many more June tunnel bike trips.
 Getting Started |
 Bandera Mountain |
 Forget-Me-Nots |
 Shaded RR Grade |
 Picture On Board |
 Snoqualmie Tunnel |
 Waterfall |
 Dinner Time |
 Shortcut |
 Onto The Road |
 Heading For The Pass |
 Guye Peak Ahead |
 Creek Over Road |
 McClellan Butte |
 Onto The Highway |
 Back At The Cars |
Trips - 2017
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