The persistent Columbia River wind has made us pack away the fishing gear for some cycling in the local Cascade Mountain foothills. There is great mountain biking as well as great road biking in this area. On the last weekend of the Tour de France, we got the road bikes out for a little riding on the roads around Mt. Adams and Gifford Pinchot National Park.
It’s been real hot lately, it’s a lot cooler in the mountains than it is at lower elevation, but it’s still pretty toasty. We are up at sunrise getting ready for a cool early morning ride.
This is a pretty good place to experience alpine cycling without a lot of traffic. There are a number of different riding routes, but they are mostly around the foothills of Mt. Adams.
The roads start to get steeper as you climb out of the valleys and up into Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This road leads to the trailhead of one of the climbing routes up Mt. Adams.
A few miles from the climbing route trailhead, the road turns to gravel and dirt, so you turn around, head back down the mountain and up one of the other roads up Mt Adams until you can’t turn the pedals any more.
There are many places to camp and a places if you require lodging. It’s mostly dry camping so bring plenty of water. You’ll drink lots of it riding your bike in the mountains during summer. Any towns in the area will be small, so it’s a good idea to bring everything you need. There are also places in the area to do a little trout fishing.
While you are packing for a trip here, don’t forget the insect repellent if you are camping. The woods are pretty wild and there are plenty of bugs. Not all the bugs are bad and most of them won’t bite.
Stay tuned in for more cycling adventures with watermanatwork.com!