Bikepack - Palouse to Cascades Trail

4:00PM at the Cedar Falls Trailhead. Return to trailhead before midday the following day. Planning emails will be sent to registered participants with final details.

**Open to Bikepacking Course graduates and Equivalency candidates only.

This route follows the western segment of the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail from the Cedar Falls trailhead to Cold Creek Campground on Keechelus Lake. The trail is 100% unpaved and the surface comprises well-packed crushed rock. The trail rating is easy (white circle). The intended pace is easy-to-moderate with the group staying together on the ascent to the tunnel.  

The first 18.8 miles of the trail, from the trailhead to the Snoqualmie tunnel, is a gentle railroad-grade climb (avg 1.8%, max 6.8%, ascent 1,904 ft, descent 373 ft). It crosses a half dozen canyons on three trestles with sweeping mountain vistas.

Next, you'll ride through the 2.3 mile, 100-year-old tunnel at Snoqualmie Pass to Hyak. The tunnel is very dark inside, and the temperature slowly drops as you ride deeper into it. Visibility will require a bike light or headlamp. You will be warm from your ride leading to the tunnel, however you'll want to add an extra layer before entering it as the temperature in the middle of the tunnel will be in the mid- to high-30s. The trail in the tunnel is flat, and the surface is compact. 

After exiting the tunnel, Cold Creek Campground is a 1.8 mile ride on flat, firm gravel trail. A sign identifies the campground is on the right side of the trail.

The return trip is flat and then all downhill as it retraces the trail from Cold Creek Campground to the Cedar Falls Trailhead. Dress warmly for this segment so that getting chilled doesn't interfere with your fun! 

A link to the draft route in GAIA GPS is here (Note: Gaia miscalculates the ascent as it interprets the flat Snoqualmie tunnel passage as a climb over Snoqualmie).