Has anybody cycled the Olympic Peninsula?

[AJ Neale]

Hi All,

I remember hearing about worthwhile cycling excursions from Port Angeles that do NOT include Hurricane Ridge, but I cannot recall the details. Does anybody have recommendations for bike friendly roads or trails heading either east towards Dungeness or west to Lake Crescent or Clallam Bay? If you have any camping suggestions they would be welcome too.

Thank you!

Andrew

[thallett]

Two years ago I went along the Olympic Discovery Trail with my 10-year-old, along with an adult friend and his 70-year-old fit mother. We biked the 30km to Dungeness County Park, set up a base and camped there. Cycled the 15km to Sequim for a little sightseeing (there is actually nothing to see in Sequim), cycled back to Dungeness County Park. The next day cycled back to Port Angeles.

The ride was 80% on trails, with a few small hills and relatively quiet side roads, I believe that it has improved even more since I rode it. I had a bike trailer loaded with all the camping gear including an axe, and made it simple for my son to enjoy the ride.

I recall the website for the trail being very detailed (http://olympicdiscoverytrail.org/) - maybe too detailed. The tourist bureau in Port Angeles had a pretty basic brochure, that covered the essentials. This is a pretty good PDF: http://veloroutes.org/Content/States/Wa ... ikeMap.pdf

Funny you post this now, as I am considering going again this week (I am actually hoping to hike Strathcona Park, but keeping this open as an option.

[AJ Neale]

Thanks Todd - this is perfect!

I had heard about a "trail" but now I know the name and the maps are really useful. It seems they have cobbled together a network of dedicated trails and quiet back roads to keep us 2 wheelers happy and away from the busy highway. Funny you should mention Strathcona because we traditionally hike there every summer at this time! If you haven't been and have any questions about Mount Albert Edward or Buttle Lake/Marble Meadows give me a shout.

Thanks again and have a good week!

Andrew

[greid]

Andrew - I have ridden the Olympic Penn many times over the last 25 years. It a great place for a quick 3 - 5 day ride. If time is an issue, I would suggest Port Angeles to Port Townsend, over to Whigby Island - ferry leaves downtown Port Townsend. For this section you can camp at Port Townsend (Fort Warden) Next overnight could be at Deception Pass and then on to Anacortes where, if time is an issue, you can return via Anacortes ferry to Sidney. If you have more time carry on to Blaine via the Chukanuck drive, a truly beautiful ride. cross the border and ride towards the BC ferry via the Boundry Bay bike path - you will avoid most of the highway. If you have questions -forward me Here is a list of Biker Hiker campsites : In most cases, they are first come first served. Some parks that may be on your route with hiker/biker sites are Fort Ebey, Sequim Bay, Fort Flagler, and Fort Worden. Larrabee State Park has walk-in primitive sites that are reservable for dates between May 15 - September 15.

Cheers
Garth

PS: if you were to do this route, on Whigby Island avoid the main road and go down by the lagoon.

[AJ Neale]

Hi Garth,

Thank you for the additional route options and the camping suggestions, we really do have a lot of fantastic places to ride within a day of Victoria. I remember driving the Chuckanuk years ago and it was pretty amazing. Thanks again!

Andrew

[AndreaR]

Hi Andrew,

Shawn and I just came back from 2 days doing this! It's a fantastic ride. We rode up to Sidney, took the ferry to Anacortes, rode down to Fort Casey, ferry to Port Townsend, rode to Discovery Bay, where we stayed the night. The second day, we rode on and off the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) to Sequim, then a detour to take in the view of Dungeness Bay, then headed west to Port Angeles for the Coho home. We skipped most of the ODT, as it's a lot of chip seal roads and there is a prevailing west wind. The 101 was fine to ride on, with wide shoulders and courteous drivers. It's a fun couple of days if you're looking for some different scenery.

[Marc]

I went from Port Angeles to Port Townsend, over to Anacortes, then to San Juan Island and used that as a base to explore the islands with ferry service.

I can second the statement that the 101 is fine to ride. What I found is that the Olympic Discovery trail is actually frustrating to ride - there are a lot of short steep descents, followed by sharp corners at the bottom where you have to shed a lot of speed into short sharp uphill segments. I had planned on riding that for most of the duration, but with a backpack or any amount of gear, it became too annoying so I ventured out to find other roads.

Haven't headed the other direction, if you do go, please share your findings! I would like to see Cape Flattery at some point so I'm keen to hear about it!

Cheers,

Marc

[AJ Neale]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone! It would seem that a few weeks could be spent between the San Juan Islands and the Olympic Peninsula..... same old story: too many roads, not enough time.

I'll get a report from Katie upon her return.

Andrew