The best traffic-free bike rides in Palouse To Cascades State Park

The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail is a long gravel route across Washington, great for bikepacking or long rides. The Snoqualmie Tunnel is a must—dark, damp, and fun (bring lights). Expect wind and remote stretches, so pack water and gear. Riding over trestles and through changing landscapes keeps things interesting the whole way.

I am always amazed how different this lake looks in the spring (full) versus the fall (almost empty). Those "Seals" are visible in the fall but then go for a long swim in the winter and spring...

The State Park is on the West shore of Lake Easton - very nice campground. An excellent overnight spot in the Spring/Summer/Fall when doing the Palouse to Cascades trail. Worth looping around the lake to see it from all sides and experience the tunnel and bridges. Decent provisions available in town.

This is a bucket list item and crowning point for a daytrip up and back from Rattlesnake Lake. The 18-mile ride up to the Pass is relatively easy railroad grade and doable, even if you don't think you can get up here. But the highlight is then going through the tunnel to a completely different world on the other side. Definitely bring a jacket (it's maybe 45 degrees in there?) and absolutely deck your bike in the brightest lights you can find. The drip, drip, drip of water and murmurs of other people will follow you throughout the 2.3 mile tunnel. There is a very nice rest area in Hyak on the East side of the tunnel - lots of water, a bike repair stand and tools, and a nice spot for a picnic before you turn around and zoom down the trail in a third of the time it took to come up. Or you can continue on to the East if you want!

If you have been riding West to East, this is what you have been waiting for. A unique bridge over the Yakima River. You can cross the river, stand on one side, stand on the other, stand in the middle. The bridge doesn’t mind either way. Very high quality bridge that doesn’t move when you walk on it because it used to support trains. A great place to reflect on things that have happened and say well “that’s water under the bridge”, and you’ll be both literally and figuratively correct at the same time. Can’t beat that.

This is more of a lowlight. I'm not gonna lie... But you need to be warned. This section between Easton trailhead and the Yakima River bridge #4 just West of Cle Elum has very little going for it. It is flat; very flat. It has gravel; lots of loose gravel with two narrow hard-pack lines you need to stay within to move along. It parallels I-90, which creates a loud constant roar that battles the crunch of gravel for your hearing pleasure. Long parts of it are straight; very straight. The view is exactly the same the whole way; a hedge to the North and farmland to the South. Mostly, you are going to be looking forward to getting through this part of the trail. Think of it as purgatory, but also think of it as the price you will pay to visit the much more pleasant parts of the trail at either end.

This is the last tunnel you will see until (or the first tunnel you have seen since) Thorp. Wooded, along the lake, nice spot to stop.

Say hello to a friend. If you are travelling West to East, this is the first of many times you will cross over the Yakima River. OR... If you are travelling East to West, say goodbye to the friendly river you have been crossing over and over.