ATTRACTION: This training route for Wenatchee riders is short but steep. If you don’t have a triple, expect to spend a good amount of time out of the saddle grinding. While the latter half of the ride is especially steep, the rural setting is beautiful and the fast descent is exhilarating.
DISTANCE: 15 miles round trip from Lincoln Park.
ELEVATION: Gain of 1,950 vertical feet.
SKILL: 2 (intermediate). FITNESS: 2 (intermediate).
BEST SEASON TO VISIT: Spring when the fruit trees are in bloom. Also fall when the air is cool and trees and grasses are yellow.
ACCESS: Drive or ride to Lincoln Park in south Wenatchee. If driving, park in the parking lot off Methow Street near the intersection of Crawford and Methow.
TRIP INSTRUCTIONS: (distances are approximate)
–Follow Methow Street south for about 2 miles.
–At the stop sign, turn right on Squilchuck Road and bike uphill about 2.5 miles to the marker for Milepost 4.
–Turn right on Halvorson Road and start climbing steeply.
–Stay on the main road as it winds steeply uphill.
–This is a scenic and little-used road that follows one draw uphill and then another one downhill. Three miles later, after a hard climb and a screaming descent, you’ll intersect the Squilchuck Road again. Turn left and ride back downhill on the Squilchuck Rd on a good shoulder.
–In about 1.5 miles, pass the road up to Wenatchee Heights. For a longer ride, turn right here and complete the Wenatchee Heights Short Loop. Or carry down Squilchuck Road and retrace your route back to Lincoln Park.
MAP: See map below for more information.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: I like doing this ride on early weekday mornings–the lower portion of the Squilchuck Rd has a narrow shoulder and in morning most of the traffic is headed down canyon rather than in your direction up canyon.
PERMITS: None needed.
REPORTER: Andy Dappen 07/2005
LEAVE IT BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT. This should be every user’s goal. Pick up trash left by others, pull some noxious weeds along your route, etc.
DISCLAIMER. Treat this information as recommendations, not gospel. Conditions change and those contributing these reports are volunteers–they may make mistakes or not know all the issues affecting a route. You are responsible for yourself, your actions, and your safety. If you won’t accept that responsibility, you are prohibited from using our information.
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