by Sarah Shaffer
It was forecasted to be a blistering hot day over Labor Day weekend, so our family decided to escape the heat and head to the shade for an adventurous bike ride up the White River Road, which starts just beyond Lake Wenatchee. The thought was that if we biked the White River Road, we could avoid significant elevation gain, which would be appreciated by our 11-year-old rider.
We packed the car with bikes, helmets, bike shoes, water bottles, and snacks. We also brought a bag with swimsuits, goggles, and towels, ready for a dip either in the White River post-ride or a swim at Lake Wenatchee (it’s nice to have a couple of swim spot options). The drive to our starting point was surprisingly easy, and we were eager to enjoy a mellow ride in a new location.
“Are we going the right way?” I asked my husband while I drove and he navigated. “Yes,” he said, and we pulled over on the shoulder of White River Road at mile 1. From there, we unloaded the bikes, slapped on some sunscreen, put on our shoes and helmets, grabbed my adventure fanny pack (which stored an extra bottle of water and some kid-approved snacks), and hit the pavement.
We rode through tall cedar trees, grassy glades bathed in sunlight and stands of towering cottonwoods that smelled like summer. For most of the ride, we hugged the shores of the White River, which glistened with glacier flour. It was a perfect summer day for a fun-filled bike ride.
After 9 miles of uphill and 1,000 feet of elevation gain (so gradual it was hard to believe we’d gained that much), we turned around and headed back toward the car. On the downhill, we noticed the maple leaves starting to turn red and orange—a sign that cooler temperatures and autumn days were just around the corner.
Upon returning to the car, we changed into our swimsuits and noted that the temperature had reached 80 degrees. We decided to take a dip in Lake Wenatchee as a celebratory post-ride cool-down, even though the air temperature was a bit chillier than we were used to. An hour later, as we drove back into Wenatchee, we saw that the temperature had climbed to 100 degrees. We felt certain we had made the right choice to dodge the heat by enjoying a summer adventure in the Lake Wenatchee area. We will be back for this outing again; it checked all the boxes on a hot summer day.
Stats: 18 miles 1,000 feet of Elevation Gain
Allowed. Cars, motorcycles, dirt bikes, mountain bikes, gravel bikes.
More Information: This ride is for older kids and is not recommended for children under the age of 8 due to car traffic being along this road. While this road has somewhat limited traffic compared to many roads, kids need to be aware of vehicle danger and stay along the shoulder to avoid traffic. This is a traveled road. Please do not park along the road next to residences and make sure to park in vehicle pullouts. Many areas along this road are private-look up public land for parking area information prior to your outing due to limited cell service at the locale.
Trip Reporter and Dates: Sarah Shaffer 9/2024.
Leave It Better Than You Found It: This should be every outdoor user’s goal. Pick up trash left by others, pull noxious weeds along your route, disperse old fire rings (they encourage more fires), throw branches over spur trails and spurs between switchbacks (make it harder to do the wrong thing than the right thing).
Important Disclaimer: Treat this information as recommendations, not gospel. Things change, conditions change, and those contributing these reports are volunteers–they may make mistakes, fail to give complete information, or may not know all the issues affecting a route. So forget about finger pointing: If things go wrong, you are completely responsible for yourself and your actions. If you can’t live with that, you are prohibited from using our information.
