Cascade Trail to Concrete Gravel and Road
High Steady Pace
We'll take a combination of the Cascade trail and roads from Sedro-Woolley to Concrete and back for a total of ~46 miles at a high steady pace with a friendly elevation gain of about 700 feet. Meet at the Cascade Trailhead at Fruitdale and 20 at 9:45 for a 10:00 rollout.
The plan is to stop at 5B's bakery in Concrete for lunch, but (and it may matters for your ride snack planning) if 5B's is slammed busy like it sometimes is, we may have a more prosaic stop at the IGA for anyone that needs a sandwich and drink. So the plan is 5Bs, the backup is the IGA. We'll also stop for snacks and water at Rasar state park on the way back.
Parking. We're rolling out from the parking trail parking lot at Fruitdale and 20, but it's not a very big lot. Another option is to park on Metcalf St in front of the Sedro-Woolley City Hall, head south a few blocks, go left on Northern Ave, then get on the Cascade Trail when Northern Ave ends. It's not too far or complicated.
Bathrooms. Go before you get to the start. Sometime there's a Honey Bucket at the start, sometimes not. Options on the way are limited, though we'll stop at Lyman City Park at mile 7, the turn around point at mile 23 (bakery, park or IGA), Rasar State Park on the way back at mile 31, and another stop at Lyman City Park at mile 38.
The ride out is more gravel than road and the trip back is more road than gravel. The Cascade Trail conditions are usually somewhat better than the Whitehorse Trail but not as good as the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. Experienced riders comfortable with trail rides on gravel and mountain bikes should be fine. Road bikes and tires are not advised (really, trying to ride this on 25mm tires is a recipe for bruises and bike repairs).
Bring snacks, water, and lunch if you are not planning to pick something up in Concrete. Water is available at Lyman and Rasar parks. Snacks not so much outside of Concrete.
Bring the usual fix-it stuff - especially flat repair type fix-it stuff. All riders should be familiar with the club's Ride Safety Guidelines. In addition, E-Bike riders need to be familiar with the club's E Bike Policy.
Ride Leader: Paul Heydron, + 1 425 344 1543, paulhh.wa@gmail.com
