• What To Do
  • Cycling

    Visit our Road Routes page for more detailed information. Noted on the map are six routes: Mill Creek Route, Cottonwood Loop, Milton-Freewater Loop, Whitman Mission Route, North Wheat Fields Loop, and Harris Park Route. In addition to those named routes are suggestions for city routes, area rides, and expert-level rides. When you open the map, it will be overly clear that if you are hanging out for the weekend and want to try a route, you’ll have plenty of options. Guess you better start planning the return trip. If you are from the area, you have some peddling to do.

• What To Expect

  Part of what makes these rides so special is the fact that they wander through rolling fields of wheat, barley, peas, and garbanzo beans to name a few crops–not to mention the backdrop of the Blue Mountains, as if the view wasn’t impressive enough. In the spring, the sprouting plants are so deliciously green, and, as summer fades, the golden hues of a bountiful harvest really steal the show. As magical as that seasonal promise of routine and tradition truly is, it also means there is some really, really big farm equipment on the road. The share-the-road mantra is next level in the Walla Walla Valley.
  
  This warning is not to deter your inner cyclist, but rather prepare you for the fact that during certain parts of the year, wheat that was casually blowing with the breeze finds itself in the back of a large truck going at least 50 miles an hour. As someone who can put harvest driver on her resume, I implore you to realize that it is incredibly hard to ask a fully loaded truck to respond in a timely fashion. Enjoy those more agricultural-centric rides, but please stay safe. Realizing that seasoned road cyclists likely face such challenges on a daily basis, let’s talk about the fun stuff–the routes.

• When To Go

  Cycling the Walla Walla Valley is a four season sport. If you are local, grab your helmet anytime the mood strikes you. Since it is already a destination location, Walla Walla has many opportunities available at various price points for lodging, dining, and shopping. Its historic downtown is easy on the eye, and its local cuisine is even better on the tummy. Protected by the Cascade and Rocky Mountains, the climate allows for an year-round cycling. Dodging the wet, marine air from the west and cold, Arctic air from the east, it is not unheard of to ride each month of the year. Cycling through the seasons also means different looks at the same viewscapes.

Please do not solely rely on Google Maps as their route might not always reflect what is maintained.

• Your Public Lands

  Walla Walla County, City of Walla Walla, Washington State Department of Transportation

• Distance:

  Within 1.5 Hours

• Difficulty Level:

  Day Tripper, Adventurer, Mountaineer

• Seasons:

  Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

• Elevation:

  Average of 950 feet

• Pets:

  No

• Reservations:

  N/A

• ADA:

  No

• Multi-Use:

  N/A

• Motorized Vehicles :

  N/A

• Regulations

  The State of Washington considers those on a bicycle a vulnerable user of a public way. Washington does not mandate helmets, but please wear a helmet. The state does not define which lane riders use, but if slower than the flow of traffic, ride as far to the right as possible. Perhaps of most use is the vehicle detection error law that allows riders to proceed through a traffic signal if that signal fails to respond to the rider. For more light reading, visit the Washington State Legislature website on the Revised Code of Washington, specifically Chapter 46.61.760. Impress all your cycling buddies with your newfound knowledge.

• Amenities

  With many of these routes traveling through towns sprinkled throughout the Walla Walla Valley, consider refueling at any number of establishments before the return trip. Visit our Explore page for more information on Small Towns, Big Adventures.