Pacific Northwest - Clarkston / Lewiston

My wife and I will be visiting the Clarkston / Lewiston area for a long weekend in early October. Are there any must-do bike rides in the area (on a road bike)? I'm thinking the road up along the snake river might be nice or the spiral highway? What's the scoop on the MUP through town (where is it, where does it go, etc.)? A 30-50 mile trip would be ideal. Any suggestions are appreciated, thanks!

There's lots of good riding in Lewiston/Clarkston. We do an 80 mile loop that includes the Spiral Highway and the Waiwawia canyon road (also an amazing decent). Check out the map; you could do a few variations of this loop to make an out-and-back.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Pullman-SnakeRiver-Lewiston-Grade-Ride


The road along the Snake River is always wonderful. It's also ALWAYS windy. The Old Spiral Highway is also fun. It's about 10 miles and 2000 feet vertical to the top, starting in Lewiston. The decent is spectacular.

Have fun.

Thanks Mike. How are the roads for the routes you describe? Paved or chipseal? Do the winds blow in a certain direction on the Snake or does it vary?

Is that the hill that has multiple, often used, runaway truck ramps? My wife is from Lewiston and there was the first (and only) time I've ever seen one of those ramps actually used.

Thanks Mike. How are the roads for the routes you describe? Paved or chipseal? Do the winds blow in a certain direction on the Snake or does it vary?

The roads are good. A few roads might be chip-sealed but the last time I was down there (in March), they were smooth. You probably wont go on SR 195, but depending on the time of day, the traffic be heavy. Traffic is also heavy on SR-128, but you're only on it for a few miles. Other than that, the roads are very low traffic.

Wind can vary; most of the time I think it blows from the south, up the Snake River valley. So if you're starting in Lewiston you'll start with a tail wind. :)

Have fun.

Is that the hill that has multiple, often used, runaway truck ramps? My wife is from Lewiston and there was the first (and only) time I've ever seen one of those ramps actually used.

Not many trucks utilize the "Old Spiral Highway" anymore since the State Road 95 bypass was built 20-30 years ago. I sure wouldn't want to lose my brakes on that decent :eek: