Transam west-to-east June 1st start date - weather ?s
 

The other transam thread got me thinking about my own choice about heading out June 1st from Eugene, OR. What kind of weather can I expect on some of the passes in Oregon? I know that the Mckenzie pass will likely be closed, so we will have to take the Santiam pass detour, but that is the limit of my knowledge. Should I be prepared for freezing weather at this time of year on the higher passes in oregon?

What about the weather in Idaho in mid June? I understand that it can be hellishly hot in the valleys/canyons in the summer. My wife is particularly sensitive to the heat and sun, and I was hoping that it will be a little milder in mid June.

Thanks, your info is greatly appreciated.

McKenzie or Santiam are the only real high part of the Cascades on the TA. We started on June 11th in 2007 and didn't have much cold weather, so it is a crap shoot. As you say McKenzie is likely to be closed, but check since it is a nice ride and it can often be ridden before it is open to cars. We managed to ride it with no traffic since it was closed to cars. Officially it had closed to bikes the day before we got there, but ODOT was not actually working yet so we rode it anyway.

Most of the passes were actually hot for our 2007 trip. You never know for sure what you will get weather wise.