Looking for rides from downtown Olympia WA. MUPs preferred, longer better then shorter. No unpaved paths please. It's such a small town I feel like I've been all over, but there are always new routes popping up on the internet

I'm from CA and haven't ridden around Olympia, so this may be worthless, and it's certainly not a MUP. We've stayed several times at Millersylvania State Park. I think the roads around there are very interesting, mostly two-lane, with lots of rainforest. Have you considered that area?

You can ride up to Boston Harbor, pick up the Chehalis-Western trail, take it 20-ish miles down to the end and then pick up the Tenino-Yelm trail which would give you another 14 miles going east, and then I guess back again. Usually I ride the roads next to those trails (Rich Road to Old 99 to 507) and then I make a loop going from Yelm up to Nisqually/Lacey and then back to Oly.

Check out Capitol Bicycling Club, they have a pretty busy ride schedule. At the very least, they'd know all the local routes. Here's their latest newsletter:
https://capitalbicycleclub.org/WordPr...er_Aug2012.pdf

Luis

wootwoot CBC, also equilibrium. Millersylvania is fun, but the last time I was there, there were just too many kids for my taste. If I ride with a destination in mind, I like it to be somewhere I would want to stop for a moment.

I love the Chehalis Western and Woodland trails.

Took the one along the I-5 today and really didn't enjoy it much. I'd rather being riding in residential neighborhoods than take that one again.

Did one yesterday from the little park by the fish ladder at the west end of Capitol Lake. PM me for details but generally:

west on W Bay - up some side streets to Division - SW on Division/Black Lake road/Delphi road all the way (about 12 miles) to 105th SW - take that over to Waddell Creek Rd and follow that for about 11 miles as it wanders thru the beautiful Mima Mounds and Black River preserve.

You then take some nice two lane roads thru the very flat farmland south of Rochester and eventually end up on Case Rd which you follow 16 miles NW back to Tumwater. There are many ways to get from Case down to the Capitol Lake bike path.

My particular route yesterday was 56.4 miles with about 2200' climbing.

I was in 4' wide bike lanes about half the time and on 3' wide shoulders almost all the rest of the time.

Once on Delphi headed south I only saw about 10 cars for the next 25 miles. The scenery south of Black Lake is very nice.

There are several good stops and rest areas along the way as well as food at Rochester.

I'd be glad to send you a kml or kmz file or you can find the route on MapMyRide

The nerve of those parents taking their kids to a PARK. [roll eyes]

+1

+1 on the ride up to Boston Harbor. Also on heading south on the Chehalis-Western trail.

Does the southern portion of the Chehalis-Western trail start in Lacey after a break? I think it meets with the Woodland trail there... I have never headed south there but want to soon. I always have to pick my bike up and cross over to head north at that point. (I use a stretch of the C-W for my daily commute.)

Yes, the C-W trail begins again behind the taco bell and intersects with the Woodland trail. You can head south from there for about six miles to where you think the trail might end (elevated railroad track) ... but it doesn't. You'll have to take a left onto a packed dirt trail for about 500 yards until you get to rainier road... turn right (south) and stay on the road for another 400-500 yards and the trail will appear again on your right up a short incline. You can then continue to head south on the C-W trail for another 10 miles or so where the trail will intersect with the Yelm-Tenino trail. Enjoy!... the southern end of the trail after the railroad track break is fabulous. lots of different types of scenery - tree lined, river, prairie, and horse properties. If you turn west (right) at the Yelm-Tenino trail torwards Tenino, you'll be able to ride over some wooden bridges and along the lakeside. Dang! I've talked myself into a ride this weekend!!!