Hello folks! hopefully everybody is riding safely..So i just finished reading the book "life is a Wheel" and I got to thinking hmm maybe someday I can ride from wenachee, wa to Los Angeles??that is probably 1,000+ miles, if I do say 50 miles a day that will take me 20 days or with rest in between maybe 25 days?..Just curious if anybody have done it before??what route you took??how many days realistically will it take me??I can probably ride 50 to 70 miles a day if I have to, I know 50 miles will probably take me less than 5hrs or so..Just kinda thinking..its been raining here so you know..boredom sinks in..

A couple years ago somebody posted a video (actually I think it was a slideshow) of a ride from Seattle to San Francisco. I think it was close to 1,000 miles along the coast. The guy said he and his brother rode together, 100 miles a day. They went with his girlfriend, who drove; she'd meet them for lunch and they'd stay in hotels at night together. She hung out at beaches while they rode.

If I were going to do something like that, I'd bring a tent, sleeping bag, camping stove, food, and water plus a filter. And all that weight would slow me down. It's doable, but I'd factor that in when I made my plans.

Don't take Stevens Pass, people drive way too fast, the shoulders aren't always wide enough, and the gust of wind as a truck goes by is really awful. I'd probably take Old Blewett Pass if I were you. The inland route could be nice. If you prefer to follow the coast, you'd be better off taking the North Cascades Highway than 2.

Ask this question in the Touring section. That's precisely what it is for.

There is a "standard" set of touring routes published by Adventure Cycling Association, the route from Seattle to LA would take you roughly along the 5 to Washington/Oregon border, then turn west and hug the coast the rest of the way. You could probably manage an inland route but that would involve massive elevation gain and would be much longer / more tiring.

FYI - the December issue of Adventure Cyclist has an article by Tore Gronne called "From the Cascades to the Sierra" about an inland route that looks like it would be a lot of fun.

If you opt for the coastal route you can get over to Seattle in a couple of days (over either of the passes - they both see a lot of bike traffic) and then pick up the route in this book: Robot Check

here's a link to the adventure cyclist maps for the route: Pacific Coast | Adventure Cycling Route Network | Adventure Cycling Association

Looking at Google Maps, it would be about 1,100 miles if you took the most direct way, through the Great Basin desert of Oregon and Nevada. Most people would use the coastal route, which puts it near 1,500 miles. If you're looking at an average of 50 miles a day, that's about 30 days of riding, plus rest days.

A shorter route would be using the Adventure Cycling Association's Sierra Cascades route. This route features lots and lots and lots of mountains and climbing, and good sections with limited to no services. It might not be the best tour to tackle as a first tour (and it sounds like this may be your first tour.)

I'd urge you to take a look at Adventure Cycling Association and the routes/maps they offer. They also have plenty of good, basic tips on bike touring.


While 10 miles an hour is a good average for an unladen bike in ideal circumstances, you also would need to factor in the added weight on your bike, hills, wind, etc. And you'll have several breaks during the day, and those add up.

The 97 highway (Wenatchee to Weed) is a fav truckers route to avoid the Siskyou Mountains on I5. A lot of big rigs.

You might look at the " crazy guy on a bike" website. Thousands of journals from touring cyclists. Most list routes and conditions. The personal experiences are fun and informative,

Good Luck

The best route would be down the coast which would add some distance. There's a steady stream of tourists going down the coast each year. I'd probably head over Blewett Pass and South through the Yakima River Canyon. Then tie into Hwy 12 over White Pass and work your way to the coast from there. The North Cascades would be a "detour" north for you first and add distance.

I would definitely stay off Hwy 97 from Yakima to Weed (through Oregon) - there's a lot of traffic and long stretches with very little shoulder.

I disagree, US 97 thorough Washington would be the way I would go but then I'd turn right and head towards the coast or cross the river and head south east through Oregon towards US95. 101 and I-5 both swing far to the west before hooking back east. LA is east and south of Wenatchee. That said apple trucks follow 97 to Weed. Freight trucks from Spokane often take a more inland route. A coastal route would likely be cooler in the warm months and warmer in the cold months.

Daily mileage varies wildly depending on a number of factors:
* how fit you are
* how much weight you are carrying (credit card vs camping)
* terrain
* weather
* fatigue

Personally, I plan to only cover 40-50 miles a day when I'm mapping out tours, but I'm not fast and tour on a heavy bike with camping gear aboard. Lots of people can go faster than me, but most of them aren't going considerably faster through mountains, we all slow to a crawl there. Don't know what your fitness level is, how much you regularly ride, and if you have any experience touring, but if I were you I wouldn't plan on making much more than 50 miles on any given day unless it the only available option to reach food/water/a place to sleep that day. You'll get stronger throughout the tour, but you'll also likely want a rest day or three out of the saddle too.