# Olympic Peninsula riding



## tellico climber (Aug 14, 2006)

My family is considering visiting the area this summer and staying for a couple of weeks. We are planning on finding a home to rent and exploring the area by hiking,flat water kayaking, and combing the beaches. I am an avid cyclist that is used to extensive mountain riding of distances up to 100 miles and would love to get a few good rides in the area also while there. I will not enjoy my vacation if cycling is not included and my wife will start to hate me if you know what I mean. Are there any good routes in the area that anyone could recommend where I would also be catching some great scenery and climbing? Thanks for any input.


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## SwiftSolo (Jun 7, 2008)

Where on the OP are you planning to stay? 

I would recommend on the Straits near the Hurricane Ridge road. The Ocean side highway 101 has a lot of fast moving logging trucks and is not particularly bike friendly.


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## tellico climber (Aug 14, 2006)

I am not sure yet as I have never been there. I am looking for an area that has some less traveled roads with great scenery if possible. I love climbing and also rollers. I have always wanted to visit the pacific northwest and would love to see some of the rocky shores and explore them while also getting in some great riding. I am just now researching the area in detail as to where to stay. Any ideas would be appreciated.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

Port Townsend has some great accommodations and riding. There are some low traffic roads around the area with rolling hills and a few steeper climbs. You can make a day trip to Port Angeles and ride up Hurricane Ridge if you like a steady climb and a fun descent. There are some nice 60-70 mile routes out of Port Townsend towards the Kitsap Peninsula as well. The Hood Canal Bridge looks daunting but it actually ok with a shoulder.


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## zep (Aug 2, 2004)

Aree with the reply from *bigbill*: Port Townsend ("PT" in 'local-eze')area has quite good rural tarmac routes. There are certainly some mountain bike singletrack in the area, but I've found the road riding better, and more plentiful. 

Some very worthwhile hiking trails in the area, and PT has the close-by Fort Worden State Park, with miles of hiking and exploring opportunities, accompanied by spectacular view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, from the bluffs. 

Sequim, which is North of PT, should have ample rental accommodations (this town is a well-known retirement destination), but not the same beauty or interesting roads of PT. 

Summer is not the best time to cycle Hwy 101, along the WA coast--though scenic, there's way too much traffic. FYI....

If you've not already found it, check out the PT cycling club site: Port Townsend Bicycle Association | Cycling on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington State


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## tellico climber (Aug 14, 2006)

Thanks for the info, Zep and everyone else.


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## zep (Aug 2, 2004)

Drat...should have mentioned--Uptown Pub and Grill, in PT: Port Townsend Uptown Pub - Uptown Pub & Grill
https://www.facebook.com/uptownpub

Sit at the bar, have a beer, and talk with the friendly locals...you'll likely meet some interesting characters.


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## rm -rf (Feb 27, 2006)

For riding ideas in an area I don't know, I like to check out the Strava Global Heatmap. As you zoom and pan on the map, the URL changes, so you can bookmark that view.

Here's the northern Olympic Peninsula heatmap.

The dark red lines are the most ridden roads. As you zoom in, other less traveled roads will also start to color in. 

Sometimes, there's no good way to get "out of town" so a heavily traveled road might just be annoying to ride, but there's no other route. But, in general, my local roads in red are usually good for riding. Other posts have warned about Hwy 101, which is showing red, so either they deal with the traffic, or hit it at off-peak times.

Some of these can be mountain bike trails, too. Zoomed in, they sometimes show as a spotty, fuzzy line, since the gps signals in the woods can be less precise, and the riders probably start and stop a lot.


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## SantaCruz (Mar 22, 2002)

For the best recommendations on local mt. bike roads, you need a local.
Call Tim at The Downtown Hotel in Port Angeles. He's the manager.
He can tell you about the best mountain bike and forest service roads/trails.
The National Forest (not the National Park) should have trails open for mtbers.
I rode from Sequim to Neah Bay (about 100 mi) a few years back. The family drove out and stopped at a bunch of beaches along the way before getting me in Neah Bay. The loaded logging trucks headed East would have been intimidating if I had been going that direction. Passed a guy on a unicycle. Hwy 101 has a lot of traffic but wide shoulders (8-10ft), use it for shorter distances to get you to where you want to go. There is always the rambling (mostly) paved trail from east of Sequim to Port Angeles (is it called the Olympic Centennial Trail?) 

Watch out for those bridges that have a change of pavement height for the bike lane; especially during a higher speed descent leading to the bridge.


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