# Yakima, WA route suggestions (for later this week)?



## tacoma (Apr 29, 2018)

Any suggestions for road rides in/around Yakima? I will probably do the Greenway but also interested in quiet (low-traffic) routes out of town. Thanks in advance.


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## Finx (Oct 19, 2017)

You're probably unlikely to find much actvity here in this ghost town section of the Forum

I don't know routes in the area, but if I were going, I'd probably check out the Strava Heat Map to see where others have been riding.


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## tacoma (Apr 29, 2018)

Thanks for your response - I appreciate the suggestion.


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## jetdog9 (Jul 12, 2007)

+1 on the Strava Heatmap suggestion. I had to sit in the car while my parents drove to Yakima or Selah a few times on business when I was a kid... seemed pretty pancake flat if I remember but I was really young and it was over 3 decades ago so I could be totally wrong.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

This is a very good time of the year to ride up Hwy 410 towards Cliffdell and Chinook Pass. The pass is still closed so the traffic on that highway (after the Hwy 12 intersection towards White Pass) is basically local traffic plus a few campers headed up into the mountains. You can avoid the Hwy 12 traffic by first taking the bike path to Naches and then the backroads from Naches towards the 12/410 intersection.


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

bradkay said:


> This is a very good time of the year to ride up Hwy 410 towards Cliffdell and Chinook Pass. The pass is still closed so the traffic on that highway (after the Hwy 12 intersection towards White Pass) is basically local traffic plus a few campers headed up into the mountains. You can avoid the Hwy 12 traffic by first taking the bike path to Naches and then the backroads from Naches towards the 12/410 intersection.


Do you know how far you can get to the pass? Are you allowed to ride past the gate like you can on on the North Cascades Highway? Always wanted to ride Chinook from the east but the traffic and small shoulder (along with the long drive from Seattle) have deterred me. Low traffic would be enticing.

Thanks.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

SBKron said:


> Do you know how far you can get to the pass? Are you allowed to ride past the gate like you can on on the North Cascades Highway? Always wanted to ride Chinook from the east but the traffic and small shoulder (along with the long drive from Seattle) have deterred me. Low traffic would be enticing.
> 
> Thanks.


I am sorry, but I live on the west side (Olympia), so I haven't been checking to see how far they've cleared the highway, nor have I been over there this year. Usually I go over for a weekend in April or early May just to ride the Naches River canyon while enjoying the low traffic. However, once the pass is open if you go on a weekday the traffic on the east side is always fairly low (especially compared to the traffic coming from Greenwater) That being said, the ride from Cayuse Pass up to Chinook Pass is probably the most spectacular in the state.


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

Thanks for the reply. Weekday is out this year but they don’t open until June 11 so I might catch a weekend to ride it before then.
Cayuse to Chinook is spectacular, right up there with the last few miles to Washington Pass from Mazama and the Artist Point.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

Even after Chinook is open, 410 is an enjoyable highway to ride since the pass is closed to commercial vehicles. The only ones you will encounter are those coming up from Yakima/Naches to service the locals. This means almost no tractor-trailers, though you will run into a few RVs.


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

Thanks, need to get over there. Haven't actually been over on the other side of the pass for many years even in a car but it looks nice.


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