After reading this trip report over at NW Hikers I knew I wanted to go check out highway 410 this weekend. That road has so much allure since it’s always closed when going to Crystal Mountain to ski. I’ve been out it to get to Sunrise before, but never up to the pass (that i know of).
When i read that it would be clear of both snow and cars this weekend i was eccstatic. The inital plan was to load bike, snowshoes and camping gear in the car on friday. Go up friday after work to bike in, then set up camp near the (presumably closed) highway. Then snowshoe from there on Saturday.
Well friday got lazy so this big adventure turned into just a bike ride, which was probably for the best as the gate ended up not being locked at all. I arrived at the gate at 9:20 and there was almost nobody else around. Leaving the car just outside the gate i took off up the highway and saw almost no cars for the first 45 minutes of riding.
Here’s a map of my route.
Going up is steep but not unbearable. The scenery is definitely worth enjoying at a stately pace. I was happy to have my 28t chain ring in front, but generally stayed in the middle of the cassette. I felt really strong, which is nice because i’m still wary of my recently repaired knee. This road is as beautifully maintained as the scenery and the riding was truly a pleasure.
Looking over the white river as it rushes the melting snow off the mountain was quite a sight.
I found the road was closed at the junction with 123. There was a ranger there keeping people out, which was a shame as i really wanted to keep going to the pass.
On the way down i played with making a time lapse video by strapping the camera to my bike. I got a Gorrilla Pod last week which a flexible tripod that can be bent to hold the camera in a lot of strange positions. This first attempt was not perfect, but it does give the viewer a sense of what it was like to ride in the sun and snow:
A few important stats:
Total distance: 17.10 miles
Total pedaling time: 1:42:12
Avg speed (descending): 22.29mph
Avg speed (ascending): 6.5mph
Time (descending): 23 minutes
Time (ascending):1:19
