The way points of this bicycle route:
Vinman's bakery, at the corner of Walnut and University Way is a good place to get a snack. Trust me, you'll burn it off on this ride.
Turn right.
I like Railroad Ave/Anderson Road as a good way to "get out of Dodge." Turn left.
Turn right.
Turn right.
Turn right.
Turn left.
Turn left.
Turn right.
Be very careful at this intersection - obey the stop sign even if you're flying down the hill! Straight ahead.
Turn left.
Turn left.
You parallel I-90 for a couple of miles here. Feel sorry for the highway lumps trapped in their exoskeletons.
Decisions, decisions! There's 10 miles of pavement in Taneum canyon beyond this point up to the Taneum junction campground, and it is a stunningly beautiful ride. One caution: two miles up the canyon the road goes from county maintenance to forest service maintenance and it has an impressive pothole/mile statistic (summer 2008). Pay attention, particularly on a fast descent of the canyon. Turn right on Taneum Canyon Road, and cross the interstate on an overpass to continue on this route.
Feeling like some climbing? Head up Thorp Prairie Road over Indian John Hill. You can continue on Peoh Point Road and eventually into Cle Elum. Straight ahead to continue on this route.
A left turn here, takes you across Dudley bridge and up a hill to highway 10 where you can head back to Ellensburg or toward Cle Elum on beautiful Highway 10. Turn right on Thorp Highway to continue on this route.
Stay on Thorp Highway as it jogs left and then right through the town of Thorp.
The Thorp fruit barn a short distance to the left down Gladmar Road is a reasonably good place to stop for a cold drink or a piece of fruit on a hot summer day! Straight ahead and cross interstate on overpass.
Something there is that does not love a big honking truck pulling a trailer with a golf cart on it!
Turn right. Watch carefully for heavy traffic that has exited the interstate.
As always keep an eye out for velocitized and bleary interstate drivers at this busy interchange and its stores and gas stations.
Turn left.
Straight ahead across the highway.
Turn right.
Straight ahead.
Turn right.
Turn left.
Turn right. Be a nice bicyclist as you negotiate the Walnut mall on campus which typically has lots of pedestrians, some of whom are not paying much attention as they think about their most recent physics class!
Welcome to Bikely, take a step by step tour of this path:
Press Start Tour - then use the navigation buttons below to move along the path.
A quick tour to the entrance to Tanuem canyon with some ideas for other, longer routes. This Kittitas Valley loop ride starts and ends in Ellensburg at the corner of University Way and Walnut and passes through Thorp.
Tagged with: Low traffic, Rural, Scenic
