History of the john wayne trail

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Retrieved April 13, Retrieved September 3, The Seattle Times. American Trails. February 28, Archived from the original on August 9, Retrieved August 14, Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Associated Press. September 24, Retrieved September 25, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Yakima Herald. Archived from the original on April 2, Retrieved April 14, Retrieved May 17, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

Retrieved February 18, Archived from the original on February 13, King County Regional Trail System. September 19, Archived from the original on October 1, Retrieved April 21, When you reach Ellensburg, you better load up with water and food because things are about to get very tough. About miles is deep sand that is very challenging to ride.

I rode with X 50 tires - I would recommend tires at least this wide or wider. If your riding tires any thinner it will be very challenging. Later you will ride on very rocky roads that were created for horses - not bikes. There is a fun downhill section through cliffs. MTB skills would be a plus here because there are sandy sections that suddenly appear and large rocks the size of footballs.

This section is fun, but be prepared. There was a water pump that is used for horses that was located about a mile off the trail - my friend did some research and found the water pump. Make sure you carry lots of water you will be averaging about half the speed that you normally ride at. I'm sure the sand and rocky sections vary throughout the year, but it was tough when we did the ride.

I'm sure most people don't know about the water pump - so do some research. You will get excited when you see the bridge at Beverly - nice place to take pictures. I recommend after crossing the bridge to ride the extra miles to get food and water at the gas history of the john wayne trail that is east of the bridge - there will be no water or food from here to Othello.

The road from Beverly to Othello was very sandy and rocky. There were rocky sections that are unrideable even for expert MTB riders. One this day it was very hot, and my friends and I struggled to make it to Othello as we rode from Ellensburg to Othello in one day. From Othello to Idaho you will continue to ride on very, very, very, very rocky roads.

You will wish you had a MTB or fatbike. There are some very beautiful sections where I felt like I was in a scene from "Dances with Wolves". But you will still be very off the road and will feel like you are a early pioneer traveling across the country by horse and wagon. This ride is not for everyone. Some people will love it, some people will hate it.

I have to admit that I was cussing at the rocky roads. This ride will be like no ride you have ever done before. Be prepared if your going to ride the full trail. A little information - the group I was riding with was riding across the country from Seattle to Washington DC on bikes that where fully loaded with heavy gear. We rented a car one way to Ellensburg with two bikes.

Only option was Enterprise and it worked great. Trail started close to downtown. While we had a headwind on day one it made day two easy with considerable downhill. Towns especially Cle Elum were fun to visit. Excellent camping along the trail and bathroom facilities are abundant. While we did the ride in two days, recommend slowing down a bit and doing thee days of riding.

Do this ride! Rode different sections of this trail in our cross country trip on recumbent trikes. We had difficulty sinking in the sand, thick gravelgetting stuck several times and got stuck in thick mud. If it had appropriate surface, it could be a premiere trail. Our family group ranged in age from eight to seventy-two. We spotted a car near Garcia and began our trip at Hyak.

On a near 90 degree day, the tunnel was a cool and inviting place. We learned the hard way that our lights were inadequate. A good bike mounted light would have made this leg of the trip more enjoyable. We found the surface of the trail gravel too course to ride comfortably even with our down hill direction on the trail. The loose coarse aggregate did push our front wheels sideways from time to time which required a lot of concentration.

That hindered our enjoyment of the scenery. Overall, we had a good time on the trail until the end. The road to the Garcia connection to the trail was is such poor condition that we chose not to risk damage to our cars and parked about a mile away. That road back to the parked car was extremely difficult to travel on a bike with two of us losing control of our bikes with one set of scuffed knees and elbows.

This could be a trail that makes the hall of fame if the State of Washington would provide a better surface. This is an awesome ride from the westernmost start at Rattlesnake Ledge all the way to the Renslow Trestle east of Ellensburg. There's a few miles around Easton where someone in their "infinite wisdom" put the gravel on the trail so heavy that it made riding difficult, but it's doable.

Then there's the sand that the Army spread claiming "habitat restoration" from the Renslow Trestle across the last 20 miles to the Columbia River totally destroys the joy. Right, pure sand To me, it seems pretty clear the Army did that in hopes to discourage bikers from crossing that section - you'll need fat tires to have any hope to ride it, and even then it will be a battle.

Soft gravel and not very scenic from either side of CleElum. Rode 12 miles each direction. Could not sightsee as it was difficult to manage. Isn't this the "John Wayne" Trail? Awesome and maintained trail Had a blast with about 10 others on this ride. Great scenery not very difficult or much elevation change. The tunnel was awesome!!! I definitely want to come back!!!

Such a beautiful trail! Plenty of hikers and bikers but also plenty of space. Lovely trip. What a beautiful section of trail I started at Rattlesnake lake road up and through the pass tunnel and back nice hard packed gravel. Road this from Ellensburg west for 26 miles with 38mm tires. I was turning 44 years old and decided to ride the west section of the Palouse to Cascade trail for some needed alone time.

Left Redmond at about 8am and made it to North Bend at aboutwhere I swapped out my road tires for some slightly wider road tires 32c. A road bike with gravel tires is fine for most of this ride. Began slogging up the railroad grade. Saw lots of rock climbers, picnickers, and a few cyclists. Weather was warm and it was beautiful. Take a lot of water and snacks, because there is no where to refresh unless you bring a filter.

My legs were getting pretty cooked by the time I made it to the tunnel. I was expecting the temp to drop, but did not realize my legs would instantly cramp from the cold! That was a little weird, being a mile into a dank, dark tunnel with legs spazzing into knots. Made it out, and drug myself another two miles up to the summit for lunch. Calories please!

Continued on to Easton, then Roslyn, then up to the little town of Ronald to meet my family at an Airbnb. Total miles: Trail is in good condition. The ride was a tad over 5 hours. Started about noon and reached our destination a little after 5 PM. Saw two rattlesnakes and heard several others. One place sounded like it could have been a den of them.

The horses shied and side stepped a bit but no rodeo. Lots of water birds. And we saw asparagus growing along the tracks in several places. Plan to continue on east as the weather permits. We stopped at Lake Easton State Park to camp. My 31 year old son rode with me and my wife dropped us off at the first trailhead and picked us up at our history of the john wayne trail trailhead.

She also served as support, meeting us at the campground when our first day was done. First day was a 40 mile ride approx. My GPS app did not function properly either day because of the four tunnels we passed through. The second day, after we cleared the tunnel MapMyRide told me I had just gone miles per hour! The first 22 miles of the ride was a constant but not terrible climb.

We stopped to walk a few times because my son, who is an experienced and well conditioned hiker, but not a cyclist, just got wore out from the constant uphill. I think I could have made the climb if I had been with a rider who could also make it and who would have encouraged me to keep on. I am certain I would not have made it without walking if I had been alone.

Once clearing the tunnel at the summit we camp quickly to Hyak rest stop. This is the only place on the trail where there is fresh water.

History of the john wayne trail

Upgraded pit toilets are situated frequently along the trail. The trail between Hyak the summit and Lake Easton State Park feels mostly flat but was challenging - especially for my son after making the climb. We arrived at Lake Easton State park 8 hrs and 30 minutes after beginning our day. The signs on the trail for the State park will lead you four miles off the trail onto the opposite end of the park from Bicycle camping sites I think there are only two designated for bicycle camping but it is mostly downhill.

Sort of nice after the long day. The bicycle camping sites are not on the lake. We wished they had been. There are, however, back country camping sites all along the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. Almost every site has a pit toilet and non potable water in the form of a pond or stream nearby. My wife met us at the park with ice cold drinks and lots of water.

We determined that we would have her return the next morning at carry our camping gear with her. It would have been a good idea to have had her deliver them to us at the campsite. That way we would not have had to pack them up the mountain! On the other hand, we would not have had them had we chosen to stay in one of the back country sites.

At the very least she could have given them to us at Hyak and saved us packing them during the steps part of the trip. Live and learn. Tent camping is hard on this old body. It was so hot I could not sleep well and began having leg cramps. I had to get up at AM and do about an hour of stretching to get them to settle down! Second day we rode out of the State Park, at AM, to the small town of Easton, just one mile from the bicycle camping area.

We got a coffee at the Hitching Post - a small convenience store, service station, restaurant, motel. The trail runs alongside Easton and we were on our way. Thirteen miles to Cle Elum, it was hot. My wife met us there and refilled our water. Just eighteen miles left to Thorp. We watched a guided fly fishing group float alongside us from a few moments.

It was cooler than I expected and with many more trees than I imagined. Thorp TrailHead was a bit confusing to find for my wife tp pick us up. Our bicycles were fully loaded, and by the time we got to the Snoqualmie Tunnel we were very tired of the uphill grind. The grade is never difficult, and you barely notice it, but after 20 miles your body is feeling it.

There was a shortish patch between the tunnel and Lake Easton where the gravel was loose, which made the biking a bit difficult, but all in all it was pretty great. It was a mile day, and there were lots of wilderness camping spots along the way. If we had known how long it would take us to do those 40 miles about hourswe might have chosen to camp at one of the wilderness spots.

There are two: 36 and We were assigned 36, which is quite small. The other site 37 is roomier. The next day we biked 15 miles to Cle Elum, where we ended our ride. The first five miles out of the campground at Lake Easton were excruciating. It appeared that new history of the john wayne trail had been dumped on the trail for those five miles, and it was slow going and a bit scary for one of our friends who was clipped in.

But once we got past that point, it was back to being a very pleasant ride. My recommendation: Switch to flat pedals for this ride. You don't need to be clipped in! We rode the whole trail from the Idaho border to Cedar Falls in It is not true that " miles" of the trail are closed. There are some detours due to missing trestles, a section of live rail, and short sections of private land.

There are no plans to close the trail through the Yakima Training Center. The JWPT is a great way to explore Washington's geography and history through areas not seen from a car. We passed through without any disruption or trespass, and with barely any notice, although we did meet some very friendly people along the trail. We only left behind money we spent in small towns along the way, including those on the detours.

For more accurate information go to www. There is over miles of this trail that is closed. When trespassing it I is a Also you must contact the owners to cross miles of private land that is owned out right. I do know the owners and they are tried of all the trespassing. So they closed their land. Also waiting for the army to close more near the range on base.

Did this trail as part of a Bicycle Adventures supported ride with 4 others in August of The scenery is beautiful but it is a jolting tough ride. Further along it does get better and it did help that we started at the top of the mountain and rode down hill. Uphill would require some serious thigh muscles. There is a tunnel along the trail and it is very cold 50 degrees F and very dark.

We had lights on the front and back of several of our bikes and it was still disorienting. This tunnel and the whole trail is best done in a group with lots of spare tubes! Here's a website describing our experience. When I first entered the trail at Cedar Falls Trail head the first thing that I noticed was this was not the beginning of the line.

There was trail behind me at the entry point! This would have to be explored another day. As I headed up the trail towards the Snowqualmie tunnel I observed mostly packed gravel. About every 5 miles there was a pit toilet building and a picnic table nearby. Sometimes a leveled area marked by 4x4s for a tent was included. Later I observed these amenities continued all the way to Ellensburg though the spacing seemed to be less frequent after Cle Elum.

The park map would be the best source of these locations. I encountered maybe 12 people between trail head and Snowqualmie tunnel mostly hikers. Since I had traveled the tunnel from Hyak once before I knew to bring a headlamp for the darkness and warm clothes for the cold. Once through the tunnel the climate seemed different, warmer and a bit drier.

Trail composition become that of looser gravel so that my hard tailed mountain bike seemed to float around as I moved forward. Some might find this unnerving but I was able to adapt by keeping my speed up. This surface condition continued all the way to Kittitas when on the trail. I spent the night at a motel in Eastern Cle Elum. I might have stayed further west if I had known that I would have to backtrack to get back on the trail but then I would not have seen the rest of rather interesting town if I had stayed west.

On day 2 entered a beautiful canyon along Yakima river. I encountered two cattle on the trail that seemed to be lost near turkey gulch. Next I came to the tunnel with the waiver sign but no forms in the form box. A few had written names on the box itself. I assumed that this was no longer important or there would still be forms available, right?. The next tunnel did not ask for a waiver - recently fixed?

It appeared to have been worked on. I Only saw a few people on the trail from here to the detour past Kittitas. Cyclists wanting to go further east should know that while there is a detour sign at Prater road, The trail is closed all the way to the other side of the Columbia River unless your choose to ride the 3 miles to the first closed trestle over I90 and backtrack.

One might as well go from here to Vantage on the road in order to get to the next open part of the trail. My ride ended in Vantage. I was driven down to Beverly Junction just to see the trestle and check the trail conditions. I had read about sand on the trail so wanted to actually set foot on to check the condition. What I found was harder trail here than what I had left I slipped thru the barbed wire.

Had being unused allowed the trail to harden or was the sandy section elsewhere between here and Renslow? Some other lucky person will have to find out the answer to that question! Great ride! My son and I have been on two segments for a total of about 60 miles from Easton toward Seattle. Trail tires are a big plus here. Lots of loose gravel.

The tunnel near lake Kachess is a great experience. There were a couple of very small and rustic remote camp sires as well. A bit of a down slope headed east to west. There are no services other than the occasional pit toilet. Very family friendly. I have ridden this trail countless times between Rattlesnake Lake and Lake Easton. One of these days my son and I will ride across the entire state on this trail- rideacrosswashington.

Started out fairly early 9 am Saturday, Sept. Had the good fortune of clear, crisp autumn weather for the ride east and were treated to gorgeous fall colors on the ascent, with vine maple and other foliage in full array. Traffic along the trail was moderate and condition good. Some fresh gravel on a mile stretch east of the Snoqualmie tunnel made bike handling somewhat dicey, but but gearing down and pedaling at a higher cadence made it tolerable.

Lake Keechelus makes a good stopping point for lunch, if you are doing this distance. Nice place and filled with historical memorabilia from the days when the Milwuakee Railroad ruled the right-of-way. The Sunday return was made special by a romp of river otters playing in a creek along the trail. Definitely looking forward to more rides on this great trail.

Starting in Cle Elum it is just shy of 19 miles. The gravel is really thick and makes it harder to ride. Usually I like to start on the uphill side of the trail but did not on this trip. Big mistake. We rode to Thorp just fine but it was by time we got there. Heat of the day. We ate our lunch at the trail head. Nothing there except a pit toilet and a picnic table right dab in the sun.

Heading back to Cle Elum was exhausting. The heat got to me so we had to make several stops in the beginning. At one point I sat in the entrance of Tunnel 47 to cool off and we poured water over my head. I really thought we were going to have call but I soldiered on and just peddled slowly. Finally it cooled down a little. Of course, we were riding uphill against the wind.

We only passed a few other riders the whole day. We did it, we finished it and felt like we accomplished something in the end. Next leg Thorp to Yakima. We started at 10am and it wasn't bad the first 5 miles! I cramped up a lot again if ur a beginner prepare but I walked it off and kept going made it to the top rested and then went through a 2.

The trail is now wide open all the way to the Columbia River. Army West to the Boylston Tunnel 4. The tunnel has quite a few rocks in the road so a light on your bike is advised. The east side of the tunnel has heavy small tree growth that has not been trimmed history of the john wayne trail it a bit difficult but not impossible. The tunnel is open in spite of a sign that says it is closed.

We believe it is an old "closed" sign. There is an option to bypass the tunnel with a road to the right of the entrance to the tunnel. The ride down to the Columbia River is easy and gently sloped. Advise using wider tires on a mountain bike through this area. Great scenery and the weather was just right. We saw deer and a very large owl near Boylston Tunnel.

I rode the section from Hyak to Easton and back recently end of Augustand found that they'd applied a lot of crushed rock to the trail surface from about 1 mile past Hyak down to Stampede Pass Road, past the end of Lake Keechelus, where they seem to have run out of gravel for the time being, anyway. He would get excited about picking blackberries and said there was nothing better than bourbon, steak, and blackberry pie.

He loved to hike and we went all over the place by foot. All kinds of fun stuff. Ethan describes how much his father enjoyed visiting the resorts on Northwest waterways and talking to the locals. Being John Wayne and pulling in somewhere, he was surrounded by people to talk to and he was so grateful to his fans. He would sit and talk for hours about the passages and the tides.

The trail, which follows the route of the old Milwaukee Railroad, runs for more than miles two-thirds of the way across Washingtonfrom the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the border with Idaho. According to TrailLink.