7/2/10: Our Seattle staging area has been moved to University of Washington parking lot E5. Additionaly, we'll be spending our first night in Metaline Falls, not Selkirk High School in Ione. See below for details.

Download the 2010 RAW Ride Guide (PDF)

Day 1: Newport to Metaline Falls - note new location (70 Miles)

Starting in Newport, Washington, right on the border with Idaho, the route swings east for a few miles in the Gem State. You’ll have a chance for a good warm-up as you ride along the picturesque Pend Oreille River through the long-needle pine trees. Take a moment to stop at Manresa Grotto along the way. After lunch you’ll leave the river and climb up to see Sullivan Lake. This sparkling lake appears to be sculpted into the steeply rising slopes. It will seem like you are viewing a postcard or jigsaw puzzle. Following the lake is a fun descent into the town of Metaline Falls, where the Kevin Costner movie, "The Postman", was filmed. While in Metaline Falls, you might want to check out one of the most unique hardware stores around, and enjoy dinner and drinks inside the beautiful Cutter Theater building.

Day 2: Metaline Falls to Kettle Falls (80 Miles)

As you leave camp, you’ll continue south along the Pend Oreille River. After a few miles you go through the town of Ione, then turn to the west on an old friend, State Route 20. Here you’ll climb through the Tiger Formation of sedimentary rock. Once at the top of the hill you’ll ride along a relatively flat plateau alongside Nile, Frater, Leo, Heritage, Thomas, Gillette and Sherry Lakes. Enjoy the view. The dominant vegetation remains the long-needle pine trees of the day before. The semi-arid climate keeps the forest understory at a minimum. After the summit, it’s a comfortable ride into the lunch stop in Colville. As you leave Colville, you turn north into a rich farming valley toward Echo and Evans. You’ll exit the valley to the west as you meet up with the Columbia River. Turning south, you’ll follow the Columbia River into Kettle Falls and camp.

Day 3: Kettle Falls to Lake Curlew State Park (74 Miles)

Leaving Kettle Falls, you’ll head west across the Columbia and then north along the scenic Kettle River. The route continues upstream into Canada at Laurier and through Grand Forks, British Columbia. Don’t forget to bring your passport or enhanced drivers' license, as you’ll need it for re-entry into the United States. After an all-too-short visit to our neighbor to the north, you’ll turn south, still following the Kettle River, and re-enter the U.S. at Danville. Eleven miles further, we’ll temporarily say goodbye to the Kettle as it turns west and we head south to camp at Lake Curlew State Park. A bypass route is available for riders wishing to stay in the United States.

Day 4: The Wauconda Loop (71 Miles)

This day’s route gives you the opportunity for great scenery, terrain and vegetation without having to break camp. You’ll retrace a part of the day 3 route back to the Kettle River at the town of Curlew. Here the route turns west and continues upstream. After 10 miles of comfortable riding, it’s time to bid a final farewell to the river valley, as it heads north, back into Canada, and we head south. For the next 14 miles, you’ll be climbing up a gentle incline through a picturesque farming valley to the ghost town of Bodie. Take a few moments to read the historic information sign. The climbing continues to the town of Wauconda where the route rejoins SR 20. Heading back to the east you’ll crest the Wauconda Summit and have an exciting downhill to Republic. The day concludes with a rolling finish into camp at Lake Curlew State Park.

Day 5: Lake Curlew State Park to Coulee Dam (76 Miles)

Day 5 is marked by dramatic changes in climate and vegetation. As you leave camp the route heads south through Republic towards the Keller Ferry. After the first 15 miles of gentle rollers you’ll enjoy 30 miles of a steady 1% downhill along the Sanpoil River. But, alas, there is a cost for the wonderful downhill. Upon reaching Cache Creek Road, you’ll turn west and head up and over the ridge. As you crest the summit, you’ll move into an arid climate more typical of Eastern Washington. The vegetation will change from long-needle pine trees to scrub brush, prairie grass and tumbleweeds. At the bottom of the descent, you’ll once again find the Columbia River. Heading south to camp, you’ll start to see the columnar basalt and great views of the Columbia River valley and the Grand Coulee Dam.

Day 6: Coulee Dam to Soap Lake (56 Miles)

The final day of this wonderful ride is punctuated by impressive geology, a warmer and more arid climate and sparser vegetation. As you climb out of Coulee Dam, you’ll find Banks Lake and the actual Grand Coulee. The columnar basalt, formed millions of years ago by lava flowing across the land, is several hundred feet thick. The Grand Coulee itself was carved by numerous cataclysmic floods from Lake Missoula. As you ride through the coulee, you’ll be impressed by the tall vertical walls. At the end of Banks Lake, you’ll cross the earthen dam built as a part of the Columbia Basin Reclamation Project. The water in Banks Lake flows through a series of canals to irrigate the rich soil of Grant County. Shortly after the earthen dam, the route passes Dry Falls which were formed by a series of floods rather than by steadily flowing water. Following a great downhill, you’ll ride along side a series of lakes and gravel bars in the bottom of the Grand Coulee. The last of these lakes, Soap Lake, gets its name from the sud-like foam, which forms along the lake shore when the winds blows.

Questions? Send an email.