Team Thursday: Columbia Plateau Trail to Amber Lake (Pavement/Gravel)

· Helmets are required on all SBC rides.

Start Time: Meet 8:45 for 9:00 AM rollout
Name of Ride: Columbia Plateau to Amber Lake to Cheney Road/Gravel Ride
Meet: Columbia Plateau Trailhead at Fish Lake. South Myers Park Road -- Just off Cheney/Spokane Road. Discover Pass is required to park here.
Terrain: This is a Road/Gravel Ride with railroad grade climb on the Columbia Plateau Trail and rolling hills on the paved roads. Approximately 1000 feet of Climbing.
Distance: 34.5 miles. (60% paved 40% gravel)
Duration: 3 to 4 hours
Pace: Paved trail and Roads 12-15 mph in the flat areas. Gravel trail speed varies between 8 to 12 mph.
Description: This is a moderate level paved road/gravel trail ride (The gravel trail surface is slightly more difficult than most gravel roads in a few short sections). It starts at the Columbia Plateau Trailhead (Fish Lake) and proceeds up the trail through the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge to Amber Lake. This is a beautiful trail converted from an old railroad route. The trail is paved initially for the first 3.8 miles and then becomes gravel for approximately the next 12 miles until you reach Amber Lake. The gravel is relatively easy for approximately the first 3 miles and then becomes slightly more challenging. You will not be able to easily ride this ride on a standard road bike. Gravel bikes or mountain bikes with tires that perform well on the paved surface (60% of the ride is on paved surface) are probably best. A 32 mm wide combination tire is probably the minimum width tire for this ride, but it won’t be easy. A 38 to 42 mm combination tread tires have worked well on this ride. You will need to be comfortable with riding some distance in dirt/gravel with medium offroad riding skills (the bike tends to float a bit in the gravel and there is a short section of deeper gravel near Amber Lake). This gravel is very ridable (you don’t need to get off and walk) on bikes as identified above. After Amber Lake, the ride heads to Cheney via paved, lightly traveled, roads with rolling hills. At Cheney the Mason Jar is waiting for riders with legs impacted by approximately 30 miles of some challenging riding. Then a nice relaxing return back down the Columbia Plateau Trial to the starting point. This ride is approximately 34.5 miles long. It will feel longer than a standard road ride due to 40% of the ride being on gravel. The gravel will drain the legs more than the paved sections.

Re-group: This is a non-drop ride. Short re-groups as necessary (i.e., viewing scenery/ wildlife and major turns) with longer stops at Amber Lake and Cheney.
Maps/GPS information: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43504244
Bring water (consider two bottles) and snacks

Dress appropriately for the weather
Weather policy: Extreme temps, rain/hail/extreme wind, harmful smoke levels, or if no one shows up cancels.
Ride Host: Terry Harwood 415 497-8442