EricOnHisBike

I was thinking of doing a loop route over Old Blewett Pass and new Blewett Pass. It's been quite some time since I've been over Old Blewett Pass.
Is this still paved or is it more of a gravel road now?

Thanks,
Eric

imakecircles

Hi Eric,

Here's a link to my ride report from my blog on riding the Wenatchee side of Old Blewett Pass about 5 years ago. imakecircles: Old Blewett Pass Don't know exactly how much a mostly unused mountain road degrades over 5 years, but it was still paved 5 years ago. Hope this offers you some information.

EricOnHisBike

Super helpful; thanks very much. I had seen a few photos on Trailforks, but wasn't sure how representative they were of the whole route. I bet 5 years hasn't resulted in too much more degradation of the road surface.

And it's more current than my drive over the road in the 90s.

Seattle Forrest

It's paved. Some portholes, nothing of concern on a bike. Very low traffic once you get off 97, but not none.

The fall color is stunning near the pass the second half of October.

EricOnHisBike

Thanks to you, too, SF. Looks like it'll be the road bike.

woodway

I went over it a couple years ago after not having been over it for five years and it had not changed much. SF describes it well.

If you are going on a weekend, I'd revist riding over new Blewett Pass. It won't be enjoyable.

EricOnHisBike

Too much traffic?

woodway

If you go early, really early in the morning traffic will be OK, but during the day it gets very busy and the driving can be a little crazy. I personally would not ride on that road (I have in the past, it's gotten much busier in the last few years).

EricOnHisBike

I had planned to ride Friday. I'll have to give that some thought. I guess the alternative would be more of a gravel ride in the same area minimizing the number of miles on the main highway.

Seattle Forrest

I would choose the gravel ride hands down. Not just because of traffic but the scenery on FS 9716 & 9712 is fantastic.

woodway

^^What SF said.

EricOnHisBike

You have all convinced me and I am almost completely packed for the modified trip.

This does bring up the question, maybe for a different thread: What paved roads with some climbing are available that are a little safer? I could obviously do Blewett as an out and back, but I don't know of any maps that clearly show paved versus unpaved so I could try and discover paved, obscure roads. I see that RideWithGPS is moving in that direction, but doesn't seem to be able to show on the map until I've drawn the route.

Seattle Forrest

EricOnHisBike Where are you leaving from? I bet we can recommend some good routes for you, but that's no good if they're all two hours drive.

EricOnHisBike

Thanks to everyone for the excellent advice. I went up there Friday and had a wonderful time. I started out at Swauk Campground and climbed up and over Old Blewett Pass. That was the easy part. Then I turned onto Scotty Creek Road for the return (gravel) trip to new Blewett Pass. This was tough and took a lot longer than I'd planned. As a result I turned right and returned to the campground by way of the main highway. I definitely see about the traffic. I'll return next year with wider tires and do the full route including 9716 and Durst Creek Road. Thanks again to everyone for the great information.

kengrubb

Any pics from your ride?

EricOnHisBike

Yeah, Bike Forums won't let me post links until I hit 10 posts, so soon. I'll post the Ride With GPS ride and that will have the pics as well.

EricOnHisBike

SeattleForest, I just posted a new thread asking about the paved climbing routes. I figured having it in it's own thread with an appropriate name would make it easier for people to find by search in the future.

EricOnHisBike

And I think I can now post links:
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/74083617