Introduction
This is a loop tour in northeast Washington and southeast British Columbia. The route attempts to follow rivers, but is so hilly that it will take me 17 days to pedal only 430 miles. June 13-29, 2026.
Rivers mostly flow north-south in this region. North-south roads tend to follow rivers, while east-west roads tend to cross big mountains. The southern portion is semi-arid, with grassy valleys and sparsely forested hills. The northern portion is more densely forested.
The region is sparsely populated and the route does a good job of avoiding major highways such as US 2, US 395, US 95, and Highway 3 in Canada. The border crossings have very low traffic, only 2 vehicles per hour. It should be a pleasant ride, my first time in Canada since 2007.
The route is scenic but not extremely touristy. No nearby big cities, national parks, famous scenic byways, or big tourist resorts. I want to avoid places with motor home convoys and crowded services in towns.
Recent tours in Wyoming and Montana had a pronounced Wild West culture. This tour is in the Inland Northwest which is more liberal than cowboy country, but more conservative than the big cities of the coastal northwest. Logging is the main industry.
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Itinerary
The 17-day plan includes 3 rest days and embarrassingly short travel days because of the relentless hills. The route is 178 miles shorter than last year's Missoula to Twin Falls tour, but it has more climbing.
This tour doesn't have rest/tourist days like I had in recent Wild West locations. Non-travel days on this tour will be mostly for rest because the towns have no claim to fame and not much to explore. All three towns are on dammed rivers, though. Nelson is the largest and most charming, with multiple restaurants. New Denver is a tiny remote resort town. Northport is a tiny remote farm town.
Pend Oreille River
The southeast part of the loop follows the Pend Oreille river which has this name for only a short distance. Above Lake Pend Oreille the name changes to Clark Fork river. The lowest portion in Canada is named Ponderay river. Few people notice that name change because pronunciation is the same and there is no highway along that portion of the river.
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I will pedal the river downstream from near Newport, Washington to the Canadian border. Later I will see the Ponderay river flow into the Columbia river just before I return to the U.S.
Kootenay River
The northern part of the loop is in the Kootenay river watershed. The Kootenay river is a Columbia river tributary that starts in British Columbia and meanders south into Montana and Idaho before returning to British Columbia where it flows into the Columbia river in the city of Castlegar. My route follows the Kootenay river for only two short segments but it also follows two tributaries, Duncan river and Slocan river.
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3 weeks ago
I pedaled the ACA Northern Tier route way back in 1989. We had to detour far south of US 2 because of road construction. So I never got to see the Kootenai river in the Troy and Libby area. Hopefully I can pedal that route someday.
3 weeks ago
This river also changes name. The U.S. portion changes the spelling to Kootenai river. I have seen the upper and lower Canadian segments, but have never seen the U.S. portion.
Columbia River
The southwest part of the loop follows the Columbia river. Both of the above maps show the path of the Columbia river. The headwater is the Columbia Icefield in the Canadian Rocky mountains.
Starting in Castlegar I will follow the Columbia river downstream for four days. The U.S. portion is alongside Lake Roosevelt, the 150 mile long reservoir created by Grand Coulee dam.
Getting There
The start/finish is in Loon Lake, Washington which is 550 miles from my house. I plan to take 2 days for the drive to allow time to hike Beacon Rock for the first time. It's an 848 foot tall volcanic escarpment on the Washington side of the Columbia river gorge.
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On the second day I plan to detour to Palouse Falls in eastern Washington, which I saw for the first time in 2024 after my High Desert Rivers bike tour.
I need to find a place to park my Prius for 16 nights in Loon Lake. After the tour I have in mind to spend the night at Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane, then drive home in one day.
The Season
June is a little bit early in this region. A few days could be cold and rainy, and wetland areas could have mosquitoes. On the upside, I should see snow in the mountains, rivers should have snowmelt flow, wildflowers will be blooming, and days will be LONG.
I chose June 13-29 to avoid the July 1 and July 4 holiday periods. The alternative schedule would be something like July 7-23 which would be warmer but would have a higher chance of smoke. Winter had below normal rain and snow. Wildfire season is likely to begin early this year.
The Bike
This will be my 33rd tour using a 2007 Bacchetta Giro 20 short wheelbase recumbent. It has served me well. This photo was taken last summer near Galena summit in Idaho. 8500 feet elevation and still in the Columbia river watershed, far up the Snake and Salmon rivers.
Medicare Man
I turn 65 years old on June 6 and am required to enroll in the senior citizen medical insurance plan called Medicare. Switching to Medicare lowers my monthly medical insurance premium by nearly $1000. And when I get sick or injured, Medicare will save me thousands more dollars per year thanks to a smaller out-of-pocket annual deductible.
I've been looking forward to this for a long time because drastically lower medical expenses is the functional equivalent of a giant pay raise. Readers in civilized countries are justified to feel horror and pity that Americans pay twice as much money for half as much medical care.
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3 weeks ago
Welcome to Medicare--the closest thing to socialized medicine the U.S. has to offer. I hope it lasts.
2 weeks ago
Medicare is the best-functioning socialized medicine in the U.S. Better than Veterans Administration which is underfunded, or Medicaid which is designed to be awful.
2 weeks ago