GREAT PLACES FOR CYCLING IN EASTERN WASHINGTON written and photographed by Aaron Theisen WESTERN WASHINGTON is rightfully regarded as a cycling magnet, its lush, loamy forests and cedar-shaded pavement the first things that come to mind when riders picture the Pacific Northwest. But the dry side of the state is no cycling slouch, either. Road cyclists revere the quiet, winding byways that connect pastoral farming communities. Mountain bikers have cut an impressive collection of trails among the pine forests and grassy hillocks in Spokane and its surroundings. Perhaps the biggest selling point to rain-weary west-siders: the arid climate, combined with the volcanic, fast-draining soil, which makes Eastern Washington a top wheat producer, means equally dry, rideable road and trails nearly year-round. So, while it may come wrapped in different trappings, Eastern Washington is every bit the quintessential cycling destination.
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1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE
APRIL | MAY 2021
