Follow us on our 450 bike ride!
This is an event that our Troop usually does every 3 years and has done it several times.
This year we have a group of 7 scouts and 3 adults that will be riding. They have ridden 400-500 training miles since March to be ready for the trip. We also have 2 dedicated adults that will be acting as our support crew. We will meet up with them throughout the day and each night.
To the greatest extent practical we will ride on the old rail lines that have been converted into trails. We will stop at historic markers, museums, lakes, and other interesting way points. But it is the scenery across the northwest that is really the highlight of the trip. Below you can find maps of each of the trails and links for additional information.
We will be taking as many pictures as possible during the trip, so be sure and follow along as we provide updates along the way
First time to the site? Start here
From the blog
- THANK YOU!
Thanks again to all of our sponsors, hosts, friends, and family who have supported us throughout this trip! We couldn’t have done it without your support!
Thank you scout families for trusting us with your children these past 10 days. They are all great young men and we were honored to have them with us. This trip was an amazing experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives!
Special thanks to Mrs Long and Mr Nelson for their extensive help with the planning of and support during this trip! Your extra efforts, smiling faces, and special treats made the many difficulties we faced bearable!
Last but not least, a BIG thank you to Mr Bess, Mr Kiefel, and Mr Hollopeter for your tireless dedication with the numerous training rides and leading the scouts safely each day of the trip in very challenging conditions!
We hope you will all consider being a part of our next bike trip in 2024!
- The Hiawatha Trail…
Hard to believe it’s the last day! Everyone was tired but excited! After our final camp breakfast of French toast and bacon, we hit the road! Due to the tough conditions throughout week we elected to bypass the first big climb and start our ride at the top of Lookout Pass. We had an awesome ride through the woods to the Hiawatha trailhead! We regrouped at the trailhead and then enjoyed the ride down the Hiawatha trail which included multiple tunnels, trestles, and amazing scenery! We highly recommend everyone take the time to ride this trail when you can. The history of the trail and how it was constructed is incredible! Overall a total of 28 miles for the day. After reaching the end of the trail we caught the shuttle back up and connected with our support crew, cleaned up and headed home!
- Into the Mountains…
We left Rose Lake and hit the trail by 7:30 am and made the most of the day. Nice to finally have a day with a temperature in the low 90’s! We stopped several times to enjoy the scenery and historic sites including stops in Kellogg and Wallace. Once in Mullan we added a side trip to the local fish hatchery and Shoshone Park to get in a 50 mile day! About 8.5 hours on the trail! We are celebrating our last night with dinner at the local burger joint!
- Welcome to Idaho…
After a great night in Tekoa we got up bright and early Thursday morning and shuttled over to Plummer, Idaho and the start of the Coeur d’ Alene trail. Unfortunately due to wildfires in the area the first 5 miles of the trail was closed. Once we adjusted our route, it was a great feeling to finally be on a paved trail. The boys showed their happiness by leaving the adults in the dust! We stopped several places along the trail and ended the day at the historic Rose Lake School. Still over 100 degrees again, but we made it the full 25 miles.Thanks to Mike and Connie for making our stay at Rose Lake enjoyable! We were able to swim in the river and then we drove into Kellogg for dinner to celebrate Jerry’s birthday! It was a great evening.
- Meet the riders!
We thought now would be a good time for you all to officially meet the crew, along with the nicknames they have earned along the way.
Jerry aka Speedy 
Peter aka Mr. Cool 
Josh aka The Goat 
Bart aka Cowboy 
Nick aka Crash 
Bryce aka Shorty 
Aaron aka Iron Man 
Mr. Hollopeter aka The General 
Mr. Kiefel aka Mechanic 
Mr. Bess aka Doc - Walla Walla Sweets
Thanks to Walla Walla Rivers donation we have been able to leave behind a piece of Walla Walla as a thank you to those that have let us camp out on their properties.
- Palouse Country
After a brutally hot and difficult day yesterday, we elected to modify our plan for Wednesday. Still up early after an awesome night in St. John, we shuttled over to Oaksdale and rode to Tekoa. This shortened our ride to 14 miles and allowed us to beat the heat. What a different landscape. The rolling Palouse hills were beautiful. The Tekoa trestle is scheduled to be refurbished later this year and we are excited to ride over it on our next trip. Tekoa is the last Town on the trail before the Idaho border. Once in Town we hung out at the park and enjoyed an afternoon at their swimming pool. Special thanks to Fred W and the others in Town that made it possible for us to stay in their air conditioned community building! What an awesome blessing. Thank you so much for opening your Town to us! Early to bed tonight as we hope to ride over 30 miles tomorrow!
- Day five of riding
After a wonderful evening in Connell, we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise before hitting the trail again! Due to the heat we modified our plan and ‘only’ road 24 miles. It still took 6 hours and by the end everyone was totally exhausted! We then shuttled to our next stay in the beautiful town of St. John! Special thanks to the Mayor, Council, Town staff for making arrangements for us to stay at the Christian Life Assembly Church! Their game room and air conditioning were a wonderful break from the heat!
- Special Thank You
We would all like to give a special THANK YOU to the DeRuwe family for graciously opening their home to us and allowing us the use of their pool on Monday night! And boy does Mrs. DeRuwe make amazing chocolate chip cookies!
- You know you’re cool when……
Scout Life magazine will be publishing an article on the groups ride. As part of that, they had a photographer follow us for the first few days. We were lucky to have Gabe as our photographer. He fit in well with the group!
Our Itinerary
June 24 | Drive from Walla Walla, WA to North Bend, WA. We have arranged to stay at a Church in the area.
June 25 | Ride from North Bend to Lake Easton State Park. 44 miles. We will start on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, then the join the Palouse to Cascades Trail. Highlights from this day will be riding up an over Snoqualmie Pass and through the 2.3 mile long Snoqualmie Tunnel and swimming in Lake Easton.
June 26 | Ride from Lake Easton State Park to the Town of Kittitas, WA. 45 miles. We have arranged to stay at the local High School. Highlights from this day will be riding down the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, through more tunnels, along the Yakima River, and through the City of Ellensburg.
June 27 | Ride from Kittitas to Wanapum Recreation Area on the bank of the Columbia River. 30 miles. Highlights for this day will be riding across the newly refurbished trestle across Interstate 90, and across the desert that is the US Army Yakima Training Center, to the Columbia River and swimming in the Columbia River. This can be a very difficult day depending on the weather conditions.
June 28 | The railroad trestle across the Columbia River is being repaired so we have to use vehicles to shuttle across the river. Ride from east side of the Columbia River in the small Town of Beverly, WA to Connell, WA. 49 miles. We have arranged to stay at a private residence. Due to the conditions of the trail, this is one of the days we must diverge from the trail and ride primarily on back roads.
June 29 |Vehicle shuttle from Connell back to the useable trail near the Town of Lind, WA and ride to St. John, WA. 43 miles. The Town of St. John is allowing us to camp on their property. Highlights for this day include obtaining permission to ride through the Harder ranch and watching for rattlesnakes. The property owners informed us that we will likely cross path with a few snakes on this portion of the trail. The ranch includes a portion of the trail and the remnants of a trestle that are only viewable by accessing private property.
June 30 | Ride from St. John to the Town of Tekoa, WA. 35 miles. The Town of Tekoa is allowing us to camp in one of their parks. Due to several required detours, we will be riding on a combination of back roads and trail. Highlights for this day are riding across the rolling hills of farmland and through old farm towns (St. John, Oaksdale, Tekoa).
July 1 | Ride from Tekoa to Rose Lake, ID. 50 miles. We have arranged to stay at the historic Rose Lake School. Highlights include finally reaching the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes (which is paved), there are several historic markers along the trail, stopping in Harrison, ID for lunch and ice cream and swimming in the river.
July 2 | Ride from Rose Lake, ID to Mullan, ID. 40 miles. We have arranged to stay at the local High School. Highlight are lunch on the trail in Kellogg, ID, passing through historic Wallace, ID, reaching the end of the trail in Mullan, ID and swimming at the Town pool.
July 3 | Ride from Mullan, ID to the Hiawatha Trailhead in Taft, MT, then ride the Hiawatha Trail. 37 miles. Highlights are visiting the local fish hatchery, riding up and over Lookout Pass into Montana, riding the historic Hiawatha Trail that includes a 1 mile tunnel and several trestles.
Once we reach the bottom of the Hiawatha Trail, we will meet up with our support crew and begin our trip back to Walla Walla.
Trails We are Visiting
Information on the Palouse to Cascades Trail: https://palousetocascadestrail.org/maps.html
Information on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes: https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/trail-coeur-d-alenes/
Information on the Hiawatha Trail: https://www.ridethehiawatha.com/
Walla Walla Troop 305 | 450 Mile Bike Trip 