Lodging Partners

BRNW will offer baggage service and passenger shuttles to/from selected properties at each overnight site. These are the only properties we'll go to. We're partnering with the properties on the WA 26 Lodging List.

Day 0 – Saturday, July 11: Check-in, Bellingham

Site: Fairhaven Middle School

Bellingham is a great town to hang out in; you might want to come up Friday and spend Saturday morning chilling. But however you do it, plan to end up at the Middle School between 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday, where you’ll check in, get your event swag and retail orders, and enjoy dinner and our first evening announcements.

Day 1 – Sunday, July 12: Bellingham to Anacortes – 60 miles, 2,290 feet of gain (short option available)

Route Link

Site: Anacortes Middle School

The tour starts out with a highlight day, embodying the “Bays” part of this route’s theme. First you’ll experience the legendary Chuckanut Drive, beneath the tree canopy and above the coastline. Then traverse the coastal flats out to Samish Island, where a loop route will show you a panoply of Samish Bay views. Next, roll along the shore of Padilla Bay, with a beach rest stop. Later, groove on a dedicated bike/ped bridge across Fidalgo Bay to picturesque Anacortes, where you can choose to extend your ride out to Washington Park and Fidalgo Head.

NOTE: Remember that the different elevation profiles have different scales. For example, all those jagged peaks shown here on Day 1 are really small climbs. (See Day 5 for comparison!)

Day 2 – Monday, July 13: Anacortes to Sedro-Woolley – 56 miles, 2,760 feet

Route Link

Site: Cascade MS/Evergreen Elementary

Feel like a bit of a challenge today? Take your shot at the short, sharp shock of climbing Mount Erie, early on – or blithely pedal right past the turnoff. Soak in more water views, this time of Similk Bay, before heading south on SneeOosh Road to a rest stop at SneeOosh Beach (such a fun name we had to mention it twice). And if you’ve never been to La Conner, you’re in for a treat – you'll take a loop right down the main street. Add in a rest stop at a historic country schoolhouse, and t’s a nicely meandering day, leading to our first layover town.

Day 3 – Tuesday, July 14: Sedro-Woolley Layover: Skagit River Loop – 57 miles, 1,180 feet

Route Link

Site: Cascade MS/Evergreen Elementary

It’s a different kind of water experience today, with a pleasant loop on both sides of the Skagit River, designated as a National Wild and Scenic waterway. It’s a chance to ride some flatter ground, breathe deeply, and listen to the birds while you look for larger wildlife.

Day 4 – Wednesday, July 15: Sedro-Woolley to Kendall – 52 miles, 2,360 feet​

Route Link

Site: Kendall Elementary

The planning for this day’s route can be summed up like this: How much can we avoid being on a main road? We looked for every paved back road that would get us in the general direction of Kendall, and you'll stay on them for the first 45 miles. Forests, meadows, crop fields… you’ll enjoy a multi-road, largely low-traffic day as we gear up for the second layover.

Day 5 – Thursday, July 16: Kendall Layover: Mt. Baker Up-and-Back – 69 miles, 6,080 feet

Route Link

Site: Kendall Elementary

No doubt which is the Queen Stage on this tour. The ascent up Mt. Baker to Artist Point is a signature Pacific Northwest ride – and one that relatively few of us have done. After a gradual incline for 25 miles, it gets serious. The actual climb is about 10 miles, and it’s a steady grade that rewards patience and perseverance. If you get to the end of the road, you’ll have no doubt how it got its name. This is alpine riding at its best. And, hey – it’s downhill back to camp!

Day 6 – Friday, July 17: Kendall to Blaine – 58 miles, 1,610 feet

Route Link

Site: Blaine Primary/Elementary Schools

Our penultimate day is a route that’s more fun than it may look on paper. There’s not much climbing, but the rises are in interesting places. It’s got a lot of straight segments, but some of them are unusual – like when you’re pedaling parallel to an international border five feet away. And it’s mostly rural and open, but the two rest stops are in lush and shady town parks. The day ends with a chance for you to stand beneath the Peace Arch in Blaine and gaze across the water at Canada.

Day 7 – Saturday, July 18: Blaine to Bellingham – 58 miles, 1,760 feet

Route Link

Site: Fairhaven Middle School

Day 7 is a fitting bookend to Day 1 – another wondrous day riding beside the water, full of twists and turns and delicious views. You’ll start with a nearly complete encircling of Semiahmoo Bay, riding out a long spit and back. Then it’s down to Birch Bay, where you’ll ride along the shore and stop for a break at the beach. Continue with a loop around the Lummi Reservation peninsula, and finish with a leisurely tour of the Bellingham waterfront.