Guide to Biking the Walla Walla Valley

When winter hasn’t quite relinquished to spring at higher elevations. When the Dogwoods are blooming and the alkali bees are coming out of hibernation. When the promise of summer’s heat yields the opportunity to watch the sunrise over the Blue Mountains. When fall’s crisp air and long shadows reveal the patterns of summer’s harvest. When people ask us when to ride the Walla Walla Valley, our answer is simple–the time is always now.

Local Routes by Local Riders

Since the Outside Walla Walla team is not known as seasoned cyclists, we are grateful for our expert friends who are willing to lend a helping hand. Through collaborations like these, we are working to build a community database of outdoor recreation, offering a little something for everyone. We’ve narrated a few routes and cataloged them by area of town, introducing the outfitter or local group who designed the ride. Check out this growing collection on our Road Routes and Gravel Roads pages. Please spend a little time digging into this compilation of information. There is a lot to cover, and we want you to have a great ride. No matter which direction you choose, adventure awaits.

How To Use the Guide

Admittedly, this guide is the jumping off point connecting many different sources and years worth of information gathering. Please start with one link to one ride and give it a try. When you feel more confident navigating, try another.

A majority of the rides are posted to the Ride with GPS application (app), so once you are familiar with that tool, it all starts to make more sense. Our Outside Walla Walla team aimed to supplement the technical information with a narrative about the experience and showcase all theses wonderful opportunities in one central location.

Thank you for taking a moment to dig into this guide.

Northside (Photo Credit: Gwen Dildine)Winding through the rolling fields, the roads surrounding Walla Walla are prime for cycling. As the crops cycle with the seasons, the view is always changing. What a great excuse to keep riding.

Road Routes Across the Walla Walla Valley

Perhaps one of the most well-known outdoor recreation opportunities in the area, cycling is loved by locals and visitors alike. The roads surrounding town are easily accessible and endlessly amazing.

The Ride with GPS routes you’ll find highlighted are designed by local experts who have spent many years and pedaled countless miles exploring the valley. The Road Routes are bundled by area of town as well as points of interest. Each direction out of town has something special and unique to offer, so enjoy the ride no matter which path you choose.

Gravel Roads (Photo Credit: Team Walla Walla)The Team Walla Walla leaders are accomplished cyclists who continue to travel the country representing Walla Walla. They have spent many hours training on the backroads of the Walla Walla Valley and assembled a growing catalog of their favorite routes.

Gravel Riding the Foothills of the Blue Mountains

Seemingly endless gravel roads spiderweb through the valley and into the Blue Mountains. While these roads serve as the lifeline for farmers transporting massive amounts of wheat, barley, garbanzo beans, and peas out of the field, the well-maintained gravel routes in the area are truly roads less traveled most of the year.

Adding to their appeal, gravel routes are also four-season fun. In the winter a headlamp makes an evening ride possible while the long days of summer offer peak rides in the cool morning air. The gravel roads featured here are curated by local experts who want to help you connect with the outdoors, so whether you’re a new visitor or a local looking to explore, check out an amazing selection of routes.

Mountain Biking in the Blue Mountains

If you like rides through the forest and have some experience under your belt, you’ll delight in knowing that a decent number of mountain biking opportunities exist throughout the northern Blue Mountain region. With two Wilderness Areas in our backyard, sometimes navigating which trails allow for what activities can get tricky. You are in luck–we are constantly studying the maps and hopping on our bikes to give you new, challenging places where you can explore the Blue Mountains.

Please note that many trails in the Blue Mountains are quite challenging to ride. The South Fork Walla Walla Trail is still closed due to a flood that washed out a significant section of the lower trail. That trail connected to several other multi-use trails. In order to shuttle a through-ride, the South Fork Walla Walla Trail is necessary. At this point, the closure of the South Fork Walla Walla Trail makes biking that drainage fairly impossible. Otherwise, prepare for a hefty climb back out.

The Umatilla Rim Trail and Mount Emily Recreation Area are not impacted by the South Fork Walla Walla Trail closure. Additionally, Bennington Lake offers single-track trails and is conveniently located in town, near Walla Walla Community College on the east side of town.

Bike Shops in Walla Walla

There are two local bike shops in town doing great work to champion the sport. Introduced in alphabetical order so as not to play favorites, although still a close race, Allegro Cyclery and Bicycle Barn take great care of all of us riding across the valley.

Both shops take pride in helping those who have never clipped into a bike, folks who just want to wander around town, and even the race-ready seasoned veterans. If you don’t have room for a bike in your home or while traveling, consider renting from one of these outfitters. Additionally, both have repair services and organize group rides. Walla Walla is incredibly lucky to have such a robust support system for this beloved sport.

Biking Events & Resources

Connect with local groups for organized rides, events, and workshops happening throughout the week. Allegro Cyclery and Bicycle Barn run several group rides around the valley that take riders on both paved and gravel roads. During the winter months, Bicycle Barn even offers riders the opportunity to train as a group indoors. Between the two shops there is plenty to keep everyone busy.

Consider adding these shops to your favorite social media hub to stay up to date on the latest ride announcements.

Both shops are always incredibly helpful, encouraging, and inviting, so don’t hesitate to walk in and ask all your newbie questions. They will get you rolling. On summer mornings, downtown breakfast spots are often full of riders in their gear, clanking to their table, and enjoying a few carbs after a ride. Don’t hesitate to rock your spandex around town–as we say, recreate as you are!

The Walla Walla Grit is an annual gravel road race offering 45, 65, and 95 mile courses. This is a unique and intense event. If your training program isn’t on pace to participate, considering volunteering to help support both riders and race organizers.

The community is definitely bike friendly, so rent one or free yours from the garage and hit the road (figuratively, of course).

Walla Walla Bicycle Maps

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee of the City of Walla Walla worked with the City of Walla Walla GIS department to publish Walla Walla Bicycle Maps for riders interested in exploring Walla Walla and surrounding area, including parts of northeast Oregon.

We couldn’t have done it better. Seriously, we have no GIS skills, so this is pretty technical. The Walla Walla Bicycle Maps depict approximately 580 miles of road route options and denote the location of bicycle lanes within the City of Walla Walla.

In addition to some pretty fantastic rides, the map also shows riders some points of interest, which turns a lovely day on the bike into a chance to tour some pretty special places in our valley.

Head west to Whitman Mission, or go on a grain elevator tour. Head east and ride up to Ski Bluewood, or follow Mill Creek to the state line. There are also a number of surrounding communities that would love to help you fuel up for the ride home. There are countless ways to create your own adventure that best fits your interests and comfort level.

Bennington Lake (Photo Credit: Gwen Dildine)Bennington Lake has it all. Kids can ride the gravel service road that loops around the reservoir or stick to the paved Mill Creek Recreation Trail. Riders who are more comfortable on trails have a few options to play as well. On this particular ride, I took our Business of the Year award on tour.

Connect with Outside Walla Walla

Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter. As we continue to develop content and opportunities, we will keep you updated. From events to outfitters to our newest Featured Fun section, the newsletter is wildly entertaining.

Our Outside Walla Walla team would be honored if you or your business would consider joining us in partnership. As we continue to develop this site, your support is much appreciated. As always, thank you for visiting the site and exploring our content. This on-going project is for you; join us in building a recreation database for all of us.

Gravel Roads (Photo Credit: Kevin Thonney)Leave the pavement and sidewalks in the dust, and ride through fields of wheat, barley, garbanzo beans, alpalpha, and peas. This year canola made a comeback and graced the valley with a patchwork of vibrant yellow fields. You’ll likely see more deer than people on the gravel roads, so enjoy the challenge and solitude.

Riding by the Rules

Since safety is always top of mind, we researched what was expected of us on the trail. This led us to the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) based in Boulder, Colorado.

In 1988 they developed six rules of the trail that encourage riders to ride on open trails, leave no trace, control your bike, yield to others, never scare animals, and plan ahead. Check out the full details at Rules of the Trail. As a fun fact, they are also the organization that started the yield triangle to help all users of trails standardize trail etiquette.

Regarding cycling, the State of Washington considers those on a bicycle a vulnerable user of a public way. Washington does not mandate helmets, but please wear a helmet anyways.

While the state does not define which lane riders must use, as a rule if you’re slower than the flow of traffic, ride as far to the right as possible. Perhaps one of the most useful rules to know is the vehicle detection error law which allows riders to proceed through a traffic signal if that signal fails to respond to the rider. Just be sure to check for traffic coming the opposite way before you proceed through.

For more light reading, visit the Washington State Legislature website on the Revised Code of Washington, specifically Chapter 46.61.760., and impress all your cycling buddies with your newfound knowledge.

Where will the road take you?

There are lots of links to follow in this guide. Each section (Gravel Routes, Mountain Trails, and Road Routes) contains a catalog of ideas about where to ride your bike. Guess what? This is just the beginning. There are interesting bike packing loops. There is potential for trails on the west side of the county. The Outside Walla Walla team will try to keep up. Luckily, the passionate folks leading the biking scene have a no-drop philosophy, so join us on this ride!