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The mighty Mount Saint Helens from one of many viewpoints along National Park Highway 99

The Stromtrooper.com crew got together again in late July. We rode some of the most scenic routes that I’ve found to date in Washington State. That is really saying something as Washington is a very scenic state. Our route would take us through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and up to the Mount Saint Helens viewpoint on the east side of the mountain.

We are riding through the heart of the 1.3 million acre Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The forest runs along the western side of the Cascade Mountain range from Mt. Rainier through Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams to just north of the Columbia River. The forest is named after the first chief of the United States Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot. Included as part of the Mount Rainier Forest Reserve in 1897, it is one of the oldest national forests in the U.S.

The foothills surround us as we ride along US Highway 12 from Morton to Randle. We head south out of Randle along National Park Highway 26. This is a wonderful road with mostly easy curves wrapped with tall coniferous forests. The gradual climb as we head south opens new views of the valley below. The trees provide a good deal of shade, however, it also makes it hard to see the dips, cracks and other hazards in the deteriorating roadway.

The Stromtrooper V-Stroms parked at the first viewpoint at the Mount Saint Helens National Monument

Approximately 12 miles into the ride we turn west onto Forest Road 99 and begin ascending to the Windy Ridge viewpoint of Mt. St. Helens. This is a busy two-lane road when it is open during the summer months. There are several viewpoints along the route that provide facts and information about the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. To date, this is the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic eruption in the U.S. The summit is now 8,365 ft. The mountain lost more than 1,300 feet of elevation after a giant landslide caused by the eruption. Despite the nearly two months of earthquakes and steam-venting episodes as warnings that an eruption was immanent, 57 people were killed.

FR 99 twists and turns as it makes a strong climb to the Windy Ridge viewpoint. Along the way you can see the remnants of the eruption. The lateral blast of the eruption stretched as far as 19 miles. Many char-singed trees remain along the route. Even more trees lay on the ground from the blast and point in the direction that it traveled. Anything within eight miles of the blast was completely obliterated.

The climbing and twisty road begs to be ridden hard. The surrounding devastation reminds you that there is a lot to see and learn here. I recommend that you follow the posted speed limit. The mountain is very much alive and frequent rock slides leave the road covered in pebbles. Many of which accumulate on the blind portion of the corners. The debris in the road along with the lack of guardrails in many areas could lead to a quick descent down the many steep cliffs. Not a good way to end a great ride.

After several stops at viewpoints we arrive at the end of the road a solid hour and half after the time that left Randle. The ride is less than 40 miles, but the road is slow and the many views are spectacular.

The log-filled Spirit Lake shows just how many trees this area once had.

We dismount and take in the mountain and its mile-wide horseshoe-shaped crater. Windy Ridge provides the best viewpoint to see the path that the giant landslide traveled, filling in a good part of Spirit Lake. A once busy tourist destination with a grand lodge is now buried deep beneath the mountain. The part of the lake that remains is filled with singed trees to the point that it looks as if you could walk across the lake on a boardwalk.

This is truly an educational trip that shows the possible destruction that can occur on the Ring of Fire. This is a beautiful area with year-round mild-weather, however, a deep scar reminds us of the power of Mother Nature when she decides to show her teeth.

Mount Adams off in the distance as seen from Mount Saint Helens.

The road seems to move past the bike faster on the descent of the mountain. We know the curves and where the debris is in the corners. About a quarter way down we find the best dual-sport and adventure-touring road that I’ve found in Washington so far. FR 26 takes you from FR 99 down the mountain to FR 25, which leads back to Randle. FR 26 shows up on maps as a dirt road. It is in fact a paved single lane road with small dirt sections. Traffic travels both directions using the narrow width of the road. It tightly hugs the mountainside providing ear-to-ear grins all the way down. I’m guessing that this road is an insurance policy to get people off the mountain during an evacuation. In all other non-emergency times it is a fantastic and fairly private scenic route through the park.

We pull into the gas station in Randle and drink gallons of water to fight the heat. It was a warm and beautiful riding day. The five Stromtrooper.com riders spent several minutes recounting the many favorite parts of the day. The single shared favorite was the gem of a road that we discovered in FR 26. I highly suggest taking this road on your way back down the mountain.

From Randle we split into two groups. RedBean and Lonestrom head back to civilization. The three remaining riders including Hoebster, Scrminbansee and WeeMcD (me) ride the dirt down FR 23 to a rustic campsite at the Takhlakh Lake Campground for the night. I’ll include information on that ride as the second part of this article.

Stay tuned.

Chuckanut Drive sounds like a candy bar. It is in fact one of the most scenic routes to be graced with a paved surface. I have wanted to point my V-Strom down Chuckanut Drive since I moved to Washington last year and heard someone talk about it for the first time. It was funny sounding, but everyone spoke accolades of the scenery.

The south end of the Chuckanut Drive blazes a path through the Skagit County farmlands.

Let me tell you, this is a gem of a road. Washington State Route 11, aka Chuckanut Drive connects with Interstate 5 just north of Burlington, Washington. It takes just over an hour to reach the road from Seattle with light traffic. The luscious farmland promenade of Skagit County provides a beautiful shelf to hold up the eastward view of the North Cascade Range. The first few miles of the road cut straight through the fields.

After passing by a couple small grocery stores a bridge erupts out of a corner in the road and you are dropped in a tree and cliff-lined area along Samish and Bellingham bays overlooking the San Juan Islands. This is where the road becomes truly magnificent. It’s funny because the engineers at the Washington State Department of Transportation probably hate this road. It is curvy, has steep cliffs with loose falling rock that often damages the road and there is only one way in and out of the area. The exact same reasons why this is such a great motorcycle road… just beware of the falling rocks.

There are many convenient places to take photographs along the side of the road

There are numerous areas to pull over and snap photos. A great place to stop and stretch your legs is Larrabee State Park. The more than 2,600-acre camping park along the Samish Bay shoreline has two freshwater lakes, tidelands and numerous hiking trails to really enjoy the wilderness. It is a popular overnight destination and worth checking out. After a short break to stretch my legs I made a loop through the camping area and was back on the road.

I gently pressed the handlebars left and right as I swerved along the tree-lined cliffs. My throttle hand was getting a constant workout as I sped up in the corners to settle the suspension of my motorcycle. It is real easy to put yourself in a “corner” mentality on this road. The constant shift between sweeping and sharp corners keeps you honed in on the ride. This is a rider’s road, but I found it best to enjoy the forest, marine and geological surroundings that make this road so special. Yeah, it was the surroundings helping me manage my speed and not the two state troopers that locked eyes with me as a started down Chuckanut a short while ago. The smooth power band of my adventure-touring bike requires me, the operator to mind the speed limit.

Win's Drive-In makes a tasty strawberry shake to help cut the summer heat.

Chuckanut Drive is a short route of just 20 miles start to finish. As I approached its northern terminus I cross a bridge into the Fairhaven historical district of Bellingham. The buildings all reflect the heritage of this area, which was founded in the late 1880’s. As I pulled into town, Win’s Drive-In coerced me to pull in and check out their faire. After contemplating a juicy burger I decided to only order a strawberry shake. It was the perfect addition to a nice relaxing ride.

So what did I do after enjoying the shake and poking around Bellingham for a while? Rinse and repeat. I hopped on the bike and rode the ‘Nut again.

Since Chuckanut drive isn’t very long, it is a good road to link with some of the other scenic routes in Western Washington. I’ve reviewed other good routes in this area including Whidbey Island and the Mountain Loop Highway. Keep in mind that adding routes will make this a long day. It might work best to pack a tent and spend a weekend up in this area. It is certainly worth spending time to explore all that it has to offer.

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