PNW Trip Late March/Early April?

[rideit]

Curious if this is a good idea or not. Looking to take kiddo on a Portland/Seattle/Bellingham loop for spring break. I know every season is different, but what kind of trail conditions can we expect? Oak ridge dry, Bellingham gloomy and epic?
Is this a good idea that time of year? (He is tired of the desert, alas)
Thanks in advance!

[HAB]

Most likely scenario is Seattle and Bellingham being wet but still fun if you're willing to deal with that. Some higher elevation stuff will definitely be snowed in, exactly where the line falls is a crap shoot but it would be rare for there to be nothing worth riding.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

What’s the goal for the trip? Biking, skiing? Sightseeing?


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[rideit]

Biking/sightseeing/eating.
Friends in Portland, maybe San Juan’s, Maybe a zip up to Vangroovy. Basically, kiddo and I are evicted from the house for spring break as wifey is a CPA, we are just looking for a new non-flying destination. He has never been up there. Riding is probably just me, I can handle some wet/etc.

[evdog]

Lower stuff will be fine to ride, higher stuff will have snow. Wildcard will be weather. Could have nice weather but also expect consecutive days of rain. The coast hwy won't be as busy as summer so that opens up some options. Consider heading south to the redwoods. Cool area, might see a bit less rain.

Drove all of coast hwy in Feb/Mar this year. Had some amazing weather and some crap. Stay flexible, plan lots of options for various locations and outdoor/non outdoor activities. I did shorter rides and moved to where forecast was better. Worked out pretty well.

[nickwm21]

March is still pretty rainy here. April is the beginning of the swing towards sunshine, but still rainy… July 4th is traditionally the “last day of rain”…

If youre prepared - pants, jacket, a way to dry your shoes - the riding will be great. If your not prepared it’s pretty miserable.

I’d say do it. But adjust your expectations.

Bring ski gear for the ultimate flexibility.


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[ridinshockgun]

Basically reaching in a bag and pulling out any and all possibilities from the weather spectrum that time of year, all of which are rideable in.

[rideit]

Three changes of clothes, three pairs of shoes and gloves, two helmets each, and lots and lots of quarters for hotel dryers! Will remind me of spring riding in Syracuse growing up, I guess.

[ridinshockgun]

Three changes of clothes, three pairs of shoes and gloves, two helmets each, and lots and lots of quarters for hotel dryers! Will remind me of spring riding in Syracuse growing up, I guess.

Or it could be 65 and sunny, you just don't know

[rideit]

Don’t worry, I’ll bring a thong as well.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Biking/sightseeing/eating.
Friends in Portland, maybe San Juan’s, Maybe a zip up to Vangroovy. Basically, kiddo and I are evicted from the house for spring break as wifey is a CPA, we are just looking for a new non-flying destination. He has never been up there. Riding is probably just me, I can handle some wet/etc.

That time of year I would consider east of the crest for mtb. Foothill trails in Wenatchee open April 1st and it prime trail conditions and wildflowers should be starting to go off. Tacky trails, sunshine and cool temperatures. If you’re interested you can pm me and I’ll point you in the right direction. You could spend a couple days exploring and see the sights. Still skiing at that time as well.


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[Tap]

Bend is good for snow/dirt that time of year. Kind of the desert vs. old growth but ain't no thing.

[dan_pdx]

That time of year I would consider east of the crest for mtb. Foothill trails in Wenatchee open April 1st and it prime trail conditions and wildflowers should be starting to go off. Tacky trails, sunshine and cool temperatures. If you’re interested you can pm me and I’ll point you in the right direction. You could spend a couple days exploring and see the sights. Still skiing at that time as well.


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That makes sense to me. I was in Bellingham for the month of June and caught the end of the wet season in the first week or so. I'm 99% road, 1% MTB, so I'm sure others here have higher tolerance / capacity for muddy conditions, but personally it wasn't my cup of tea.

If you're in the Portland area, there are some MTB areas in the Gorge that should be drier:
-this is pretty much high desert, it's in the rain shadow: https://cascadesingletrack.com/GPNF/Syncline/trail.html
-this is not quite that dry, but still better chances than being in Portland: https://cascadesingletrack.com/MtHoo...yon/trail.html

[Shredhead]

Hood River/The Dalles.

[Falcon3]

Don’t worry, I’ll bring a thong as well.

The Ullr Thread will need this photo in the spring to bring good volcano season vibes.

Also Hood River is the right answer. Should be perfect dirt season out there, plus good beer and great mountain views

[ridinshockgun]

That makes sense to me. I was in Bellingham for the month of June and caught the end of the wet season in the first week or so. I'm 99% road, 1% MTB, so I'm sure others here have higher tolerance / capacity for muddy conditions, but personally it wasn't my cup of tea.

If you're in the Portland area, there are some MTB areas in the Gorge that should be drier:
-this is pretty much high desert, it's in the rain shadow: https://cascadesingletrack.com/GPNF/Syncline/trail.html
-this is not quite that dry, but still better chances than being in Portland: https://cascadesingletrack.com/MtHoo...yon/trail.html

If you've never done much riding in the wet you will generally have a really sucky time even though the locals will rave about the "hero dirt" and "incredible conditions", etc, etc. It is still a different skill to master riding in the wet if there is any root, rock, and tech. I've been here 6 years now and still feel like I'm working on being comfortable on wet tech.

[altasnob]

You can recreate nearly every day of the year within two hours of Seattle or Portland without getting rained on. Just about adjusting your location based on weather forecast. Besides the obvious east of the Cascades rainshadow, note the rainshadow in the NE Olympics stretching across the San Juan Islands all the way to Whidbey Island. Sequim, WA (in Western WA) gets about the same annual precipitation as Salt Lake City to give you an idea of just how strong that rain shadow is. March/April can be an excellent time to visit the San Juan Islands, but no guarantees. Be flexible and you will have a good trip.