Bare Naked Gravel

5 Star Route / Hood River, Washington / Published: Aug 2019 / Directions

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Cyclist on Little Soda Springs road, paved, near Carson, WA.

Leading out from the parking area on quiet paved roads.

Cyclist on the paved section of NF-64 near Stabler, WA and Carson, WA.

Bike rider climbing the gravel section of NF-64 in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Climbing the gravel on NF-64.

Gravel cyclist on the more primitive NF-58 in Gifford Pinchot National forest in Washington State.

Just after the turn onto NF-58, a bit more primitive. ~ Mile 12.

Flowers in bloom in the Gifford Pinchot National forest in July.

In mid July the flowers were in full bloom.

White daisy in bloom in the Gifford Pinchot National forest near Carson, WA.

Cyclist on gravel road nearing Bare Mountain.

Mile 14. Done with the big climb. Traversing just below the ridge.

Gravel cyclist on near Bare Mountain and Observation Peak in Gifford Pinchot National forest.

The most primitive section of road. Still on the traverse.

Cyclist on gravel road with flowers in bloom near Trapper Creek Wilderness.

A slight downhill leading into the final climb!

Gravel cyclists on climb of NF-311 near Bare Mountain in Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

The Bare Naked climb (550 ft, 2 miles).

Flowers in bloom along NF-311 near Carson, WA in Washington State.

Mt Adams from NF-311 near Bare Mountain in Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

At ~ mile 19.5, a view of Mt. Adams. To the left of this, and out of the picture, is Mt. St Helens.

Cyclist descending gravel road NF-5407, near Soda Peak trailhead.

The descent starts on gravel ...

Cyclist descending paved portion of NF-54 near Carson, WA.

... and then transitions to pavement quickly.

Bike rider descending paved portion of NF-54 in Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Use some caution on the descent. Watch for cracks, dips, and debris.

Cyclist on paved portion of NF-54 near the intersection with NF-34 near Stabler, Washington.

Low down on the descent, no brakes needed.

Cyclists on gravel road near Wind River in Gifford Pinchot National forest.

The last sector of gravel. Hard packed and fast and beautiful!

Gravel Girl's ride metrics.

Route:

Loop | 31 mi

Gain:

3,400 ft

Surface:

50% gravel, 50% paved

Technical Difficulty:

Moderate

Navigation:

Attention Required

Locale:

Remote

Tire Suggestion:

40 mm

Options:

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Bear Naked Granola. Barenaked Ladies. And now … Bare Naked GRAVEL. Why? Because this route includes one hell of a good climb up to Bare Mountain. And you’ll be going plenty slow to see the awesome wildflowers and the views and everything the woods wants to offer up…..

But before the climb comes a nice warm up … five miles of quiet paved road that gradually kicks up. And after the climb is one wide-smile, twisting downhill … long enough to sing all the Barenaked Lady songs you can remember. Let’s get you started ….

“If I had a million dollars
Well I’d buy you a house
And if I had a million dollars
I’d buy you furniture for your house (maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman)
And if I had a million dollars (if I had a million dollars)
I’d buy you a ripping fast gravel bike”

Map

Brown = gravel / dirt road

Blue = single track

Red = paved road

Purple = paved bike path

GPX Download Version 2.0

Ride Details

When We Like to Ride This

Spring to Fall

Terrain & Riding

When traversing just below the ridge-line, near mile 18.5 you will see Mt Adams to the left in the distance and at the 7 o’clock position Mt. St. Helens.

The last climb of the the day, near Bare Mountain, is short, but noticeable (2 miles, 550 feet of gain). When you reach the top at mile 20+, you come down a bit on gravel …. but soon enough you are one ripping fast downhill paved road. One of the best in the Gifford Pinchot National forest. We did see a few cars coming up the road and there’s a few career-ending cracks that you should think about as you open up your brakes.

We were all in awe at how long we came down. But soon enough you are back at the cars … after another short section of gravel …. with a shit eating grin and a big craving for a whole lot of junk food.

The Start

Lat / Long: 45.868048, -121.973464

Carson National Fish Hatchery Visitor Center

Food & Water

None.

Notes & Options

Route Options

We made a major revision (v2.0) to the route in 2022. The beginning single-track sector was not an open trail to the bikes. Thus, the route now starts at the fish hatchery and meets up with the original route at mile 4.5. FYI. If you are riding any sinlge-track on your ride, you do not have the latest route loaded.

Comments

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Ridden and Reviewed by:

KevinE / Team Dirty Freehub

He should have “Never Stop Exploring” tattooed on his chest! He loves adventures on bikes and is a Co-Founder of Dirty Freehub.

LindaE (aka Gravel Girl) / Team Dirty Freehub

She loves a good day of gravel, like most people like a good book. She’s always amused by the outdoors and the wild adventures. Gravel Girl is a Co-Founder of Dirty Freehub.