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Tour Leader - Gordon Stewart

Wild Rivers Tour 2013 Itinerary and Fast Factoids

Registration is closed for the main list and for the wait list.

There are 20 names on the wait list but it is most unlikely that there will be sufficient cancellations on the main list to exhaust the wait list.

Seven days • Six stages • 340 miles • 25,000' • $425
Tour Blog   

The tour roster is limited to 40 participants (including support staff). Entrants are logged in chronological order. A wait list will be kept for those who register after the first 40.  For more information on how we organize our tours, click here for a four-page tour primer.

This is a reprise of a popular tour run in 2006, 2011 and 2012 but with a few new tweaks. It’s an exploration of the State of Jefferson (the far northwest corner of California). You can see an overview of the entire route here. 

True to its name, the tour travels along the Klamath, Trinity, Salmon, Scott, Illinois, Smith, and Mad Rivers...all wild and beautiful. In addition to slithering along those river canyons, it climbs over a number of high ridges, visits an unspoiled section of coastal cliffs, and meanders through miles of quiet, primitive forest.

Click here for a 27-page preview of the tour, including maps, route slips, and elevation profiles.

This is a camping tour. The tour follows our usual format of having trucks haul all personal and club camp supplies and luggage between each stage. It is a cooperative tour, in that all participants will share in the chores, from loading the trucks to keeping the camp organized to assisting with meal prep and clean-up. For more information on how we organize our tours, click here for a four-page tour primer. 

As you'll see when you look at the preview, there are some challenging days on this tour. You have all day to complete each day's ride and the stages are not long. While there will be two Support And Gear (SAG) vehicles on the route each day, their role is to support the riders.  Where necessary, usually in the case of a mechanical breakdown, they will carry the rider and bike into camp, but this is the exception. The SAG is there as aid, not as transportation. Before you register please take the time to study the preview and make sure that while this tour may be a reach for you, you're prepared to dig down and make it work. Thanks.

Sunday, Aug 4: Drive (in car pool fleet) from SRCC warehouse to Tish-Tang Campground, east of Eureka, on the Trinity River. Gear and riders from the car pool fleet will be off-loaded at Tish-Tang and the cars will be shuttled back to Arcata where the tour ends and stored on private property.


Monday, Aug 5: 

Stage 1: Tish-Tang to Nordheimer Camp

51 miles, 4500' up, 3750' down


Begin with a more-or-less level run along the Trinity, through the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, followed by a more up-and-down scramble upstream in the canyon of the Klamath River. A hilly (both up and down) detour on wonderful Ishi Pishi Road leads to the third--and best--river canyon of the day: the uphill run deep in the rugged, cliff-hanging Salmon River Gorge…about as good as it gets.



Tuesday, Aug 6

Stage 2: Nordheimer to Indian Scotty Camp

67 miles, 6500' up, 5100' down


5000' of climbing in the first 34 miles, as we grind our way up, up, and up to 5919' Etna Summit…an out-of-category climb by any measure. The road runs alongside the North Fork of the Salmon for most of those miles. After a long, twisting descent to the village of Etna, the route traverses fertile farmlands, crossing Scott Valley, before hooking up with the pretty Scott River in its remote canyon. Aside from the one big climb, the balance of the stage is relatively easy.


Wednesday, Aug 7

Stage 3: Indian Scotty to West Branch Camp

59 miles, 3100' up, 3500' down


A beautiful and tranquil run down the Scott River canyon to Hwy 96 and another downstream run, this time along the Klamath, to the town of Happy Camp. Turn right at the Bigfoot monument and head upstream, usually gently, along the shore of Indian Creek, all the way to our remote camp in the Klamath National Forest.
Thursday, Aug 8

Stage 4: West Branch to Panther Flat Camp

55 miles, 4300' up, 6100' down


Continue yesterday’s climb along the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway to a 4750' summit, which also happens to be the border with the State of Oregon. Descend into Oregon and ride along the pretty Illinois River to the town of O’Brien on Hwy 199. Follow this highway all the way to camp, except for one detour: back in California, leave the highway for awhile for tiny Oregon Mountain Road, twisting its quiet, remote way up and over 2480' Hazel View Summit. Or skip the climb and go through the tunnel on 199. After that, it's mostly downhill to the finish, usually alongside the lovely Smith River.


Friday, Aug 9

Stage 5: Panther Flat to Elk Prairie Camp

71 miles, 4500' up, 4700' down


Westward through the redwoods of Jedediah Smith State Park and out to the Pacific at Crescent City. After a scenic circuit of the town, we head south on Hwy 101, which includes a 1200' climb to an unnamed summit, followed by a wild descent to another section of the Klamath River. South of the Klamath, we head out to a remote, occasionally unpaved road along the ocean cliffs in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (within Redwood National Park), ending up in a campground in the park.


Saturday, Aug 10

Stage 6: Elk Prairie to Arcata

45 miles, 2600' up, 2700' down


A short, easy stage because we’re driving home in the afternoon. Heading south through Redwood National Park, dodging off Hwy 101 wherever possible on a series of interesting side roads, usually near the ocean. Quiet back roads through Patricks Point State Park lead to the picture-postcard village of Trinidad. South of town, aptly named Scenic Drive offers up a spectacular run along the rocky coast.  Finally, the route begins a complex (but fun) meander along the back streets and bike trails of McKinleyville and Arcata on the way to the finish.

Showers and lunch at the Arcata Recreation Center, then organize the car pool fleet, load up and head for home.

 
 
 
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