The serene maritime setting of the San Juan Islands and Canadian Gulfs; the fiord-like shoreline of the Sunshine Coast; the alpine majesty of the Coastal Range, and mighty Mt. Rainier and the Cascades to the east—these are a few of the fascinations that lure legions of cyclotourists to the Pacific Northwest each year. Timberline will again offer an experience tailored for every cycling interest, ranging from our relaxed, low-mileage tour of the San Juans to the more aggressive alpine adventure in Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks. Our Sea-to-Sky Adventure presents an intriguing combination of cycling and hiking in one of the great wild areas of the Pacific Northwest.

San Juan Islands/Victoria

Dates: (7 days, 6 nights; Sun-Sat) July 11-17; Aug. 8-14; Sept. 5-11

Assembly Point: Anacortes, WA (airline, rail and bus service to Seattle; bus service or optional Timberline van shuttle between Anacortes and Seattle prior to and following tour)

Tour Cost: $1,495 (includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, support van, ferry tolls, kayak program, leaders, tour maps & narratives) (Optional Timberline van shuttle between Seattle and Anacortes prior to and following tour—$40)

The San Juan Islands, scattered about Puget Sound off the coast of mainland Washington, have become one of the world's premier cycling destinations. Our San Juan Islands program will focus on three islands—Lopez, Orcas and San Juan— along with two days and a night in Victoria on Vancouver Island.

We'll assemble in Anacortes north of Seattle and board the ferry early-morning of our first day for the short ride to Lopez Island and a leisurely day cycling along the Island's excellent network of quiet country roads. We'll overnight at the Islander Resort, situated serenely at water's edge on Fisherman Bay.

It's on to San Juan Island early-morning of Day 2, where we'll spend two full days. During our stay on San Juan, we'll visit picturesque Roche Harbor, historic British and American Camps, and, with a little luck, catch a glimpse of the magnificent Orca whales that frequent the waters off Whale Watchers Point at Lime Kiln Park. A sea kayaking adventure is an option during our second day on San Juan. We'll spend our overnights in lively Friday Harbor at the Inn at Friday Harbor.

A morning ferry on Day 4 will transport us to Orcas Island for another 2-day visit. We'll ride from the ferry to Deer Harbor and later tour the pottery works at West Beach on our way to Eastsound. We'll spend the evening at the Landmark Inn in Eastsound.

A tour of Moran State Park is planned for Day 5 which includes several hiking options. Hovering well above Moran is Mount Constitution, with its exhilarating climb to the highest point on the San Juans and its spectacular view of the surrounding Gulf Islands along with the Olympic and Cascade Ranges on the distant horizon. We'll ride on to Olga for lunch and Doe Bay before returning to Eastsound.

Day 6, it's on to Canada and the island of Vancouver. We'll land in Sydney mid-morning of Day 6 and ride the short distance to the famous Butchart Gardens. We'll continue into Victoria later that afternoon and overnight at the Embassy Inn, situated across from the Parliament Building and a short stroll from the Inner Harbor.

An interesting ride along the water on Marine Drive marks our route on Day 7 as we head for the ferry and our return to Anacortes.

Total Mileage – 212

Sea-To-Sky Adventure

Dates: (9 days, 8 nights; Sat-Sun) Aug. 21-29

Assembly Point: Vancouver (airline and rail service to Vancouver; Timberline van transfers to and from transportation terminals prior to and following tour)

Tour Cost: $1,795 (includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, support van, transfers, ferry tolls, leaders, tour maps and narratives)

Of all the magnificent regions through which we travel in the context of our adventure program, British Columbia presents perhaps our greatest rhetorical challenge. In so many ways, the almost indescribable natural beauty of this varied land is unlike anything that we have experienced elsewhere. The utter serenity of the Canadian Gulf Islands, the fiord-like quality of the Sunshine Coast, the excitement and vibrancy of Vancouver, the awesome, towering, snowclad Coastal Range, exciting Whistler and magnificent Garibaldi Park, and the entirety of the Sea-to-Sky experience... these are only a few of the impressions gleaned from our British Columbia adventure.

Our focus for Sea-to-Sky is southwestern British Columbia. We'll visit Galiano, the Penders, Salt Spring and Vancouver Islands and then ferry across to the mainland and the Sunshine Coast during our initial 7-day cycling segment that explores the maritime character of B.C. We'll then van shuttle to Whistler and hike into the alpine reaches of the Coastal Range for our final two days.

Although Vancouver is our "official" Assembly point for Sea-to-Sky, we'll actually gather in Tsawwassen, south of the Vancouver airport and departure terminal for the Gulf Islands ferry. We'll board the ferry early-morning of Day 1 for the short voyage to Galiano Island with much of the day remaining to explore the island. Following an overnight at the Woodstone Country Inn, we're off to Otter Bay at North Pender. An early arrival enables us to visit both North and South Pender on Day 2 and spend a relaxing evening on the water at the Bedwell Harbor Resort.

Day 3 and it's on to Salt Spring, the most developed of the Canadian Gulfs. We'll overnight in the lively village of Ganges at the Harbour House Hotel and ride to Vesuvius Bay the next morning for our crossing to Crofton on Vancouver Island. We'll ride northward along the coast through Nanaimo and on to Qualicum Beach, where we'll spend the evening.

Our tour of Vancouver Island continues on Day 5 to Courtenay and Comox, where we'll board the ferry for our crossing of the Strait of Georgia to Powell River, northern gateway to the Sunshine Coast. Following an overnight along the water at the Beachcomber Resort in Powell River, we'll head south along the Sunshine Coast.

Early on, we'll understand why the Sunshine Coast is so popular amongst cyclists. The roads along the coast are ideal for cycling — little traffic, excellent road surfaces, and an incredibly beautiful scenic setting. The waters of the Georgia Strait glisten to the west; Vancouver Island is also prominent to the west, while the Coastal Range forms an impenetrable barrier to the east.

We'll ride to Saltery Bay and ferry across to Earl's Cove. We're headed for Secret Cove and a night in the oceanside setting of Lord Jim's Resort. Day 7, we'll continue along the water to Sechelt and a final ferry crossing from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay. We'll then van shuttle north to Whistler and arrive early enough to explore this vibrant village. We'll spend the next two evenings at the Timberline Lodge in the heart of the village.

Early morning of Day 8, we're off on our first hike, a challenging 8 1/2-mile round trip trek along Wedgemont Creek to Wedgemont Lake. The Lake's setting is our reward — it sits at the toe of Wedgemont Glacier at the base of the massive snowfields of Wedge Mountain.

The adventure continues on our final day as we head to Garibaldi Provincial Park south of Whistler to hike the remarkable trail to Garibaldi Lake, a hike considered by many to be the Park's finest. From the Rubble Creek trailhead, the trail climbs steadily, but moderately, to the Barrier, a massive natural lava wall that impounds the waters of Barrier Lake and Lesser Garibaldi as well as magnificent Garibaldi Lake itself at the trail's crest (11 miles).

Following the hike, we'll van shuttle back to Vancouver where our program concludes

Total Cycling Mileage – 295
Total Hiking Mileage – 19

Rainier Rambler

Date: (9 days, 8 nights; Sat-Sun) July 24-Aug. 1

Assembly Point: Enumclaw (airline, rail and bus service to Seattle; bus service or Timberline van shuttle from Seattle to Enumclaw prior to tour and from Everett following tour)

Tour Cost: $1,795 (includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, support van, transfers, leaders, tour maps & narratives)

Simply stated, we believe that our Rainier Rambler, more than any other cycletour offered in this region, captures the essence of the excitement and fascination of cycling in the Pacific Northwest. The fascination of cycling in the Pacific Northwest is its incomparable, varied terrain and we'll experience these dramatic contrasts visually and physically in the context of this 9-day adventure. The awesome beauty of Mt. Rainier National Park, the towering spires of the North Cascades, the apple-growing empire of the Yakima and Columbia River Valleys, the maritime magic of Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands, the extraordinary beauty of Deception Pass—this is the continuum of experiences that is the Rainier Rambler.

The tour assembles in Enumclaw, just east of Seattle, and we'll ride to the western entrance of Rainier Park on Day 1. We'll overnight at the Nisqually Lodge just outside the Park and spend most of the following day exploring the park. We'll climb to the Paradise Lodge, where we'll spend the night on the slopes of Rainier, and arrive early enough to enjoy the outstanding hiking opportunities in the Paradise area.

The influence of the Cascades on the climate of the region to the east is apparent as we descend into the arid Yakima Valley on Day 3. We'll return to the alpine zone of the Wenatchee National Forest the following day as we climb scenic Swauk Pass (4071') enroute to Leavenworth where we'll spend the evening.

Day 5, we'll ride into the heart of Washington's apple-growing empire. We'll follow the Wenatchee River to it's confluence with the Columbia and trace the Columbia northward for an evening at the Caravel Resort on the shores of Lake Chelan.

We're headed for the North Cascades on Day 6 on roads that constitute a cyclist's fantasy. An overnight in Winthrop precedes our encounter with Washington Pass (5477') in the heart of North Cascades National Park. Cycling North Cascades Highway is a dream—sparse traffic, great shoulder, spectacular alpine scenery.

An evening in Marblemount on the Skagit River at Clark's Skagit River Resort and then we're off to the ocean. We'll spend our final evening at Ship Harbor Inn on Fidalgo Island and cross magnificent Deception Pass to Whidbey before concluding our tour with a ferry ride across the Sound to Everett.

Total Mileage – 559