Walla Walla Wheels and Wines
EVENT: Here's three days of great cycling, food and drink brought to you by Washington's Cascade Bicycle Club. (Register fast before this sells out.)
Note: A growing list of West Coast century rides and cycling tours is now available here. Take a look and suggest additions in the post’s comments section.
Wine regions provide superb cycling destinations. A journey through California’s Sonoma, Napa, or Paso Robles wine country, for example, is rewarding both on the bike and in the tasting room. The same is true in Walla Walla, Washington, where the vistas are wide and the reds are bold.
A good way to experience Walla Walla wines and biking is with the Cascade Bicycle Club, the group perhaps best known as organizers of the two-day, 200-mile “STP” – Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. Cascade also stages a series of single- and multi-day, fully supported tours in different parts of Washington state. This year’s Walla Walla Tour is set for May 16-18.
Seven Hills AVA
The Walla Walla Valley appellation or AVA (American Viticultural Area) is located in the far southeastern corner of the state, but terroir knows no governmental boundaries; half of the growing region is in Oregon. A common misconception is that it constantly rains in Washington and Oregon, but like Napa, Walla Walla receives about 20 inches of rain a year. Warm summer days and cool nights combine for quality red wines. The list includes but is not limited to Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dolcetto, Malbec, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and Syrah. And, yes, there are whites as well.
It may take time and distance to find the vineyards. Wheat is the other cash crop here and there are miles and miles of sloping hillsides where blankets of young, green stalks shake in the breeze. But crest a small rise and the fields of wheat suddenly give way to the lush vineyards of the region’s famed Seven Hills.
One Day at a Time
The Walla Walla Tour starts and ends each day at a local winery or brewery. Our first ride begins at Cougar Crest Estate Winery, eight miles west of downtown. Two routes give riders a choice between 42 miles (1,089 feet of elevation gain) on pavement or 60 miles (1,947 feet) with 6 miles of gravel. Both routes head south across the border to Milton-Freewater, Oregon, before returning to Washington with a long, pleasant descent and an eventual flat ride back to the winery. Once the bikes are racked and shoes are changed, cross the parking lot and walk through massive wood doors to the winery tasting room.
Quirky Day 2
The Day 2 departure location is Quirk Brewing, only two blocks from Walla Walla Regional Airport. The brewery is tucked away in a small, one-story structure originally constructed during World War II as part of the Army Air Corps’ B-17 bomber training center. The Port of Walla Walla now maintains the remaining 1940s buildings as part of its industrial park. Today’s route options are 42 and 59 miles and slightly more climbing (2,136 and 2,966 feet, respectively) than the day before.
Lunch is served at Waitsburg’s Preston Park before we reverse course and follow roads that roll up and over casual grades and around hillsides like ribbon spilled from a spool. Our return to the brewery warrants a cold beer and a snack on the patio while cyclists recount the day’s exploits under a spring sun.
Finally, Oregon
Our final ride starts in Oregon - on the south side of Stateline Road to be precise. Castillo de Feliciana, known for its Spanish-style wines, plays host. We cover our first seven miles south of the border before crossing back into Washington state for a loop northeast of Walla Walla, a route that includes lunch at Rooks Park and a peaceful ride along Kingfisher Trail in the Mill Creek Recreation Area before passing by Walla Walla one last time. Riders following the day’s long route weave through vineyards at Northstar Winery south of town and return to our vehicles. The day’s distances: 40 miles (1,824 feet) or 49 miles (2,601 feet) with a little gravel.
See the Route Maps, Then Register
All six routes are available on the RideWithGPS.com website. Take a look.
Registration is open. Click here to sign up.
Cascade Bicycle Club
“Our tours are so-called hub and spoke tours, which means they start and end each day in or near town with unique, marked routes each day,” says club spokesperson Paul Tolmé. “We are offering tours that allow people to explore some of Washington state’s most scenic locations, from the mountains to the coast to wine country, with social gatherings in the evenings so people can make new friends.”
For a complete list of 2025 Cascade Bicycle Club events, visit the website.
e-bikes Welcome
I noticed another trend during the Walla Walla rides: electric bike touring. Multiple riders, including some seniors and a pregnant woman, are riding e-bikes. “Cascade is 100 percent supportive of e-bikes, and we welcome them on all of our rides and events because they enable more people to experience the joys and health benefits of bicycling for recreation and transportation,” Tolmé says.
Cascade Bicycle Club is the nation’s largest statewide bicycling nonprofit and an advocate for cycling safety, trail development, and bike equity and inclusion. “We serve bike riders of all ages, races, genders, income levels, and abilities throughout the state of Washington,” club president Lee Lambert says over a glass of red wine at Cougar Crest Estate Winery.
“In addition to our great rides, we have an education department that teaches schoolchildren and people of all ages how to ride bikes or improve their skills, plus a policy team that advocates for more bike infrastructure and safe places to ride.”
Dine with Wine
As enjoyable as I find the rides, evenings in Walla Walla warrant anticipation as well. A variety of restaurants dot charming downtown streets. Winery tasting rooms, breweries, distilleries, and cider houses are within walking distance of each other. Extend your walk a few blocks and find yourself entering the Whitman College campus.
Stay a Little Longer
This is the native home of the Walla Walla, Cayuse, and Umatilla people. The Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, 40 miles south near Pendleton, Oregon, presents the culture and history of people who continue to live in the area as their ancestors have for more than 10,000 years.
Lodging
For complete information about other activities in the area, food, drink, and lodging, look to Visit Walla Walla, the local tourism organization.
Dan Shryock is a travel writer and career journalist who focuses on cycle tourism. Based in Oregon, his work has appeared in magazines and websites in California and the Pacific Northwest. His book, “Cycling Across Oregon: Stories, Surprises & Revelations Along the State’s Scenic Bikeways” is available on Amazon.