Flattest route to Gerlach/BRC from Seattle?

Joshatdot · Post by **Joshatdot** » Thu Apr 28, 2011 6:41 pm

Which is the flattest, least Mountainous route to Gerlach/BRC, from Seattle? I ask because the route we took 2 years ago was harsh on the old, overpacked & underpowered VW Westfalia.

I know it's not #1 .. 2 years ago I ride shared with a friends and kind of took that route .. but to Reno. This year we don't need to stop down to Reno.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Thu Apr 28, 2011 7:08 pm

http://www.gwally.com/directions/

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Thu Apr 28, 2011 7:15 pm

Actually it is #1.

Went that way for 8 years with overloadedness in tow.

Dr. Pyro · Post by **Dr. Pyro** » Thu Apr 28, 2011 7:20 pm

If it wasn't for Bob some people would never get over the hump.

Oh oh, forgive me, that's a mostly inside joke.

Ogdenhousedj · Post by **Ogdenhousedj** » Thu Apr 28, 2011 8:01 pm

If I remember right comin out of kalamath falls into Nevada gets kinda steep

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Thu Apr 28, 2011 8:32 pm

Nope, Klamath Falls to Alturas is lots of riverside, and flat valleys mostly.

Coming from Alturas into NV is the steep part(Cedar Pass), but there is no avoiding that unless you go to Reno.

Joshatdot · Post by **Joshatdot** » Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:36 pm

Hmm .. it must have been after (south) Eugene and into northern Cali it was really mountainy. The Westy was overheating alot on I-5 from south of Eugene, OR to Redding, CA.

I just noticed that Google Maps has Bike route, which according to them plots flattest routes. And it is very close looking to #2

Thanks for your input

edit: which route has the Burner owned campsite along the way? I've seen it posted here before & in someones signature .. can't find it now.

Post by **mdmf007** » Fri Apr 29, 2011 11:40 pm

No matter what route you take from Puget Sound you have to cross a couple passes somewhere.

When we pull heavy loads to Winnemucca we take I-5, 205 to 84, turn right on exit three, just over the border from Ontario Oregon on the Idaho side. That puts you on 93 Take that to Winnemucca and then Jungo road if were going to the shop in Gerlach, or onto Second street in Winnemucca.

If I leave Tacoma at 0700 full, I top off in Ontario Oregon to top off and eat dinner at 1900 in Winnemucca. Gerlach is another 2 hour extension. It is slower, but there are only 2 appreciable passes. Owyhee pass in Idaho crossing back into Oregon, and Dead Man Pass / Cabbage Pass right outside of Pendleton Oregon. Neither is huge but the one outside Pendleton goes on forever.

No matter the route - you need to gain around 4000 feet somewhere.

If it was me, I would take route 2 on the map above continuing on the river east where route 3 picks up.

just my 2 cents.

The CO · Post by **The CO** » Mon May 02, 2011 10:38 am

I'll back up OED. #1 is the route I take.

#2 crosses several mountain passes including 2 near the largest ski areas in Oregon.

#3 takes you to Yakima. Always avoid Yakima. (Oh, and is filled with a lot of up and down over and over)

portaplaya · Post by **portaplaya** » Tue May 03, 2011 3:35 pm

Google Earth has an elevation profile tool built into it.

http://earth.google.com/support/bin/ans ... wer=181393

You can test different legs of highway by clicking points and doing From/To searches, then view the elevation profile for that leg.

Shows total elevation gain, steepest points and grade, average grade. Very useful for planning an RV trip from/to anywhere. And Google Earth is free.

I'll work out some number for the different legs you might combine and post again tomorrow.

some seeing eye · Post by **some seeing eye** » Wed May 04, 2011 4:51 pm

Another possibility is I5S, 84E, 197-97S to k-falls and then onto Alturas. Some people also like the Summer Lake - Lakeview route for Summer Lake Hot Springs.

portaplaya · Post by **portaplaya** » Wed May 04, 2011 5:02 pm

Here are some results (sorted by mileage):

Seatte / Mt Hood / La Pine / Summer Lake / Alturas / Cedarville / Gerlach: 662 miles, 20120 ft gain, (-16357 ft drop), total of 7 crests; longest climbs: Mt Hood, Summer Lake ascent, Cedar Pass
Seatte / Mt Hood / La Pine / Klamath Falls / Alturas / Cedarville / Gerlach: 669 miles, 19817 ft gain, (-16052 ft drop), total of 6 crests; longest climbs: Mt Hood, Klamath Lake descent, Cedar Pass
Seattle / I-5 / Eugene / Klamath Falls / Alturas / Cedarville / Gerlach: 675 miles, 18668 ft gain, (-14903 ft drop), total of 5 crests; longest climbs: Willamette Pass, Klamath Lake descent, Cedar Pass
Seattle / Yakima / La Pine / Summer Lake / Alturas / Cedarville / Gerlach: 694 miles, 26547 ft gain, (-22785 ft drop), total of 10 crests; longest climbs: Snoqualmie Pass, Yakima Vally, Columbia Gorge, Summer Lake ascent, Cedar Pass
Seattle / I-5 / Eugene / La Pine / Summer Lake / Alturas / Cedarville / Gerlach: 698 miles, 18971 ft gain, (-15208 ft drop), total of 6 crests; longest climbs: Willamette Pass, Summer Lake ascent, Cedar Pass
Seattle / Yakima / La Pine / Klamath Falls / Alturas / Cedarville / Gerlach: 701 miles, 26244 ft gain, (-22480 ft drop), total of 9 crests; longest climbs: Snoqualmie Pass, Yakima Vally, Columbia Gorge, Klamath Lake descent, Cedar Pass
Seattle / I-5 / Eugene / Klamath Falls / Susanville / Reno / Pyramid Lk / Gerlach: 816 miles, 22531 ft gain, (-18765 ft drop), total of 5 crests; longest climbs: Willamette Pass, Pass near Hayden Hill-Silva Refuge, Pyramid Lk ascent
Seatte / Mt Hood / La Pine / Summer Lake / Alturas / Susanville / Reno / Pyramid Lk / Gerlach: 842 miles, 23750 ft gain, (-19988 ft drop), total of 8 crests; longest climbs: Mt Hood, Summer Lake ascent, Tule Mt Pass, Pyramid Lk ascent
Seattle / Yakima / La Pine / Summer Lake / Alturas / Susanville / Reno / Pyramid Lk / Gerlach: 874 miles, 30177 ft gain, (-26416 ft drop), total of 11 crests; longest climbs: Snoqualmie Pass, Yakima Vally, Columbia Gorge, Summer Lake ascent, Tule Mt Pass, Pyramid Lk ascent
Seattle / I-5 / Eugene / La Pine / Summer Lake / Alturas / Susanville / Reno / Pyramid Lk / Gerlach: 878 miles, 22601 ft gain, (-18839 ft drop), total of 7 crests; longest climbs: Willamette Pass, Summer Lake ascent, Tule Mt Pass, Pyramid Lk asce
Seattle / I-5 / Eugene / I-5 / Sacramento / Lk Tahoe / Reno / Pyramid Lk / Gerlach: 996 miles, 29677 ft gain, (-25913 ft drop), total of 4 crests; longest climbs: Siskiyou Pass, Mt Shasta, long and steady Sierra Nevada ascent, Pyramid Lk ascent

For least altitude gain: Seattle / Eugene / Klamath Falls / Cedarville / Gerlach: 675 miles, 18668 ft gain, (also pretty tame in the reverse). Willamette pass is a long haul, but not too steep. Cedar Pass is steep, but the stretch over 2% is about 6 miles (cool down at the top). This route does have the steepest slope (a stretch of Willamette and Cedar both hit 6.9%), so think of this as as the fuel saving path.

Least slope path: Seattle / Sacramento / Reno / Gerlach: 996 miles, total of 4 crests. For an extra 320 miles you can take the long steady climb following the people from SF. Hardly seems worth it when the Sierra climb is 6.4% in spots and very long.

Good alternate for slope: Seatte / Mt Hood / Klamath Falls / Cedarville / Gerlach: 669 miles. Mt Hood is easier than Willamette Pass, but you still gotta hit the 6 mile climb on Cedarville. Low traffic on the pass still makes this one a winner for me. (Plus I like the cheap gas in Sandy, OR on the way to Mt. Hood!!)

Joshatdot · Post by **Joshatdot** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:06 pm

thx portaplaya for the GE tip .. now I just need to figure out how to plot those routes .. or have GE show different routes. When I get directions from Seattle to Gerlach .. GE only shows one route.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:20 pm

I just can not understand you people.. Can't you read a map?

Come out of Portland to Bend, LaPine, turn east just south of Lapine to Clearlake. Seven miles north of Alterus turn east to Cedarville.. bout 80 mile to Gerlach All good roads.. Been traveling them for years.. K falls is way west of anything. And makes for one hell of a long ride into Alterus which is a waste of miles..

The Eugene climb is almost the steepest in the state.. Roseburg climb is narrow, steep and whindy.

The Portland to Bend is the best trucker rout..

I live in Salem so I take 22 to Bend.. Coming back, I back track 11 miles and come down to Eugene. It turns out to be just one mile farther.

Black Rock City is in a different place each year.. My miles in seem to be about the same. 475 miles to 8:30 X H street.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:44 pm

some seeing eye wrote:Another possibility is I5S, 84E, 197-97S to k-falls and then onto Alturas. Some people also like the Summer Lake - Lakeview route for Summer Lake Hot Springs.

I'll be staying over @ Summer Lake Hot Springs Saterday night.. Then on to BRC in the morning.. The hot springs folk invite burners to stop and party..

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:45 pm

You must live 10 miles or so east of Salem for that route to be shorter than going through Eugene/Kalamath in the first place.