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The eruptions of Mt. St. Helens in 1980, and its subsequent rumblings as recently as 2007, are fiery and unforgettable lessons that our planet is a living, ever-changing force never to be taken for granted. St. Helens’ explosion in 1980, in fact, ended decades of commitment to the notion that the volcanoes of the Cascades were extinct; dormant, perhaps, but not extinct and fully capable of coming to life at some unexpected point in time.

Mt. St. Helens is only one of 14 major volcanoes in the Cascade Range, and one of the approximate 400 volcanoes that comprise the “Ring of Fire” of the Pacific Rim. Geographically, the Cascade Range extends from southern British Columbia to northern California—from Mt. Lytton in B.C. to Lassen in California. The range embraces no less than 12 peaks rising in elevation in excess of 10,000-feet, and two of that number—Rainier and Shasta—rise beyond 14,000-feet.

Timberline’s fascination with the volcanoes of the Cascades has deep roots, dating back to earlier 9-day cycling programs, curiously also named “Volcanoes of the Cascades”, but limited in scope to the state of Washington. That earlier program lapsed into dormancy, but, as the mighty Cascade volcanoes have demonstrated over time, dormancy is not to be confused with extinction. Three years ago, the Cascade volcanoes became the focus of Odyssey 2009, a 17-day adventure along the spine of the Cascades from northern Washington to Crater Lake in southern Oregon. But our Odyssey Series is unique; content and location change with each season.

Odyssey Series or otherwise, however, we’re not about to abandon a region that provided an outstanding cycling experience. And so, the legacy of Odyssey 2009 are the separate Volcanoes of the Cascades/North and, as you might have guessed, Volcanoes of the Cascades/South. Volcanoes North will explore the Washington Cascades from North Cascades National Park southward through Mt. Rainier National Park to the summit of the Mt. St. Helens road at the base of the volcano.

Volcanoes South (described in the Oregon Coast/Cascades section) begins at the western portal of the Columbia River Gorge, and continues through the gorge to Hood River, Mt. Hood, Bend and on to Crater Lake. Volcanoes North assembles in the quaint town of La Conner to the north of Seattle, near Puget Sound. We’ll provide a van shuttle from the Seattle airport on Assembly Day. Early morning of Day 1, we’ll ride east along the Skagit River to Marblemount, where we’ll spend the night at the Skagit River Resort. Day 2, we’ll launch into a long, gradual climb into North Cascades National Park to the very crest of the Cascades atop Washington Pass (5,477’). We’ll descend into the Methow Valley to, Winthrop, spend the night at the Winthrop Inn, and then continue along the downstream course of the Methow River to it’s confluence with the mighty Columbia River. We’ll overnight in Chelan on Day 3, on the shores of beautiful Lake Chelan, and then continue downstream along the Columbia to the Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth. Day 5, it’s up and over Blewett Pass (4102’), through Ellensburg to reach the Yakima River Valley before challenging awesome Chinook Pass (5,430’) on our way to Rainier. We’ll trace the Naches River to its source in the High Cascades as we climb Chinook.

CANCELLATIONS: 20% cancellation fee applied if cancelled 60 days prior to departure. Cancellations within 60 days are 100% non-cancelable

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