View: Medium (800x) Full (3264x)Picture of the starting point:
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We'll start at the Skagit Casino Gas Station and take Bow Rd. to Hwy 9. Leaving the gas station, just through the light, is a steep somewhat curvy long hill with an 80 degree turn at the bottom and a stop sign at Old Hwy 99 maybe half a mile later. Probably a good idea to take it easy here.
We cross over Hwy 99 onto Prairie road. Prairie road sucks -- it's on the list because it's a good way to get from I-5 to Hwy 9. The ride is pretty enough and the road would be fun, except it is heavily patched by what looks to be construction crew of drunken monkeys.
End of Prairie, turn Left onto Hwy 9:
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Finally we're done with the Prairie and on to Hwy 9. Wide, smooth roadway, straights and gentle curves up to Wickersham. Between Wickersham and Acme it gets fairly curvy. Only one patch in the road (right after the Tavern at Doren Rd), but it is very well done and smooth. If you are into going fast on curves, this is a good place for it. Do keep out of the decapitation zone -- expect semis or log trucks.
The curves end and we drop down into a straight right into Acme. The speed drops to 35mph. There is a general store and cafe on the left side of the road. When pulling into the lot, be aware that it is gravel covered pavement -- slow turn is definitely advised.
Here we are pulling into Acme -- the store is on the left over the tracks (you can see the sign in full size view):
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Acme ends with a bridge over the Nooksack (not pictured). Exactly at the point bridge ends when leaving Acme, is a right hand 110 degree turn onto the Mosquito Lake Rd. The roadway banks in the opposite direction it ought to, and drops quickly before going into a small left curve. Don't take this one fast.
Once on the Mosquito Lake Rd., the ride is great. The road surface is a little rough, having been tarred and graveled in the past, but traffic is almost non-existent. Do expect to see a few cars -- perhaps 3-5 during this whole leg. There are some gravel roads that intersect the MLR, so watch for gravel on the roadway.
Mosquito Lake Rd. starts with a steep climb, and then goes through areas of undulating curves. The one lane bridge is a nice to place to make a destination out of, and then spend some time cooling your heels in the river. Not today though. ;-)
Here's the bridge (you know you're on a good road when you see a "curvy" sign and a one lane bridge):
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The bridge roadway is rough:
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But the bridge is 93 years old (though not the roadway of course):
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End of the Mosquito Lake Rd: Turn Right onto the Mt. Baker Hwy heading toward Maple Falls:
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The Mt. Baker Hwy is wide and smooth but with lots of traffic. 55 mph. This leg is fairly short though and it soon mellows out to a 50 mph stretch. There are two 90 degree turns in a row, and then after Kendall, some gentle curves before getting to Maple Falls.
Arrive at Maple Falls and turn onto the Silver Lake Rd. -- turn left (in front of the red roofed store):
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The silver lake road is a treat. Much like the Mosquito Lake Road, it is curvy and undulates through woods. Sadly, there has been a great deal of logging East of Silver Lake Rd. so it isn't quite the beauty it used to be. Hooray for paper towels.
Silver Lake Park would make a great camping destination. It's a pretty drive down to the water as well, although it has swimmers itch. If you like fishing: good. If you like swimming: bad!!
Silver Lake Rd. naturally turns into the South Pass Rd. I have mixed feelings about the S. Pass -- it's a nice road and traffic isn't heavy, but everyone wants to drive like NASCAR. Watch for big SUVs taking 35mph corners at 50 mph and thoroughly disrespecting the double yellow, or people following closely and passing at stupid places. It seems every year that you hear about someone being killed on the S. Pass because the autoworld equivalent of a squid bashes head on into somebody. I tend to hug the white line on this road just because of the idiots taking up two lanes.
Don't get me wrong though, it is a nice road to ride.
Turn left onto Hwy 9 (south). NOTE: the turn is immediately before the train crossing seen in this picture:
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Once on Hwy 9, if flat out speed is your objective, this is your chance. The road runs straight for several miles before hitting a set of curves, many of them 70-90 degrees. Watch for farm equipment and dirt on the road.
At the end of Hwy 9, there's a coffee shop, IGA, gas station, etc. It's a decent place to take a pitstop before getting on the Mt. Baker Hwy.
Hwy 9 ends at a "T" with the Mt. Baker Hwy -- turn right here:
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We're traveling the Mt. Baker Hwy just to get from point A to point B (or G to H). The scenerey is bland here, the traffic is heavy, and the road is kind of rough. It doesn't last long though.
When looking for the next turn, count center turn lanes. From the turn at Hwy 9 onto Mt. Baker, we will go over a bridge, then up a short steep hill. From there, the turn onto the Squalicum Lake Rd. is at the second turn lane. Before getting to the second turn lane, the road gradually rises, and then begins to fall gradually. Here's what it looks like:
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Once on the Squalicum Lake Rd., it is a short distance to the Y Road -- at the first stop sign turn Left onto the Y Rd.
The Y Rd. travels through farm and wooded areas, mostly straight at first ending in curves where it meets up with N. Shore Drive. This is a pretty ride with very little traffic and a decent roadway. There is a restaurant at the intersection but it looks permanently closed.
The Y Rd. ends at Lake Whatcom where we hop onto North Shore Rd.:
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North Shore (Rd. and then Dr.) runs along Lake Whatcom, is of decent quality, and is not too straight. It is hard to get a view of the water between the giant houses. Once in town, the speed drops to 25 MPH -- we'll go straight through the first stop sign. This stop is followed immediately by two back to back sharp 90 degree turns. N. Shore Dr. ends at "T" intersection with a red flashing light -- we will go straight through the light (after stopping) at which point N. Shore becomes Electric Ave. Bloedel Donovan Park is on the left just after the light -- it's more of a boat launch/sun bathing sort of park. A little up the road, there is picturesque waterfall and bridge at Whatcom Falls Park (the falls is not visible from Electric Ave).
Electric ends at a "Y" intersection -- Turn right:
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Short leg on Lakeway. Turn left onto Yew Street Rd. at the cemetery from the center left turn lane at this light:
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While on Yew Street Rd., it's straight boring residential. We're just going this way to avoid traffic. Toward the end of Yew St. Rd., the roadway slopes down and becomes curvy and a bit rough. We end up at a "T" and turn right onto Samish Drive:
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We will be on Samish Dr. for only a short time, and while the roadway would appear to be of the 45-50 MPH variety, it's 35. Doesn't matter, just after the park entrance, we'll be making a left onto Wilking (Wilking is on the curve about where the truck is in the picture below):
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Here is the park entrance sign (in the picture above, this sign is to the left and in front of the driveway seen directly in the foreground):
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Once on Wilking, the road quickly turns to a residential area and has many sharp turns and name changes. There are several stop signs along the way but it is obvious which way the main thoroughfare goes. Just remember, turn left at every stop sign. Eventually, we come out at I-5, under which we pass, and the road becomes Old Fairhaven Pkwy.
Old Fairhaven Pkwy. Two lanes each way, busy. Turn Left at the end to get on Chuckanut:
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NOTE: if anyone is interested in expensive boutique stuff, turn right and you'll be in the heart of Fairhaven. There's also some decent fish and chips served out of a double decker bus.
After turning onto Chuckanut, we'll cross a bridge and come to a light -- bear left on the main roadway.
Chuckanut Drive is gorgeous. Twisty, narrow roadway for about half the distance with spectacular views -- the kind of road you see in ads for cars and motorcycles. Stay within your limits because at some points, it's a long drop over the cliff to your right, and a hard crash into a rock wall 18" from the white line on the left.
Be aware that Chuckanut is a well known scenic drive, and it seems like people want to get through it as quickly as possible. Traffic is fairly constant, especially on sunny weekends. Watch for cars, trucks, and SUVs fully violating the double yellow. I'd love Chuckanut if the traffic would go away.
The curves are very well marked and even a beginner or a conservative rider can enjoy the road if the yellow speed signs are given due attention. The Chuckanut leg ends with a ride over a nice arching old bridge, to a straight fast highway. It can get pretty windy at this point because the terrain is flat as a table and completely open farm country.
Fresh oysters available at the Taylor Fish Farm near the end of the curvy part (there are a few more curves afterward). The turnoff is just before a hairpin turn. The lane down to the fish farm is almost 180 degrees from the direction of travel, and a one laner, but there is a restaurant parking lot to pull into. The restaurant is for sale so it's easiest to just pull into the lot, and then turn around to take the lane down to the water's edge. Here is a hastily assembled panoramic montage from the parking area down by the Taylor Fish Farm store:
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I can pack my shucking knife! ;-)
The Bow Hill Rd. intersection is well marked. A left turn and the very last leg begins:
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The Bow Hill Rd. is OK. Moderate traffic and some decent curves. However, it has a couple odd bumps that cross the road, and it feels like it was recently tarred and graveled by a drunk driver. There's no loose gravel left over, but the weaving pattern left by the oil truck has made some parts of the road a bit "groovy" which can make it feel like something is going out in the back end of your bike.
Bow ends and we're back at I-5 for all those coming from south. Of course, the Casino is right here too if ya feels lucky.
