Wauconda Pass
This is one in a series of gentle,
forested, long, straight pass roads on Wa20, as it
makes its way over one gentle mountain range after
another between the Pend Oreille River and the
Cascade Mountains. Some maps also label this as
Wauconda Summit.
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1.(00.0m,2290ft)START-END
EAST: low point on Wa21, just south of
Republic
2.(01.0m,2440ft)jct Wa20 - Wa21, just
south of Republic
3.(10.2m,3520ft)jct with Granite Creek Rd
4.(14.8m,4320ft)TOP: Wauconda Pass
5.(41.7m,0970ft)START-END WEST: jct Wa21 -
US97, Tonasket
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Approaches
From East. It's tempting
to start the profile right in Republic, along its
short street of busy old storefronts. But the
profile uses a point that is still a little lower
along Wa21, away from the popular touring route.
This side is a long, gentle climb on an
undulating road in the forest. The top is a
generic piece of forest. There is a single pass
sign.
From West. But the
scenery changes just after the top. Fields take
the place of some of the forest. Abandoned old
farm structures add to the scenery. Interspersed
in the mix are also generously watered lawns and
new retirement housing built during this or the
previous real estate boom. As Tonasket draws
closer a third type of residence becomes a common
road side view: trailers and wood structures
organized around old junk cars and piles of
refuse.
Miles before Tonasket, the road alternates
between almost flat stretches and 5 to 6 percent
slopes along a creek. When Tonasket finally shows
up below, the transition to an arid landscape is
complete: This could be a busy agricultural town:
Someplace, Arizona. The traffic becomes much more
heavy and aggressive close to town.
Dayride with this point as highest summit:
PARTIALLY PAVED / UNPAVED
( < Sherman
Pass | Loup
Loup Pass > )
Wauconda Pass x2: ~2 miles from Wa20 on
FR32 > FR32 north <> Wa20 west
<< turnaround point Tonasket with detours
through town <> from jctWa20 - FR32 separate
out and back on Wa20 east << turnaround
point: jct Wa20 - West Fk Granite Creek Rd
>> back to stasting point on FR32: 74.5miles
with 5190ft of climbing in 5:52hrs (garmin etrex30
r4:17.7)
Notes: only unpaved section is a short approach
from a campsite. This is not the kind of road
that has very many cyclists, in spite of the
fact that it is on the Adventure Cycling
Itinerary. But when two cross they often stop.
This way I met 1_Ralf from Bingen, Germany, on a
ride from Connecticut to Seattle - to see
what it looks like here
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