We know you are itching to get started, so Segment 1 starts us off with eight straight days of riding! This is a great first week with lots of time in the saddle but a relatively low average mileage of 54. 

In the beginning of the week we’ll head due west towards Lincoln City, and feast our eyes on the Pacific Ocean! The middle of the week will take us to Florence, Bandon, and Gold Beach- all charming Pacific coastal towns. Ride day seven will take us across our first state line and into California! Northern California has great riding in store for us, and contains wondrous Redwood forests that captivate with age and beauty. Here, we will spend the first rest day of the ride, exploring beneath dense redwood canopies!

Segment 2 will be spent entirely in the beautiful state of California. As we depart the Redwood Forest, we will pedal towards the quaint town of Rio Dell, known for its position on the Eel River. Another 48 miles will lead us to Garberville, and then we will ride our ‘big-day’ of the week into the small town of Willits. At this point, if you’re looking for another glimpse of crisp, clear waters- you’re in luck! Our next ride takes us to Clearlake Oaks, CA. This town of 2,400 people is located on the banks of the beautiful Clear Lake – the largest natural freshwater lake in the state.

Esparto will be one more night in a small town before heading into the Sacramento metro area. We will end our week riding a very flat 55 mile route to the east side of the city in Rancho Cordova. This Sacramento suburb will be our Segment 2 off-day location, and where we will rest up after 6 straight days of riding.

Segment 3 kicks off with a bang as we depart the metro area of Sacramento and head into Pollock Pines, a beautiful town of 7,000 on the edge of Tahoe National Forest. Our next day is sure to be a stunner as we pedal through Tahoe and find arrive at South Lake Tahoe, CA. After two days of short mileage and intense elevation, the group will enjoy an off-day to take in the splendor of Lake Tahoe’s beaches, and walking trails.

Our next two riding days will bring us through the beautiful and sparsely populated Stanislaus National Forest, and to the doorstep of Yosemite National Park! Saturday and Sunday are set aside for exploring and relaxing in the splendor of this world-famous National Park.

Segment 4 will start off with a sharp turn to the northeast as we enter our third state of the trip: Nevada! We will spend our first night in Hawthorne, NV- known as America’s Patriotic Home due to the large percentage of military families in the town. Hopefully Tuesday brings clear skies because we will be staying in Tonopah, which claims to have the best view of the night sky due to its distance from major light pollution sources. After a night of star-gazing, we will head towards Beatty, NV – the edge of Death Valley National Park. Thursday we take a break from the saddle to explore our third National Park of the trip.

A fitting next stop after Death Valley is the town of Pahrump, NV, which name translates to “water rock” for all of the artesian wells in the area. We will end our week in Summerlin South, on the west side of Las Vegas, NV where you can find cheap flights in and out of.

We begin Segment 5 by passing along the southern portion of metro Las Vegas and landing in Boulder City, our last evening in Nevada. The next morning we will have one of the more dramatic crossings of a state line that you can imagine, the Hoover Dam! Our first day in Arizona brings us to Kingman – a popular town on Route 66 with a museum to prove it.

We will tame about 4,000 ft of elevation on our way Williams, AZ – known as the Gateway to Grand Canyon National Park. Past FCBA riders have enjoyed the many small-town shops and Americana-style diners in this quaint little town! Our next ride day will be shorter and flatter, with a destination that speaks for itself! Grand Canyon National Park will be our camping home for the weekend, affording us two off-days to soak in all of the vistas, stargazing sessions, and hiking trails that make the Grand Canyon unforgettable.

The first two days of Segment 6 will be spent riding through the Navajo Nation Reservation of northern Arizona. Kayenta is home to the Navajo Code Talkers Exhibit which chronicles their historic impact on WWII.

Parks & Peaks sees its fifth state line on Wednesday during a century ride into Blanding, UT. Our first full ride day in Utah brings us to the edge of Arches National Park. We will have an off-day on Friday to take in the sights of this beautiful National Park, and rest up for a Saturday century ride. Segment 6 will end in the town of Fruita, CO, just 20 minutes from the Grand Junction Regional Airport.

As we bid farewell to the Grand Junction area, we will head northeast to the town of Rifle, a major hub of the cattle ranching industry in Colorado.  Our next town is an exciting one to say the very least- the town of Craig, CO will host Parks & Peaks’ first build day of the summer.

We will spend two days working on affordable housing projects with the Moffat County Fuller Center for Housing. A big Friday ride will take us to Wamsutter, WY and our first night in the Cowboy State! We will end our week in Rock Springs, WY, with an off-day to explore the western city of 23,000.

As our western loop turns to the northeast, we will leave Rock Springs and eat up miles on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday will be a highlight of the trip, passing through Grand Teton National Park and ending up at a campground in Yellowstone National Park.

With an off-day in Yellowstone to see famous sights like the Prismatic Pool, Old Faithful, and Hayden Valley, we will get a rich view of this iconic park. Two more ride days will take us to the Park’s tourism center in West Yellowstone, and onto our segment endpoint in Bozeman, MT.

The firsts days of Segment 9 will take us through Big Sky landscapes to small towns where we will stay the night. Wednesday comes with a visit to Missoula, complete with its vibrant cycling culture and headquarters of Adventure Cycling Association. Take a hike to the M, or relax in one of the many great restaurants and breweries that the town has to offer. 

Thursday promises to be special, as we will be staying at the home of Fuller Center friends in Polson, MT. Riders will have the chance to go for a refreshing swim after a great ride, and camp right on the shore of Flathead Lake.

If you find yourself itching for another National Park, you won’t have to wait long – Friday takes us into Glacier National Park! The Going-to-the-sun Road is one of the most beautiful in the world, and we will get the chance to ride it! Whichever day is nicer weather, we will have optional cycling explorations, but you are free to choose a hike or a more restful days should you desire. 

This is the most northerly segment of our adventure, hugging the Canadian border for the first few days. After nights in the small mountain towns of Eureka and Libby, we will head to our second build site in Bonners Ferry, ID.

We will spend two days working on a new home build with the Boundary County Fuller Center for Housing on Thursday and Friday. Saturday brings a long ride and the end of the segment as we cycling to Spokane Valley, WA. An off-day prepares us for the final week of the journey, and sets our sights on Portland!

Heading southwest out of Spokane Valley, we will spin right on into the ritzy Ritzville, WA.  Tuesday takes us to Kennewick, and a brief stint along the Columbia River, the country’s second largest. Our third ride day this week is short and easy into Sunnyside, a little town on the edge of the Yakama Indian Reservation.

Thursday takes us to Goldendale, a small agricultural hub, and Friday is our big ride for the week. The eve of our adventure’s end will be spent in Washougal, WA, the edge of the Vancouver and Portland metro area, which features excellent views of the Columbia River Gorge. A very short Saturday ride brings us back into Oregon for the first time since May, and concludes the epic journey of the Fuller Center Bike Adventure’s Parks & Peaks ride in 2019!