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Lee Lambert Answers Your Cascade Tours Questions
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- Cascade’s multi-day Tours are special due to their affordability, scenic destinations and small size.
- Executive Director Lee Lambert offers his thoughts on what he loves about Cascade Tours – and why you should do one.
Paul Tolmé
Cascade’s multi-day Tours are a favorite of many staff members because they enable participants to affordably explore some of Washington state’s most scenic destinations by bicycle in the company of just 200 or fewer fellow riders.
But people who have never done one often ask Executive Director Lee Lambert questions about how our Tours are different from other Cascade rides – and how they differ from point-to-point tours that start and finish in a new location every day.
With our 2026 Walla Walla and Winthrop Gravel Tours completed, and our San Juan Islands and Lake Chelan Tours upcoming, we interviewed Lee to get his insights on what he loves about our Tours, and why you should gather your riding buddies and sign up.
Register for San Juan Islands or Lake Chelan Tours
What makes Cascade’s two- and three-day Tours different from other Cascade rides?
Lee: The biggest difference is the size. We cap the number of riders on our Tours at 200, which gives them a significantly different feel from our larger rides like the STP or Chilly Hilly that can have thousands of participants.
When you are riding it still feels like participating in a supported event, but after a few miles the group spreads out so that you have the space to experience the sights and beauty of our routes on your own or with a small group of friends.
What are routes like?
Unlike traditional tours that are point-to-point, Cascade’s Tours use what I call cloverleaf routing. Most use the same start and finish line each day but they head out in a different direction over the two or three days of the event, which means you get a unique route each day.
How does lodging work on the Tours?
Riders are responsible for their own lodging. We do this intentionally to keep the registration price low. At most of our Tours people have the option to camp or stay in a short-term rental or hotel. This flexibility allows people to have more control over how much they spend and whether they like to camp or stay in a comfy bed.
Because of the cloverleaf routes that return you to the same start/finish location each day, people can spend two or three nights in the same lodging and enjoy the host communities each night without having to pack up and move down the road to the next town.
How long are the rides each day?
We try to make sure that each day has a long and short route so riders can choose how much mileage they want. Riders doing long and short routes start at the same location, and at a point in the ride they can branch off and do the long route or continue on the short route, depending on how strong they feel.
On our gravel Tours like Winthrop, short routes are around 25 miles and long routes can be up to 50. On our road Tours like Chelan, San Juan Islands and Walla Walla, short routes are roughly 35 miles and long routes are up to 60 miles.
Occasionally, we will only have one route due to road closures or construction or factors outside our control.
How much elevation gain do the routes have?
All Cascade Tours are in Washington state so there is always some climbing. That said, for those who love to climb, we add optional climbs on some routes.
Our Tour producers plan the routes so that the longest mandatory climbing comes on the first or second day, with day three usually having the shortest routes and least amount of elevation gain.
What is the food like?
Because of their smaller size, we provide substantial lunches on Tours. Whereas people can grab a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and snacks and fruit on our big rides like STP, our Tours lunches are fancier.
Tour producers source lunch sandwiches and food from local restaurants and vendors so that we are supporting the local economy while giving riders tasty options. For instance, we offered tamales for lunch last year on one day of the Lake Chelan Tour.
I always look forward to lunch on day one of the Walla Walla Tour because we stop at Umapine Creamery, which is a family owned dairy and cheese making business. In addition to their lunch, every rider gets a package of Umapine cheese to take away and snack on later.
Do people hang out and socialize during the Tours?
Absolutely. The social opportunities are one of my favorite aspects of our Tours. On our three-day Tours we have social gatherings in the evening at local wineries or breweries. It's a chance for riders to connect with each other and with Cascade staff, make new friends and learn about Cascade’s Mission.
Cascade rides are essentially fundraisers that generate revenue for our Mission work in advocacy and policy, education and community building. Everyone who pays to enter a Cascade Tour or ride can feel good knowing they are not only having fun – they are helping to make Washington state more bikeable.
Do you have to ride all three days?
No. Because of the cloverleaf routes that end each day where you started, you can take a day off and join the next.
What makes Tours special to you?
Washington state has amazing landscapes and beautiful destinations for riding – but many people don’t want to go explore on their own. Our Tours allow you to enjoy biking in some of Washington’s most scenic communities with the assurance that you're being fully supported with food and hydration, route markings, SAG support and Outriders to help with minor mechanicals.
We do the hard work so that you can ride with just a water bottle and snacks and a spare tube. You can travel light on your bike and feel secure knowing Cascade has your back.
What type of riders participate in Cascade Tours?
We see every type of rider, with all body types and ages and abilities represented. People who sign up for a Tour by themselves can easily make friends and find riders of similar abilities to ride with. We also see lots of couples and friend groups who use our Tours as a fun weekend getaway.
In terms of bicycles, it runs the gamut. People ride e-bikes, flat bar commuter bikes, gravel bikes, carbon fiber road bikes, recumbents, trikes – you name it.
What type of rider support is offered on Tours?
Every route is on Ride with GPS so that people can download the routes to their bike computers, although we also still mark routes with “Dan Henry” symbols that allow people to simply follow our route markings if they prefer.
We have at least one SAG vehicle on every Tour, and multiple support vehicles if we sell out a ride. In addition to a lunch stop, we offer rest stops along the route where riders can stop to refill bottles and grab a quick snack and use the porta-loo. On our gravel rides we add additional Cascade staff and volunteers so that help is never far away if you have a mechanical issue.
Will you be riding the San Juan Islands and Lake Chelan Tours?
Absolutely. Please come say hello!
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