Fall City-Duvall-Lake Joy Gravel Loop

Please note: During COVID-19 restrictions, all Free Group Rides are limited in the number of allowed participants. Registration for the ride (using the red “Register Now” button above) is REQUIRED to participate. If you decide not to ride, please click the red "Cancel My Registration" button above so that an additional spot will be made available to another.

Face coverings (for mouth and nose) are required when the group makes extended stops. Face coverings are recommended for the duration of the ride. Please bring personal hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and tissues for use at rest stops.

We will observe current social distancing guidelines when off the bike, and strive to maintain at least 10-12ft separation between riders when on the bike.

Join us for a 35-mile mostly gravel ride from Fall City at a steady pace effort (12-14 MPH on flats)!

Enjoy the rural and woodsy scenery of the Snoqualmie River valley on less-traveled roads. We will ride the Snoqualmie Valley Trail to Duvall and take the Tolt Pipeline Trail to Kelly Road. We'll continue on paved roads around one side of Lake Joy, and then pick up gravel again, back to Carnation. After a coffee stop at Sandy's Espresso, we'll get back on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail to Fall City.

The gravel on this route is of mixed types, and the route will give you more practice descending than climbing on rough surfaces. The Snoqualmie Valley Trail, on a former railroad bed, is fairly smooth and hard-packed, with very gradual elevation changes. The Tolt Pipeline Trail is a dirt road with some gravel and grass mixed in, over rolling terrain. We will encounter a short, rough gravel switchback descent of less than 1/4 mi., which can be walked if you aren't ready to attempt riding it. The gravel roads through the wooded neighborhoods between Lake Joy and Carnation are hard-packed dirt and embedded gravel with some potholes, and unlike the trails, they are open to motor vehicles. We will have a fairly steep descent of about 3/4 mi. on that section of the ride. If you are new to gravel and have more questions about what to expect, ask in the comment section below or email me. 

Let's meet at the gravel parking lot at Fall City Community Park at 9:45 a.m. for our pre-ride safety briefing, with a departure at 10:00 a.m.

We will climb and descend hills at our own pace, and our goal will be to regroup occasionally as needed.

Restrooms but no water are available at the start and at 14.5 miles. Our coffee stop at Sandy's is at 28 miles.

What to bring: A bike with at least 35 mm tires will suffice; a little narrower could probably work, and wider is good. Bring a spare tube and tools to fix a flat, just in case. Please have full fenders if the roads are wet, or you may be asked to ride at the rear of the group. Bring enough water and food to sustain you till the coffee stop.

Note: If weather conditions meet the weather cancellation criterion listed above or if there are unforeseen hazardous riding conditions or other unexpected events, the Ride Leader will post a ride-canceled note in the Comments section below at least two hours prior to the start and Ride Leader(s) will not be at the start location.

We hope you can join us!