Entiat River Road

77 McR Points

Motorcycle Type : Touring

No offence to the originator; this is a challenging ride to rate due to confusion. There are no written directions and the map route doesn't match the description. The map shows a route from Grand Coulee all the way to a forest road starting in Entiat. Not counting the forest road, Grand Coulee to Entiat is roughly 100 miles. The description only claims a 20 mile route. That's a pretty big discrepancy.

My review will focus on the paved sections (the majority of the map route). Generally, this route follow the mighty Columbia River with a brief peel off to the vacation destination of Chelan. The road conditions along the highways are generally good. There are sweeping views of the river and the riverside towns sprinkled along the banks. The backdrop is full of rocky hills which are sparsely populated with hardy-looking shrubs and trees. This is not the lush, green landscape Washington is often known for, but it is still beautiful with its iconic rough-and-tumble appearance of the untamed American West.

The man-made marvel of Grand Coulee Dam should be thoroughly explored. The Visitor Center is free and a laser show is displayed most nights using the dam as the screen. Plenty of restaurants and motels are located around the dam. Be sure to take the short drive up to Crown Point - a lookout just northwest of the dam. This provides a spectacular view of the entire valley and good opportunity to get a pic of the bike and dam together.

Chelan and Lake Chelan are the destination of many summer vacationers. Activities and lodging abound in this area as well as beautiful views of the water.

517 McR Points

Motorcycle Type : Touring

As mentioned, I also rode the paved section from Grand Coulee to Entiat (and eventually on down to Wenatchee. Good riding. Hot in the Summer.

5 McR Points

Motorcycle Type : Touring

Good review by PileDriver. Here's more on SR19/Entiat River Road. I rode up past Ardenvoir mid-June this year. Nice ride. Ardenvoir is 10 miles from Entiat and is home to Cooper's General Store and Cafe (and gas station), which appeared to be closed due to COVID. But the paved road goes way past Ardenvoir. I rode to the excellent Silver Falls Campground which is 20 miles past Ardenvoir and only stopped because of patches of snow still on the road. It's a beautiful ride along a river the entire way and the road is in good condition. About 15 miles past Ardenvoir there are some nice spots to pull off and have a picnic on the river's edge.