Once the winter has passed, and the weather gets warm, it’s time to take out the bike, put the air in the tires, get the helmet on, and pedal out on two wheels.
If you’re in Pullman, Washington, there are several places that you can go. I highly recommend that you take a biking trail adventure, and there are several places to go to on two wheels in and around Pullman, Washington.
The Bill Chipman Palouse Trail
The Bill Chipman Palouse Trail is a paved path from Pullman, Washington to Moscow, Idaho. The Bill Chipman Palouse Trail is very good for bikes, but it is also good for running and jogging. It is about 10.1 miles from start to finish, so to bike the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail is about one hour each way.
There are many rest stops along the way, and it is possible to take a detour as well. About one mile into the Bill Chipman Trail (travelling from Pullman to Moscow), there is a bridge leading to Airport Road, which is the start of the Arbor Link Trail. Follow this trail, and it will lead you to the WSU Bear Center, which will have some captive grizzly bears that you can view safely behind the double fences. If you continue to bike up Animal Sciences Road will take you up to Washington State University campus.
You could easily spend a day up at WSU, which you can find a good self-guided tour here. Keep in mind that this tour starts from the south side of WSU campus, and approaching from Animal Sciences Road (which becomes Wilson Road) means that you start on the east side of campus, and can move your way west if you want to go that way.
If that sounds too much to you, then you could make a day trip to Moscow, as there is plenty to do there. There is much to do in Moscow, and if you like, you can take the Paradise Path, a 2.23 mile paved trail to the Latah County Trail. The Latah County Trail is about 12 miles, ending in the city of Troy, Idaho.
Pullman Trails and Pathways
In addition to the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail, the city of Pullman, Washington has several trails that run throughout the city made just for bikes, and many of them will lead to great views and spectacular sights.
The Arbor Link path that I mentioned earlier will eventually come to a fork, and if you take the left path, that will lead to Terre View trail, and that will pass the Palouse Ridge Golf Club. Follow the path to its end, and it will come to the Grand Avenue Greenway.
The Grand Avenue Greenway is a path that goes all through Pullman, and if you head back through the city, you will pass a lot of landmarks.
You will have to cross Stadium way, which usually has a lot of traffic. Once it is crossed, you will discover a very secret place known as Petry Natural Area. Petry Natural Area cannot be accessed by car, but only on the Grand Avenue Greenway, and it is a few benches in a secluded area designed to provide rest.
If you keep travelling on the Grand Avenue Greenway towards downtown Pullman, you will also pass the Three Forks Wayside, which has some benches for resting and a small waterfall as well.
Here you can find the College Climb, which is a steep (but short) bike path that will lead you near Greek Row with the sorority and fraternity houses. It isn’t far from Washington State Campus if you want to approach WSU from the west moving east.
Following the Grand Avenue Greenway will take you into town to a small bridge, and this will begin the Downtown Riverwalk. It is also possible to head up the Davis Way trail which will take you near Sunnyside Park.
Downtown Riverwalk will take you on a bridge past the Pullman Depot and Heritage Center, and continuing further past Heros N Sports will find a path behind Thomas Hammer. Follow this path along with the river and you will arrive at the WSU Brelsford Visitor Center.
From there, you can proceed down to the City Playfield Path, and after passing the City Playfields, it won’t be long before you can follow the path to arrive at the Bill Chipman Trail once again.
There are some choices to go from there, assuming you haven’t done the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail before. Continue past a restaurant known as Birch and Barley, and you will arrive at Johnson Road, and there is a trail that runs parallel to it. You can follow that to Mary’s Park, and follow Johnson road back.
You can do this bike tour in a little under a day, as long as you don’t stop for anything, and most of it is very flat. It really is going to be the spots along the way that will be the highlight, and it will be a lot of fun.