Day 11: Dayton, WA to Clarkston, WA: Amazing 10 mile descent into Clarkston

Kevin Carney
Jun 18, 2023
1 min read

Updated: Aug 12, 2023

Thursday June 15, 2023, 61 miles (98 km) - Total so far: 479 miles (771 km)

Todays route:

While Sev, the owner of Hotel Weinhard, was recommending a more scenic, less trafficked, and perhaps more direct route to Clarkston (which kept us off HW12 most of the way) we were worried about the two sections marked as "unpaved" on our maps. We decided to stick with the ACA route which followed HW12 all the way into Clarkston.

Today’s route included a long but gradual climb that took us to the Alpowa Summit. But what we really enjoyed was the exhilarating ten mile descent down into Clarkston! As we were descending we heard an oncoming car honking, with an arm extended out the driver's window waving a red hat. It was the nice couple we had met at breakfast - Pat and Steve Finnegan from Hillsboro, OR. They were out hiking for the day. They were very interested in our planned journey, and asked that we track them down when we’re back in Portland.

We did find a nice place for lunch in Pomeroy, WA called The Baker’s Table. It’s worth a visit!