Weekend Bikerafting

I hit the lower Yakima River for a self-contained trip of Bike-Raft-Bike a little over a week ago. It was a leisurely pace, but I wanted to time everything for reference and possibly to help others with general time estimates. My first transition after riding to the put-in was 24 minutes to unload the bike, inflate the boat, and strap the bike on the boat. Seven miles on the Yakima at ~1200cfs took around 1hr49min. The second transition to deflate the raft and load everything back on the bike was about 26 minutes. Based on those data points you should probably plan for anywhere from 15min-30min per transition in addition to your cycling time and paddling time. Tip: Practice your transitions at home in your garage or yard, that way you are better prepared for the trip.

The route can be found here: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/99038033 Unless you really enjoy being on the river and paddling flatwater, I’d advise skipping the final 2 miles after the Chamna takeout. There is really no current in this section. This route is easily accessible by bike from just about anywhere in the Tri-Cities. Visit the Lower Yakima-Chamna route page for more info.

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