Finding the Top of Bessemer Road
Some climbs are appealing simply because they are out there. One of the most famous is the road to L’Alpe d’Huez. It climbs 1,118 m over just 13.9 km. That works out to an average gradient of 8%. The steepest sections are 15%. Simply climbing the Alpe was a great experience. If you do it just days before the Tour de France went up there, it’s even more special (below). And the views from the top are amazing.
Now envision this climb on gravel! Welcome to Bessemer Road in the Cascade Mountains. Climbing out of the valley of the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River, this trail goes straight up the mountainside to the crest of the mountains. It’s not quite as high as the Alpe—just 978 m—but it makes up for it by being much steeper. All that elevation is gained in less than 10 km.
For those more comfortable with imperial units, that works out to 3,210 ft of climbing over 6 miles. The average gradient works out to 11%, but most of it is 13% or more. And the steepest sections are 22%.
Bessemer Road is a mining road, laid out with a minimum of fuss to get a six-wheeled articulated dumper truck up to a rock quarry and then haul the rocks back down, where they were transferred to street-legal trucks. Since the dumper had huge wheels, the road was surfaced with traction ballast to keep erosion at bay. Suffice to say that the surface is rough.
A few years ago, the road washed out near the top. It wasn’t worth repairing, so the quarry was abandoned, and the road has fallen into disuse. Every year, trees encroach a little more, and eventually it will be completely impassable as nature takes over again.
I had climbed Bessemer Road three times, but each time I ran out of time and didn’t make it to the top. On one of the last days of summer, I decided to have another go. A front was moving in, and rain was in the forecast. Racing against the elements added some drama to the climb. (I’m not sure more drama was needed, though.)
Getting there is part of the fun. I started in Issaquah at the edge of the Seattle suburbs, so I had 30 hilly miles (48 km) in my legs when I reached the bottom of Bessemer Road. No need to worry about a warmup! The closed gate at the bottom was good news: The road remains off-limits to motorized vehicles, and I wouldn’t have to worry about traffic on the narrow, steep road. I took my Unbound XL Rene Herse, since the electronic shifting (and smaller gears) would come in handy on the steep and rough climb.
Climbing up the valleyside, I encounter a creek that cascades across the road in two places—at least I think it’s the same creek that I cross twice as the road switchbacks up the mountain.
For me, long climbs fall into two categories: If my legs and body get into a flow, I feel like an eagle soaring on an updraft. When they don’t, climbing is hard work. Today is the latter, but that’s OK. It’s still enjoyable, just a little slower.
After a little over 40 minutes of relentless uphill, I reach the washout where the road is gone. I portage my bike across, then continue my ride on the overgrown trail on the other side. This is where the road gets even steeper, and where I’ve always turned around in the past. Not today—I am determined to reach the top.
As I climb past the 1,000 m elevation mark, the trees thin and the views open up. To the east, I see the crest of the Cascade Mountains.
Near the top, the road gets incredibly rough, but it’s still rideable—at least on 54 mm tires.
One more hairpin, and then the road ends. It’s a bit anticlimactic—there’s no mountain pass. I see the ridge just a few dozen meters above—so close, yet scrambling up there would take half an hour. Maybe some day—the lure of seeing what’s on the other side of the mountain is always strong.
Then I look around. The view is breathtaking. To the south, I see the snow-covered peak of Tahoma (Mount Rainier). It feels like I am almost at eye level with the highest volcano of the Cascade Mountains. Far, far below is the valley where I started the climb.
Through the trees, I see another road not far away. It looks rideable from up here, but it probably isn’t. When we tested the Lauf Seigla, we explored the slopes immediately to the west of Bessemer Road. We found a few tracks that were so overgrown that even bushwhacking was almost impossible. But the mountains are full of mysteries—it’s possible that there’s yet another way up here. This road looks like it’s worth checking out on a future ride.
For now, it’s time to head back. The rain clouds have been moving in all day, and the first sprinkles are beginning to fall. I remember that I’m at elevation, and descending 1,000 m on gravel in the rain would not be fun. Better to get going!
I point the bike downhill. I have to admit that I am a bit apprehensive. Bessemer Road is frequented by mountain bikers, but it’s not really the terrain for which my gravel bike with its canti brakes and handlebar bag was designed. How will it fare on the steep, bumpy, never-ending descent?
And steep it is. I’m already riding down a 16% slope (as indicated by my Garmin), and then this sign appears. You’ve got to love a road where 16% isn’t ‘steep’ yet, because there is more to come. Ahead, the road drops out of sight.
I worry about my rim brakes. I’ve been braking constantly since starting the descent. Are my rims overheating and starting to melt my tires? I splash a little water onto my finger and quickly touch the rim, expecting the water to sizzle. Not at all—the rim is barely warm. Perhaps the cool temperatures up here help, and the onrushing air also cools the rims.
I continue the descent. When the road is straight, I let go of the brakes for a second or two, but the bike picks up speed so quickly that I almost immediately have to brake for the next turn, creek crossing or other obstacle. It’s fun and also a bit nerve-wracking to brake so hard on the loose gravel, but I never get any brake judder, and my arms fatigue more from the constant shocks than from pulling the brake levers.
Every time I stop, to cross the washout or to take a photo, I check the rims. They are never more than hand-warm. This matches my experience on past rides—I’ve never managed to get my rims to heat up significantly from braking on steep downhills. (Except once, in the Andes of Venezuela on a small-wheeled Bike Friday, where the rims did sizzle.)
A mountain bike or a monstercross gravel bike like the Lauf Seigla would probably be better tools for Bessemer Road, but my bike copes just fine. The Extralight tires are no worse for wear after this adventure, and the extra clothes in the handlebar bag would have been welcome if the real rain hadn’t held off until I get home.
Will I return to Bessemer Road? Probably not to the very top. Having been there, the ultra-rough road is not a place I need to visit again. (Unless I decide to hike up to the ridge some day.) But the main climb before the big washout is such a wonderful challenge that I’ll probably be back. Just like I would climb the Alpe d’Huez from time to time, if I lived nearby.
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