United StatesWashington Lion Rock
Lion Rock Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

20.3
PDI
10.5 mi
DISTANCE
3,440 ft
GAINED
6.2 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
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Page Contributor(s): Stefan Kron, Seattle, WA, USA; Mike McQuaide, Luxemborg; Chris Coddington, Quincy, WA, USA

INTRO

This 10.5 mile bike climb is located in WA, USA. The average gradient is 6.2% and there is a total elevation gain of 3,440 ft, finishing at 5,699 ft.

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ROUTE MAP

MEMBER RATING

Difficulty: Strenuous
3.3
Road
5
Traffic
4.5
Scenery

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Olympic NP: Hurricane Ridge
United States (WA), Canada
8 ROUTES
19 POIs
ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)
125
mi
DISTANCE
14,009
ft
ELEV. GAIN

NEARBY CLIMBS (0) RADIAL PROXIMITY

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Sep 23, 2024
difficulty: Moderate
scenery: 5
traffic: 5
road: 2
Sep 23, 2024
scenery: 5
traffic: 5
road: 2
Need to start in Ellensburg for the full diesel experience. As an added perk the ride through the farmlands is beautiful and a perfect warmup for the climb. I recommend wide tires (I rode this on my gravel bike with 43mm semi-slicks) glad I did as there is a ton of broken chip seal and the best part of the climb, the summit at Lions Rock is a few miles past the end of the “paved” road and a few hundred feet higher. This was a great ride and I plan on doing it again!
Jul 15, 2024
difficulty: Extreme
scenery: 4
traffic: 5
road: 4
Jul 15, 2024
scenery: 4
traffic: 5
road: 4
I rode this climb a couple of times in 2023 to prepare for L'Etape - from its profile it was the closest thing in Washington to Col de Joux Plane. It was pretty similar, and in the end the temperature profile was pretty good as well! Beautiful scenery as you go up and work your way through the tree line. Road is similar to European climbs - one lane most of the way and we'll paved with a few washout exceptions. All of the drivers I encountered were uncharacteristically kind and courteous towards a lone biker. I had to drive here, so would park at the state park down in Ellensburg by the highway and ride up. It's a good effort that way, about 45 miles round trip with just under 4k of total climbing.
Jul 18, 2022
difficulty: Strenuous
scenery: 4
traffic: 5
road: 4
Jul 18, 2022
scenery: 4
traffic: 5
road: 4
This climb oddly felt similar to some of the European climbs along rural villages, meandering along the hills with minimal traffic. Small narrow road but well paved. At the top is a flat ride along the tree line. It makes for a great workout
May 19, 2021
difficulty: Extreme
scenery: 5
traffic: 5
road: 3
May 19, 2021
scenery: 5
traffic: 5
road: 3
Best way to get elevation
ROUTE MAP
PROFILE TOOL
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CLIMB SUMMARY

Cycling Lion Rock (Strava Segment)

Ride 10.5 miles gaining 3,484’ at 6.3% average grade.

This is a remote climb just north of Ellensburg (pop.21,111 2019) in the Cascade Range and the Wenatchee National Forest (est 1908; 1,739,057 acres).  This is the 4th most difficult bike climb in Washington and the second if you travel past the paved finish to our climb another 2 ½ miles on gravel to the high point of Table Mountain Road (not recommended on a road bike; route).

Start climb on Reecer Creek Road

Sign at mile 1.9 - all of the climb is remote and the majority single lane.

July 2021 was a bad year for fires in the area.

Interesting rock formation at ~mile  7

A somewhat confusing/ambiguous sign at mile 7.3

We haven’t heard of any problems cycling to Lion Rock

The finish is amongst charred forest.

Here is a great story about riding Lion Rock by ultra adventurer Mike McQuaide, author of 75 Classic Rides Washinton:  The Best Road Biking Routes:

Ever since my Seattle Times story of a month ago when I featured five killer climbs of Washington State, I've been itching to head down Ellensburg way to try out something called Lion Rock, also referred to as Table Mountain. A couple readers (Justin Yeager and Christopher Fast) had alerted me to it. Well, my itch has been scratched as yesterday I climbed the beastie. It's an amazing climb, the toughest section: a 6-mile stretch that climbs 2,600 feet. Closest thing I've ridden is McNeil Canyon near Chelan, which climbs 2,200 feet in 5 miles.

Mt. Rainier is visible to the southwest looking back at mile 4

Several things make this a unique and worthwhile climb. First, it's in the middle of nowhere, about 12 miles north of Ellensburg in Wenatchee National Forest and though it's a mostly paved road (more on that in a sec), it doesn't really lead anywhere so during my ride, I came across one bicyclist, two motorcycles and two cars. Interestingly, though paved, it's only one lane. So you feel like you're riding some of those crazy skinny mountain roads featured in the Giro. And given the forested mountain setting, it has somewhat of a mountain biking feel to it too.

Second, the wind. Not sure if I was riding on a particularly breezy day--the dozens of wind farm turbine towers on the exposed hills and fields all around Ellensburg would suggest it's typical (none of which, by the way, were turning)--but I was treated to a constant 20- to 30-mile-per-hour northwest wind. Once I started climbing up the mountain and was somewhat protected by the folds of the forested hillside, it wasn't so bad. In fact, on some of the short little east-west switchbacks, I definitely felt the wind was aiding me when it was at my back. Heading west, I was in my tiniest 34-27; head east, I could shift down one, two, sometimes even three gears.

Thanks Mike!