SNOQUALMIE, SAGECLIFFE & THE SCABLANDS HIGH COUNTRY ECO ESCAPE
3 DAY/ 2 NIGHT

Tour Length: 3 Days / 2 Nights
Tour Code: EV201
Lodging: Cave B Inn at Sagecliffe
Activities: Rafting or biking, hiking, wildlife viewing, fine wining & gourmet dining
Interests: Natural history, geology, ecology, culinary, sustainability, educational sightseeing
Meals: Breakfast (B), Lunch (L), Dinner (D), Morning / Afternoon Tea (MT/AT)
Difficulty: Moderate
Carbon Footprint: custom – ask for details
Cost: Call for quote
Season: Year round
Departures: Private Charter Only
Min No of Passengers:


Inclusions:
Highly qualified and knowledgeable naturalist guide, travel in luxury air - conditioned vehicle, home made morning and/or afternoon tea, meals as listed, selected Washington wines and refreshments, all activities and gear as described, park entry fees and comprehensive commentary.

Escape Route day-by-day Itinerary:

Day 1 - Seattle to SageCliffe over Snoqualmie Pass

Sleep: Cave B Inn
Do: Hike, Biking or Rafting, Geology Tour, Wine Tasting

Start the day off with a short hike to Coal Creek Falls on Cougar Mountain our urban escape route, then venture up through our region's self-named Mountains to Sound Greenway, straddling Interstate 90, in the heart of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, With the adventurous day before us we stop for the Famous Four Course Country Breakfast at Salish Lodge, overlooking the 268’ foot Snoqualmie Falls.  In the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest there is more then ample opportunity to go play in the outdoors including the chance to paddle a raft, kayak or funyak down the Powerhouse run of the Snoqualmie River, go mountain biking on the John Wayne Trail, or hike one of many trails or even go fly-fishing in a stream teeming with rainbows, spot wildlife and just take in some incredible scenery. This place is overflowing with peaks, lakes, rivers and streams and the perfect region to enjoy the outdoors.

As we make our way down the “other side” you will see for yourself the dramatic changes in landscape.  Going from dense evergreen forest and soaring mountains to a sagebrush desert plain.   You will encounter first hand the impact that the Cascade mountain range has on our State’s climate by casting a huge rain shadow effect onto the dry side…  You will also witness a grand landscape in motion - as seen from a geological perspective, your guide will describe the forces that have shaped the land, which only adds to the pleasure of the remarkable scenery. 

As we head further east through apple country keep a watch out for elk feeding in the meadows or one of the sixteen species of raptors known to migrate through the area.   As we approach the Gingko Petrified Forest State Park, we take a look out across the arid landscape, it is difficult to imagine that the surrounding area was once covered in dense forest. Approximately 16 million years ago however, that is exactly what it looked like. Forests of mixed deciduous trees and conifers covered land that now can only support sagebrush, shrubs, and grasses. Volcanic eruptions that covered southeastern Washington during the Miocene epoch preserved the wood, providing evidence of these ancient forests.  The scenery again beckons our attention as we enter the SageCliffe Columbia River Reserve and cross the Columbia River on the way to the luxurious Cave B Inn at SageCliffe overlooking the dramatic river gorge.  This evening you can experience a barrel tasting in the Cellar followed by dinner at Tendrils restaurant located in the architecturally spectacular main Inn, with a visit to your table by the Chef or the Winemaker Chef Fernando Divina serves innovative regional fare - harvested from SageCliffe’s on-site organic gardens - artfully paired with Cave B Estate Wines.

DAY 2 - Channled Scablands

Sleep: Cave B Inn
Do: Hike, Geology Tour

After a champagne breakfast we depart for the geological wonder of the Channeled Scablands and the engineering marvel, Grand Coulee Dam.  First, we make our way up the sagebrush desert plains to Ephrata were we then head up the shoreline of Soap Lake and make our way into the Sun Lakes – Dry Falls State Park. Dry Falls is one of the great geological phenomena of North America. Carved by ice-age floods that long ago disappeared, the former waterfall is now a stark cliff, 400 feet high and 3.5 miles wide. In its heyday, the waterfall was ten times the size of Niagara Falls. Today we take a short hike or mountain bike overlooking a desert oasis filled with lakes and abundant wildlife.  As it is often very hot here, we can also choose to take a quick dip in one of the tempting Sun Lakes.   

Passing through this area you will see what makes Washington State such a remarkably complex place geologically, but for purposes of understanding the Scablands, it is very simple. There are only two units to consider: resting atop crystalline basement are the Miocene Columbia Plateau flood basalts, about 15 m.y. old. On top of the basalt is loess. The loess was derived from glacial outwash eroded out of the Cascade Range and blown eastward. Here you will witness the thickest loess deposits in the United States, up to 100 meters deep.

It is believed by many geologists that the Grand Coulee Canyon and Dry Falls were caused when Lake Missoula flooded at the peak of the Ice Age when a proglacial lake in the valleys of western Montana, broke through its ice dam and drained in about 48 hours. It was ponded behind an ice dam at least 700 m thick against a lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet that occupied northern Idaho. The flood rushed through eastern Washington and down the current path of the Columbia River at up to 35 m/sec with a discharge about 15 times the combined flow of all the rivers of the world.

We continue our way up the Grand Coulee Canyon, passing Steamboat Rock, a massive flat top monolith in the middle of the canyon.  Here we have opportunity to hike 800’ in one mile to a fantastic viewpoint and possibly catch a glimpse of a bald eagle.  Arriving at the Grand Coulee dam, we instantly our in awe at the engineering feat before us.  Made from 12 million cubic yards of concrete, Grand Coulee Dam is the largest concrete structure in the United States and the third largest hydroelectric facility in the world. 

DAY 3 - Sagecliffe to Seattle (alternate routes available)

Sleep: Cave B Inn
Do: Massage, hiking, mountain biking, winery tour

Sleep until you wake, enjoy breakfast on your patio overlooking the gorge, then head to the Spa at SageCliffe for an invigorating 60 minute massage.  Feeling invigorated, you embark on the new day, starting with a hike that leads down to the Columbia River below, offering exciting views, hidden waterfalls and seasonal ponds. Or choose to connect with the beautiful SageCliffe land on a sturdy mountain bike where you can breeze past vineyards, traverse the 700 acre estate or take an adventurous ride to the magnificent Columbia River.  The staff at Tendrils can pack a box lunch for a picnic with unobstructed views, or fill up at Tendrils.

After lunch you take a private winery tour, where you have the opportunity to blend and  bottle your own bottle of wine .The property itself has varied soils and climatic conditions which allow it to grow a variety of vines, from those traditionally grown in Italy to those traditionally grown much further north in Germany. The frost-free days on the property's vineyards vary by as much as 50 days a year. The corresponding difference in heat units allows Cave B Estate Winery to produce small quantities of quality estate wines in over ten varietals.

We then load up the Jeep and head back across the desert and into the mountains on our way back to Seattle, once again witnessing the terrain changing as you cross flat wheat lands, before climbing the steep, rocky mountains of the Cascades.  We take a quick drive through the historic mining town of Roslyn, where the television series ‘Northern Exposure” was filmed.  We then head into the Suncadia Resort and enjoy the Coal Miners Meat & Cheese plate or the Mesquite Smoked Rainbow Trout Cream Cheese dip, served with a baguette at the Gas Lamp Grille set in the mountain Inn amidst the beauty of a pristine ponderosa pine forest.

I-90 now takes us across Snoqualmie Pass. With our thirst for an authentic Pacific Northwest adventure quenched, we descend quickly pass soaring peaks and alpine lakes, taking in one of the most spectacular natural settings in the Northwest before arriving back into Seattle in the early evening. 

ALTERNATE ROUTES OF RETURN CAN BE ARRANGED, TIME PERMITTING WE CAN TRAVEL PAST MT. RAINIER ON THE CHINOOK PASS SCENIC BYWAY OR ON HWY 2 OVER STEVENS PASS.