Babyshoe Pass
Cascade gravel with resplendent views of lakes, mountains, and trees
By the Numbers
Two main climbs and a long descent
I’d been planning this ride for months ever since reading about the climb to Babyshoe Pass in BQ. The climb from Highway 12 to the summit at the intersection with FS 2150 has an average grade of 6% and a max grade of 20% with soft, loose gravel and rough washboard making it tough to keep traction and rhythm.
I chose to start in Randle so the ride along Highway 12 could be completed earlier in the ride and to provide some easy miles to warm up the legs before tackling the big gravel climb up FS 21. I wasn’t able to find obvious parking opportunities but fortunately the closed ranger station was available.
As I made way up the climb I could hear a vehicle reluctant to pass but finally a NFS firefighter truck pulled up alongside me and all the mask-wearing firefighters stuck their arms out the window with thumbs up signs! As they drove past a ton of dust was kicked up from the dry roads.
