Route 3: The low pass, Summer Lake Hot Springs Route

Seattle, Vancouver, Gresham, Bend, Madras, La Pine, Paisley, Lakeview, Cedarville, Gerlach

Note: Updated versions of these directions can be found on gwally.com/directions/. This page is no longer updated.

Estimated route time & distance:
Seattle to Gerlach, NV
  Distance: 660 mi.
  Driving time: 16 hours

This route avoids the I-5 corridor completely and takes you just North of Vancouver, WA. It is actually faster than I-5, especially during afternoon commutes, which slows down traffic from Vancouver to Eugene. However, the speed on many of the roads is only slightly slower than the speeds on I-5.

Basicly, you follow I-5 to Vancouver, then take I-205 to I-84, then take I-84 to US-26, to Madras, then take US-97 to La Pine, then follow OR-31 to Lakeview, then follow US-395 to CA-299, across the Cedarville Pass to Cedarville, then follow US-447 to Gerlach. It sounds complex, but the road seems to flow the way you want to go. You can almost ignore the signs and follow home.

This route has plenty of services along the route such as stores like Safeway, Home Depot, Office Max and others. Bend is a nice, fully functioning town with a full range of services. Hours are limited. Gas prices are only slighly higher (1-3 cents) than the equivilent stations along I-5.

Seattle to La Pine, OR
  Distance: 360 mi.
  Driving time: 7.5 hours

• Follow I-5 southbound to Exit 7 (157 mi).
• You will reach Exit #7 just north of Vancouver, WA (157 mi).
  Take I-205 to Salem
• Take I-205 to I-84 (across the Columbia River) (14 mi).
• Take I-84 (Exit 22) heading Eastbound towards The Dalles
• Follow I-84 to Exit 16 (238TH DRIVE) (6.25 mi).
• Turn right onto 238TH DRIVE and head South to NE BURNSIDE ST (US-26) (3 mi).
• BURNSIDE DRIVE becomes US-26. Follow it up the pass to Madras, OR (100 mi).
• In Madras, OR, US-26 merges into US-97. The signage is a bit confusing. Just follow the main road.
• Follow US-97 to La-Pine (70 mi).
• Welcome to La Pine, OR.

La Pine to Lakeview, OR
  Distance: 145 mi.
  Driving time: 4.5 hours

After fueling up in La Pine, you head east through Oregon on the second most desolate stretch of the trip. You pass through some wonderful country during the day and by night, well, have your windshield fluid topped off because you will pass through swarms of bugs that are unbelievable. Also, watch for animals on the roadway such as deers, cows and of course, skunks.

• Head south on US-97 to Turn onto OR-31 heading East (1.9 mi).
• You will pass through Shevlin (18.5 mi).
• You will pass through Silver Lake (49 mi).
  Note: Cowboy Dinner Tree is a great place for dinner.
  4 Miles south on Hager Mountain Road. Call (541) 576-2426
• You will pass through Summer Lake (71 mi).
• You will pass by Summer Lake Hot Springs (91 mi).
• You will pass through Paisley (100 mi).
• OR-31 becomes SR-395. (120 mi.)
• You also pass through Valley Falls (122 mi).
• Welcome to Lakeview, OR (145 mi).

Lakeview, OR to Cedarville, CA
  Distance: 65 mi.
  Driving time: 2 hours

Gas prices are on average 17 cents higher per gallon in California than Oregon. We highly recommend that you completely top off before leaving the state.

For about 30 miles after leaving Lakeview, you will pass by Goose Lake. When you hit CA-299, head east (it's a T in the road) and up and over the Cedarville Pass. If you need supplies, Alturas, CA is 6 miles south of the CA-299 junction. The Cedarville Pass is 6,305 ft and from the top of the pass to Cedarville is very steep and windy road. If you ride your brakes, they can easily overheat and catch fire. Also, beware of cows that congregate on the roadway halfway down.

• Welcome to California (10 mi).
• You will pass through New Pine Creek (14 mi).
• You will pass through Willow Ranch (21 mi).
• You will pass through Davis Creek (32.5 mi).
• You will pass through Surprise (44 mi).
• Turn east on CA-299 to Cedarville (47 mi).
• Take CA-299 to Cedarville.
  Along the way you cross the Cedar Pass (6,305 ft).
• Welcome to Cedarville, CA (65 mi).

Cedarville, CA to Gerlach, NV
  Distance: 83 mi.
  Driving time: 2.5 hours

This is the most desolate stretch of the journey. The only business along the way between Cedarville and Gerlach is Planet X Potter a few miles outside of Gerlach. There is almost no houses and I do not know if the ones along the route are occupied or not.

• Turn right at the gas station (after gassing up) and continue south to Gerlach on CA-447/Surprise Valley Road.
• You will pass through Eagleville (15 mi).
• In the distance to the left, you will see Middle Alkali and Lower Alkali Lake.
• The color of the road completely changes. Welcome to Nevada (23 mi).
• You will notice the lack of anything except hills and scrub bushes.
• You pass Planet X Pottery (73 mi).
• You arrive in Gerlach (83 mi).

Gerlach, to Burningman
  Distance: 11 mi.
  Driving time: 20 minutes

We can't emphasize this enough, when in Gerlach and the surrounding suburbs, drive below the speed limit. You will see more police officers in Gerlach than you saw during your entire journey. They have no problem writing tickets for any offense. However, it has been our experience that the officers will treat you with the same amount of respect that you show them. So our advice is to be courteous to the locals and participants alike. Remember, anything you do reflects on the festival as a whole.

• Head north from Gerlach to the fork in the road (1 mi).
• Veer right and continue on NV-34 (11 mi).
• On the right side of the road you should see the entrance of the festival. Follow the signs posted by Burningman staff to conclude the journey.

There will be directions on how to get to the festival from here. Follow the posted signs, drive below the speed limit and if you for some reason cannot find your way, stop at a bar and ask for directions. I highly recommend that you top off your tank before heading out to the festival.

Some final thoughts
If you are like me, you will find a way to lose your tickets and your directions. These directions at least can be printed out so you can take them with you. My advice is to tape them to the inside of the glove box in an envelope and leave them there.

When entering the festival, remember that all of the people you see working are volunteers. It might seem like they enjoy hassling you, but the truth is they are doing a miserable thankless task. If you were a really nice person (and we know you are) you would hand them a nice cold frosty beverage, a barter item or something to help break up the monotony of their job. It doesn't matter what time of day you come in the gates, think of the Greeters and the Gate people when you arrive and treat them the way you like to be treated. It is a good way to kick off the event.

The Journey Back
On the journey back home, how about taking a few minutes and walking along 447 and cleaning the road? Several volunteers have pledged to clean a mile of road. It's fairly easy, it takes very little time and you get to help clean up after more errant people that left some trash on the side of the road.

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