Basics
- Length:
- 40 miles (64 km)
- Time:
- Allow at least an hour and a half to tour this byway.
Description
Starting in the city of Republic, Sherman Pass Scenic Byway is surrounded by stunning scenery, and not many travelers. Less well known than other byways, Sherman Pass offers travelers a chance to escape the pressures of civilization for a while.
The byway takes visitors through the heavily forested Colville National Forest and climbs steeply to cross Sherman Pass, Washington's highest maintained pass at 5,575 feet above sea level. The views along the byway are of pristine wilderness, cascading creeks and waterfalls, emerald stands of ponderosa pine, western larch, and Douglas fir. Catch a glimpse of an occasional beaver dam and the prominent summit of Paradise Peak on the southern horizon.
The byway tells the story of a diverse history. This same route was once used by Native Americans as they made their way to the Columbia River to fish. The trail later became a wagon route and was named after Civil War General William Tecumsah Sherman, who crossed the area in the 1860s over what is now the scenic byway. Today the byway is popular with byway travelers and bicycle riders.
