Top Chelan County mountain bike rides: Right in our backyard

Published: August 13, 2010

By Brent Stecker
Wenatchee World staff writer

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

When it comes to mountain biking, Chelan County is home to some of the best ? and most diverse ? in the state.

Based on interviews with local mountain bikers, here are three rides to check out:

Canyon Number Two
Based around the Stairway to Heaven trail, this area near Wenatchee has been expanded in recent years with three new routes - the Bermuda Triangle, Road Rage, and Waterslide.

"They're really designed for mountain bikes," says local rider Matt Rose, who is a board member of the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and helps maintain trails as a volunteer with the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust. "If you're a mountain biker, there's nothing like a trail designed for mountain bikes."

Adds Bret Marshall, a member of Wenatchee Area Racers and a board member of Wenatchee Valley Velo: ?Bermuda is switchbacky. It?s fun, gentle, but Road Rage is a lot more technical and a pretty good climb getting up there. Waterslide is semi-technical, and there?s big berms and big jumps on it.?

The Bermuda Triangle, which is a sub-section of the Stairway to Heaven, is a free-form area full of switchbacks and bermed-up turns.

?It?s not a trail that goes from point A to point B. It has all kinds of destinations,? says Dave Dunnell, a member of Wenatchee Valley Velo and Wenatchee Area Racers.

Road Rage, meanwhile, is a very technical, downhill-only course. That trail spins off into Waterslide, which is aptly named.

?It?s three-quarters of a mile in a downhill drainage. It?s a like a creek that never had water in it, a big U-shaped channel. You drop into this channel, and it?s just like being on a waterslide,? says Dunnell.

Distance/Time: 10 miles/two hours

When to ride: Late spring through fall

Terrain: The single track trails take you through a forest-like area, with plenty of berms, switchbacks, and steep climbs.

Sage Hills
In Wenatchee, the Sage Hills trails system is great for both a novice rider to get their feet wet or an experienced biker looking for a long ride with endless possibilities.

?You can put together huge loops on Sage,? says Rose. ?I don?t have a usual route on Sage Hills, and that?s why I like it. You can make it 25 miles if you do the loops right, with a heck of a lot of elevation gain. It will make mountain bike riders from the westside gasp in terror, and that?s what we have in our backyard and its phenomenal.?

The best options for experienced riders are the sub-trails Snakebite, Coyote Canyon, and Lower Lightning, which Dunnell says are likely old game trails started by deer and horses.

?They?re more technical, and the grades are more challenging,? Dunnell says.

Novice riders can have plenty of fun on the trails, as well.

?It?s fast, hard, but smooth, and with little dust and right in town,? says local rider Scott Pita.

Distance/Time: Anywhere from 10-25 miles/two to five hours

When to ride: Spring through fall

Terrain: The main trails are 30-inches wide, and true to its name, riders roll through sagebrush. Expect to get a little dusty, and also to get a workout from all the climbing.

Devil?s Gulch
Though it lacks the options of the other trail systems, Devil?s Gulch is challenging enough for the veteran but safe enough for the novice.

?Basically you?re just going up a drainage for the most part,? Dunnell says. ?You?re not doing a lot of loops, not a lot of switchbacking. It?s user-friendly ? medium chain rings ? so you can go at a good clip, and in the basin you have to climb out of it so it?s a grunt.?

The serious mountain bikers start at the trail head outside of Cashmere, climbing all the way up, then back down for a refreshing descent. Others station a car at the trailhead, then drive to Mission Ridge and start from there.

The views are unparalleled, giving a great glimpse of a part of the region seldom seen, and the shade in the area makes Devil?s Gulch a great option in the summer heat.

Distance/time: 12 miles each way/five miles round-trip

When to ride: Late spring to late fall

Terrain: As long as you head up there during the dry season, the trail features a good mix of rocky and dusty. Watch out for off-road vehicles ? it was originally created as an ORV trail ? and stay concentrated on the single track. Otherwise you can find yourself hurtling down a not so forgiving cliff.

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