Mountain Biking Guide to Seattle

Seattle is both an excellent starting point for mountain biking and a destination in itself for those who prefer their bikes to have fat tires and eight inches of travel. For those looking to get gnarly on ladders and drops (or just navigate a couple of tricky roots), networks of trails like those at Tiger Mountain are only about a half-hour away. There are literally trails in every direction from Seattle that range from extensive, state-sponsored undertakings to rogue groups of features tucked away from the watchful eye of the Forest Service.

Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club
Website
This is an impressively comprehensive resource. Check out the “Trails” (http://www.bbtc.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page) tab for an interactive Google Earth map with over 100 trails pinpointed. Each trail is individually described in detail including a difficultly rating and a report on current conditions. The site also has a variety of pages to facilitate the selection process like “Top Ten Trails Near Seattle,” “Best Beginner Trails” and “Good Winter Areas.”

Here are some local mountain biking trails and parks

St. Edward State Park
The park is located on the north shore of Lake Washington just outside Seattle in Kenmore. The lush, forested northeast shore of Lake Washington offers a variety of trails - winding, flat, technical, rolling - so although the ride is short, repeating the trails to add mileage isn't boring.

South Seatac
South Sectac has something for everybody. XC, cyclocross, freeride, and dirt jumping. Most of the forest is mild single track; jumps and drops litter the area, but truth be told this is a must see for a Seattle Area cycling enthusiast.

Vancouver North Shore
The North Shore is rightfully renowned for some of the most challenging off-road mountain-bike trails in the world. Series of ladders, drops, rails and boardwalks make this a truly unique and challenging set of trails and rides.

Capital Forest
Outside of Olympia are miles and miles of single track in the middle of nowhere. You can find trails from the easiest to the muddiest. Note: (the forest doesn't usually dry out till the middle of august.) Motorbikes, horses, hikers and hunters use the same area. This is easily some of the best trails in Washington.

Tiger Mountain
Living in a metropolitan area, it seems like you have to drive farther and farther just to find a decent mountain bike trail. Tiger Mountain is one exception to the rule. With help from the DNR and the Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club; a mere half hour out of the city (with good traffic) lays a labyrinth of trials just off I-90.

I-5 Colonnade
The I-5 Colonnade is not technically a mountain bike trail, but rather an urban mountain bike skills park. It’s part of the City of Seattle parks system, and the first of its kind in the world. That’s right—Seattle is winning the global urban single-track arms race. The ambitiousness of the project is striking; the idea of creating a system of mountain bike trails and features of beginner, intermediate and expert difficulties in a completely urban environment falls squarely under the “progressive thinking” heading. But it makes perfect sense—take a vacant swath of land under an eight-lane freeway, clean up the polluted dirt and start sculpting a playground that the fat-tire contingent of the Seattle biking community can ride to after work.

The park is located between Capitol Hill and Eastlake, directly under the I-5 corridor. Phase one, the novice section of the project, is complete. Phase two is scheduled to open around October 2008. The city and the Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club (BBTC) jointly fund the project. The BBTC is currently selling stones that will be permanently placed in the park for anyone that would like to contribute. There is still a need for volunteer labor as well. For more information (to donate, to volunteer, to see pictures, etc.), check out: http://www.bbtc.org/colonnade/