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Kachess Ridge
7 reviews
4.43 of 5
Ride out 4818 along Kachess lake for 6 miles.
Turn right on FS Road 4824 and start the climb.
Stay on the main road to the top then take the first spur to the right and the second faint pull out to the left. The singletrack starts here. Initially steep downhill then at a T in the trail go right. Some hike-a-bike up to a saddle then fun fast somewhat rooty and rocky single track through meadows with numerous creek crossings. Steep switchbacks once the trail drops from the meadows and back to the bottom. Follow the road that leads from the trail head to the powerlines then right on the powerline road back to 4818. Take a right and find your car.
I-90 from either direction then take Exit 70 at Lake Easton State Park. Head North off of the exit then take a left on Kachess Dam Road. Take a right on FS Road 4818 in 0.4 miles, pass the powerlines then park on any of the small roads to the right.
Summary: First six miles that parallel the lake are cake, last 5.5 to the top require a bit of grinding. As far as the trail goes, the first few miles are rooty, rocky and doesn't maintain a lot of flow. Lots of technical fun, though. The last two miles offers up quite a few steep switchbacks that keep you honest, watch your speed for sure. In between, the alpine meadows and old growth forest are sweet.
Overall great trail. Make sure you bring a couple spare tubes and patch kits. Pinch flats are commmon. Also wouldn't recommend doing this trail on a rigid bike or riding UP the trail to get to the top. Come prepared and this trail won't disappoint.
Recommended Route: Park under the power lines, follow FS road 4818 for 6 miles (you will be riding next to the lake) and then take a right that begins your journey up, up, up. Stay on the main road that switchbacks all the way up. At 10 miles, the road forks, stay right. At 10.9 miles, take another right. About 200 yards down this road the trail begins on the left. You will probably hike down this part. You will hit the main trail and take a right. After a fun 1/4 mile descent, you have to hike-a-bike again to get out of the hole. Once the hike is over, let the good times begin. (For a pretty good map, google "Lake Kachess mountain bike trail", and hit the link from NWsource. This offers a good description of the route both up and down. It is what I used the first time I rode this trail.)
Other recommended trails in the same area: Rat Pack, Devils Gulch
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Summary: The is an awesome and really underappreciated trail close to Seattle. In fact it probably the nearest epic to the city by an hour or so.. it is right off the interstate.
You have to be very in shape and confident of tackling any trail to attempt this ride. That said if you like that kind of thing (ie Tiger Mt is intermediate in technicalness and effort for you) you absolutely should visit Kachess Ridge. You'll really want a lightweight full suspension ride. I did it once on a hardtail back in the day and hated it.
The upper sections of the trail are really beautiful and pristine... you will be stoked. It can be chilly up there and you will want a fresh shirt after the mega sweaty climb.
Don't ride up the trail, you will be pushing a ton (the trail will have you walking on the way down in spots, to give you an idea of the steepness). Make sure your brakes are tuned.... if they are howling you'll be tres unhappy.
The road route is faily straight forward, skirt around the lake and then up the first dirt road to the right. The trail busts off of a clearing with small knob to the south.
Anyhow, just a vote for this underloved gem. Anyhard Seattle area rider should notch this in their belt. Enjoy!!
PS Fishook Flats and other rides beyond Cle Elum listed in Zilly's book are outstanding as well, give them a shot... sunny out that way as well... watch the hunters in fall though, the place is teeming with them.
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Review Date October 31, 2003
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 5 of 5
Technical Difficulty 4 of 5
Ridden Trail: Every few months
Reviewed by: BizS
,
Cross Country Rider
Summary: Just rode this last week, and the climb up was much easier in cooler weather (we made it in ~1.7 hours). It sure is a grind, but the payoff--delicious singletrack, is worth it. Things (especially the downhill parts) are MUCH easier the 2nd or 3rd time down--since we knew what to expect. Sections that we hiked down (like some of the steep downhills) we now ride down. The tight switchbacks at the bottom of some of the downhills towards the end are very tough. They have now installed a white trail-head marker at the start of the trail (it was very confusing before). Yes, the initial climb is full of pain, but it certainly whips you into shape!
Recommended Route: I would consider doing this as an out and back--to start off at the base of the Kachess Ridge trail, pedal up the singletrack, then back down again. Forget the fireroad unless you just want a workout...
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Review Date September 3, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 4 of 5
Technical Difficulty 4 of 5
Ridden Trail: Once a year
Reviewed by: Rude Dog
,
Cross Country Rider
, from Seattle
Summary: I rode this one time last fall and again this past weekend. The climb is long but the grade is very doable. Not as steep as the corral pass climb. Great views of Rainier on the ascent. Best to start early though, because the sun really heats things up past 10am. Before then, and the majrity of the ride is in the shade. The hike-a-bike section was quite a bit longer than I remember at the saddle and required a good rest on the other side. After that, it is ~8 miles of 99% ridable downhill through alpine meadows and woods. Couple very easy stream crossings. Beware of large patches of shale and dirt that rides like slippery sand. . .I took a digger of a 10' dropoff and got lucky. Really no climbing at all the whole way down. Saw one other guy the whole time and it was Labor Day!
Great ride, but tooooooo long for our dogs. Feet got torn up on all the rocks.
This is probably my favorite ride around.
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Review Date August 19, 2003
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 4 of 5
Technical Difficulty 4 of 5
Ridden Trail: Ridden Once
Reviewed by: retrostude
,
Weekend Warrior
, from Lake Stevens, WA
Summary: A fun ride but frankly we were just a hair over our heads in every category (technically, physically, etc.), all in all it improved our skills a bit. Wish I had full susp., my 13 yr old Cannondale was a handful (better brakes recommended too).
Recommended Route: We rode up 4818 and 4824, singletrack down. The latter climbs 2500'+ in about 4-1/2 miles so bring lots of water and legs. It is possible to get shuttled up but that's cheating... the foot climb out of the meadow (after the end of the 4824 road) sucks but the singletrack after makes up for it. Even the roots were bone dry (good traction) so in that respect we felt lucky. Met lots of people, including a father/son hiking that gave us their extra water, thanks Guys! We spent 4 hrs rolling plus lots of breaks; allocate at least 6 hrs total unless you are really in top physical condition (we aren't).
Other recommended trails in the same area: Gave this a 4 because Devils Gulch is a true 5.
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4.43 of 5
4 of 5
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5 of 5
5 of 5
