Review Date
August 2, 2008

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: Heavy-D ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
This is the place to introduce your family to the sport. Easy single track cruises, mellow grades, fun swoopy trails!

Ride it all in a day, or ride and repeat sections for skills practice.

Nice locals. Nice scenery. Nice trails. Nice approach to trail management. Nice work MVSTA!

http://www.methowdata.com/mtnsports/sunmtn.cfm
http://www.sunmountainlodge.com/summer/mountainbiking.html

for the map:
http://www.mvsta.com/winter/sunmap.html

Recommended Route:
Do 'em all. Yellowjacket, Rader, Meadowlark, Rodeo, Insise Passage, all good.

Review Date
May 4, 2002

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: Skookum , from Seatac Wa U.S.

Summary:
Great area, lovely views, lotsa cows, even a forest fire or two. Fast trails, real easy in most parts. No need for suspension anywhere really, even though that's all i ride. Take your significant other and have a picnic.
Black bear i think is the best there, nice trail with views. All other trails ok for xc. Beginner friendly for sure, but fun to take skills and just fly thru ez stuff.
Next time in winthrop i'm riding lightning creek for sure.

Recommended Route:
Do Black Bear for sure it's cool, and make sure u ride the lower inside passage as fast as u can! It's fun really really really fast, and scream thru rader creek really really really fast, then chill thru the lake ride.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
None yet.

Review Date
January 17, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: madison , from Bothell, WA

Summary:
i rode the downhill course and cross country course in a race this year and last, (got first and 2nd hehe) any way the dowhill course is fast and pretty smooth, the upper section ahs some small drops and jumps and a short log ride, whitch makes it very fun (especially for beginers) the xc course i did went along for 10 miles along a lot of trails, there were some cool veiws. i cant remember much else becuase i was too tired to notice.

Recommended Route:
shuttle your car up to the top along the rode that starts in the chickadee lodge parking lot

Other recommended trails in the same area:
i dont know of any others in winthrop

Review Date
July 26, 2000

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: Stan Smith , from Tacoma Wa. USA

Summary:
Mostly easier singletrack with lots of double track. Not open to motorized but can get dusty late in the summer. Early season or fall is best. This is a good place for beginners and high rollers. The Sun Mountian Lodge is a 5 star facility. A good place for family riding.

Recommended Route:
Start at the Chickadee Parking lot and us ethe map to do loops. Some singletrack and some double track.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Bear Mountain, Blue Buck, Foggy Dew, and Twisp river Trail

Review Date
July 26, 2000

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: Richard , from Vancouver, BC

Summary:
The trails identified above are excellent intermediate and advanced beginner trails. Some of the others on Sun Mountain are decent (such as Criss-cross, Overlander and Magpie), but some are bunny trails also used by equestrians. The best time of the year to ride these trails is late May/early June when the wildflowers are in bloom, the trails aren't dry and dusty yet, and the tall grass along the trails is still soft. Avoid the weekend before Memorial Day, as the Boneshaker MTB races are held on Sun Mountain and the place is a zoo.

Recommended Route:
Start at the Chicakadee trailhead. Warm up by heading out Yellowjacket, then back on Rodeo, then out Yellowjacket again, then back on Yellowjacket. Ride up Thompson Ridge Road and come down via Meadowlark, Lower Inside Passage, Rader Creek and Patterson Lake. Ride back up to the Chickadee trailhead, and then to finish up ride out Yellowjacket, across the bridge over the creek, through the picnic area and pick up Black Bear a couple hundred feet into the woods on the far side. At the end of Black Bear, follow the Winthrop Trail down to Highway 20. Pedal into town for a microbrew at the Winthrop Brewing company. (Note that riding down from Sun Mountain works best is you arrange a shuttle to get up to the mountain, otherwise you gotta ride back up to get your car!)

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Buck Mounatin (follow the One Ride Guide route), Pipestone Canyon (DON'T follow the One Ride Guide route!), Lightning Creek.