Upper Mad River Trail Washington Trail Reviews

Upper Mad River Trail

Average Rating:

(4.75 of 5)

No. of Reviews: 4

This trail has a seasonal closure till about July 15 every year. It used to be really wet through the meadows but they re-routed the trail around the meadows and followed the higher ground. This trail should rank with those in Colorado except that he wording should be "There might be some trails in Colorado that are as good as this one." The upper trail starts at the end of the road just below Maverick Saddle. The trail follows along the creek crossing back and forth over it several times. The are intersections with other trails along the way. For the easiest ride keep on 1409.1. The trail climbs gradually for about 8 miles to a saddle and drops back down to the end at at the intersection with Trail # 1561. Along the way, its a great ride along the river and then around the alpine meadows. The trail is a little dusty in late summer 2000 as rain is needed. sketch maps are usually available at Little Goose Campground which you pass if following above directions. PS. The Lower Mad River trails goes down to the east from Maverick Saddle but has not recovered from fire damage in 1994. It has been damaged from runoff due to lack of overhead cover lost in fire. Lower Mad River Trail is rocky and brushy with blow down trees from fire.

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Latitude	47.825487935728134
Longitude	-120.62112808227539
Trail Directions	From Leavenworth travel west on HWY #2 for about 15 miles and turn right onto HYW #207 (about 20 miles east of Steven's Pass) and in about 4.5 miles after passing the store and crossing the Wenatchee River bridge turn right onto Chiwawa Loop Road and in less than 1 mile turn left on Chiwawa Road. Go about 2.5 miles and turn left on FR #6100. Follow FR #6100 to FR #6101. Turn left on FR 6101 and follow it to Maverick Saddle. This road is really better for 4 wheel drives.
Trail Length	12.2
Trail Level	Intermediate
Trail Type	Singletrack
City/County	Lake Wenatchee
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Reviews 1 - 4 (4 Reviews Total)

Review Date November 18, 2002 Overall Rating 5 of 5 Ridden Trail: Ridden Once Rate this review?		Reviewed by: notmonkey , from Everett Summary: This is a bitchin trail. Rode in early Oct. and the conditions were tits. Recommended Route: I just followed the guy with the map. Other recommended trails in the same area: Klone peak Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Review Date October 15, 2002 Overall Rating 5 of 5 Ridden Trail: Ridden Once Rate this review?		Reviewed by: your name here , from South Beach Summary: This is a rippin' trail. I imagine it's a bit muddy in early summer, bit too dry in mid/late summer, but fall is just right, ahhhh. We started out at 10am and I was longing for some full finger gloves, it warmed up quite nice in the next hour or two. These are moto trails so respect the throttle twisters for all the work they have put in. This is a long climb, but I would reccomend it to freeride types who have an imagination. The way back down is booter central, 100's of throttle dips from the motos going up hill make for a badd ass jump session on the way back down. I would reccomend a beef Htail or mid travel dually for those that see the regularly appearing 10-12' long jumps and lttle rock launching pads. Recommended Route: Go to aforementioned trail head. You might need a 4 wheel dr. auto ( or front/all wheel with some clearence) to get there. Going up: From parking area climb till u get to the split that takes u to "two little lakes Tr.", take that, goes kinda right of the Mad r tr.,at next marked intersection go right again, keep climbing till u get to an incredible 360 view at top of peak. Going down: Let it rip till you get to the fork at two little lakes tr., go right to avoid the climbing on 2 LL, next intersection go left and head back to your car Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Review Date April 11, 2001 Overall Rating 5 of 5 Ridden Trail: Once a year Rate this review?		Reviewed by: Chris , from Edmonds Summary: The Mad Lake area represents some of the best trail riding Washington has to offer. Although it is not tecnically difficult, climbing the first mile or so from the trail-head at 5000+ feet elevation is tough for us coasties. Once the first bridge is crossed at 1 1/4 miles all the uphill is done for the most part. There is no bad time to do this ride. In July the wild flowers are in bloom everywhere. The trial is high enough that even in August it is not too warm. My favorite is late September or early October on a clear day after the mountains get a dusting of snow. There are several side routes along the way so bring a map. A return route to Goose Creek CG is down Alder Creek which I would avoid because it is the preferred route for motor cycles. If this trail has a downside its the motorcycles of which there are many. I have alway found them to be polite and usually have a good deal of knowledge about the area. Besides, these are the guys that do all the trail work, so more power to them. Recommended Route: The route from Maverick Saddle is the shortest and most direct, but Mad lake can also be ridden as a loop by parking at Goose Creek CG and riding the Maverick route passing Mad Lake and coming back down Chikamin Tie Trail or vice versa. Makes for a Great epic ride. Other recommended trails in the same area: Chicamin to Minnow Ridge trail. Or, drive to twisp and do Cooney, the best Alpine trail in the state. Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Review Date September 4, 2000 Overall Rating 4 of 5 Ridden Trail: Once a year Rate this review?		Reviewed by: Nzumbi , from Rocklin Summary: I concur with the previous guy that this trail is everything you could ask for in an alpine mountain biking experience. I haven't ridden the lower Mad River trial in a couple of years but it was after the huge fire they had up there and it really wasn't that bad. How bad can it be-- its 20 friggen miles of mostly downhill singletrack. Granted if you start where we did at Tommy Creek, you are looking at a six hour plus ride but that's why they make full suspension bikes. I did it on a hardtail and I'm jones'en to do it on my full suspension bike. Recommended Route: I have ridden this trail by starting at the Tommy Creek Trailhead which you reach by driving up the Eniat River Road. If you do a shuttle, you can leave one car at little grocery/bar at the bottom of the Lower Mad River trail and make a huge epic ride out of it. Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.