Mountain Biking the Puget Sound Area; A Guide to the Best Off-Road Rides in Greater Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett

by Santo Criscuolo

• ISBN13: 9780762725540
• ISBN10: 0762725540
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-06-01
• Publisher: FalconGuides

Summary

Veteran rider and local author Santo Criscuolo becomes a personal mountain bike trail guide as he explores every twist and turn of single track in the Puget Sound region from Olympia to Bellingham and from the Kitsap Peninsula to Cle Elum and Cashmere. Not only does he tell bikers where to find the trails, he tells them how and when to ride them to avoid poor trail conditions, crowds, and potential natural disasters common out in the dirt. Delivered with a fresh, irreverent perspective, this highly detailed mountain bike guide uses easy quick-references so readers can find what they are searching for right away. Mountain Biking the Puget Sound Area also provides some of the most detailed maps of any guidebook available.

Author Biography

Santo Criscuolo is one of the original founders of the online mountain bike guides Dirt Northwest and Dirtworld.com. Previously, he was a radio and TV sales executive, an online advertising sales manager, and an editor for Northwest Skier magazine. He is also the author of Ski & Snowboard America: The Pacific Northwest & British Columbia (Globe Pequot Press, 2001). His in-the-dirt and on-the-trail experience includes seven years of cross-country racing, starting Team Dirtworld.com, the largest amateur mountain bike racing team in the nation, and searching for singletrack all over Western Canada, The U.S., and Central America. Rain or shine, you are sure to find him in the saddle somewhere in the Puget Sound region.

Table of Contents

Ride Locator Map	vi
Map Legend	vii
Foreword	x
Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction
Getting Around Puget Sound	xv
How to Use This Guide	xvi
The Rides
The East Side
Pioneer Park	2	(3)
Wilburton Hill Park and Kelsey Creek Farm	5	(4)
Willows Fjords	9	(3)
Redmond Puget Power Trail	12	(5)
Redmond Watershed	17	(5)
Saint Edwards State Park and Big Finn Hill King County Park	22	(6)
Beaver Lake	28	(4)
Grand Ridge	32	(5)
Carey Creek	37	(5)
Rattlesnake Lake	42	(4)
Tiger Mountain	46	(9)
Preston Railroad Trail and Northwest Timber Trail	48	(1)
Iverson Railroad Trail	49	(2)
Poo Poo Point	51	(1)
The Crossover Road	52	(3)
Tokul Creek	55	(4)
Tolt MacDonald Park	59	(5)
The Summit Biking Center	64	(6)
The South End
Phillip Arnold Park (The Tapeworm and Parasite Trails)	70	(5)
South Sea Tac (Des Moines Creek Park Trail)	75	(5)
Lake Wilderness	80	(4)
Lake Youngs	84	(3)
Victor Falls	87	(5)
Black Diamond Coal Mine	92	(6)
The North End
Paradise Lake	98	(3)
Lord Hill Regional Park	101	(5)
Wallace Falls State Park	106	(5)
Pilchuck Tree Farm	111	(6)
The Victoria Tract	114	(1)
The Armstrong Tract	115	(1)
The Pilchuck Tract	115	(2)
Walker Valley	117	(5)
Lake Padden Park	122	(4)
Lake Padden Loop	124	(1)
Lake Padden Singletrack	124	(2)
Galbraith Mountain	126	(6)
Olympia and the Kitsap Peninsula
Capitol State Forest	132	(13)
Green Line to Mima Porter Loop	134	(2)
Lost Valley Loop	136	(2)
Larch Mountain Loop	138	(3)
Rock Candy Mountain	141	(4)
Tahuya State Forest	145	(3)
Wildcat and Beaver Pond Trail	148	(6)
Highway 410
Ranger Creek	154	(4)
Sun Top	158	(5)
Skookum Flats	163	(7)
Crystal Mountain	170	(9)
Sport Loop	170	(5)
Northway Trail	175	(4)
Cascade Triple Crown (Seattle's Mountain Bike Iron Man)	179	(8)
The Outer Limits---Or just because they are so good we couldn't leave them out
Devils Gulch and Mission Ridge	187	(6)
Mad Lake	193	(6)
Chikamin Creek Loop	199	(4)
Kachess Ridge Loop	203	(6)
Fishhook Flats and Taneum Ridge Loop	209	(22)
The Art of Mountain Biking
Mountain Bike Beginnings	213	(2)
Mountain Biking into Shape	215	(1)
Be Safe---Know the Law	216	(2)
The Mountain Bike Controversy	218	(1)
Mountain Bike Etiquette	218	(1)
Trail Maintenance	219	(1)
On-the-Spot Quick Fix	220	(1)
Rules of the Trail	221	(1)
Food and Water	222	(1)
Be like a Boy Scout	222	(1)
Be Safe---Wear Protection	223	(1)
First-Aid Kit	224	(1)
Oh, Those Cold, Wet Puget Sound Days	225	(1)
To Have or Not to Have...Other Very Useful Items	225	(2)
Trail Types and Obstacles	227	(1)
Techniques to Sharpen Your Skills	228	(3)
Repair and Maintenance	231	(8)
Last-Minute Check	235	(1)
Ride Index	236	(3)
Appendix A: Clubs, Organizations, and Killer Web Sites	239	(4)
Appendix B: Cyclopedia of Terms	243	(4)
About the Author	247