Dalles Ridge, Washington - Washington Mountain Biking

This weeks destination is the Dalles Ridge in Washington State. Dalles Ridge is located in a mini-mountain bike mecca on the northeast side of Mt. Rainier National Park, about 2 hours southeast of Seattle. This area is an ideal summer ride destination for habitants of the entire Puget Sound Region. The reason, great singletrack downhills and incredible views of the Cascade Mountain Range including the 14,410' Mt. Rainier located just a short distance away.

The 3,400 foot climb can be riden on trail, well graded logging roads, or can be done using the two car shuttle system. Once on top of the ridge, take time to enjoy the 360 degree views while you refuel for the decent. When ready, you will have three trails to choose from. Ranger Creek (pictured right) is the least technical, and fastest of the three. The Deep Creek trail is more technical, but rideable. The Palisades Trail is the most challenging of all, as it skirts a cliff for the first few miles and finishes with an unrideable decent down an extremely steep & technical creek bed. For this reason, we recommend either the Ranger Creek or Deep Creek Trails for maximum riding pleasure.

To get here, drive Highway 410 towards Mt. Rainier. About 6 miles south of the town of Greenwater, turn left on road #72 and park near the gate. If the gate is open, you can drive all the way up to the top. If you wish to ride up trail, drive 11.7 miles from the town of Greenwater, turn right on road #7160 and park on the other side of the bridge. The trailhead is on the opposite side of Highway 410.

Dalles Ridge is just one of the great spots to ride in this area. For more information on this ride, check out the MBR Dalles Ridge ride profile.