Katheryn Moran
The trails around Leavenworth can accommodate beginners or experienced riders.
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biking in leavenworth
cott Paton of Arlberg Sports, a bike shop with locations in Wenatchee and Leavenworth, said a great thing about the region is the variety of mountain biking options available. “The Leavenworth area has some really cool rides and they can range anywhere from epic to beginner,” Paton said. His favorite is a figure-eight trail at Ski Hill, overlooking the city of Leavenworth. Head up the New Uphill Trail (also called NUT). The Central Washington chapter of the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance Evergreen Trail just finished building this trail last year (in fact, the group built about 25 miles of new trail in the region last year and have more planned for this summer). NUT runs uphill for about 3 miles, with 1,700 feet of gain, but it’s at a 4 to 6 percent grade. “It’s super rideable,” Paton said. “It’s a nice uphill climb through big Ponderosas, with gorgeous views of Leavenworth.” From there, riders can cross over to Freund Canyon for a 3-mile descent of 2,300 vertical feet. Paton called this section big and swoopy with berm walls that anyone can ride. “It can be lightning fast or as slow as you want on it,” he said. “When you get to the bottom, ride up Freund Canyon for 3 miles of 1,800 vertical gain, then you figure-eight and cross over and go down a ridge trail called Rosie Boa.” This trail is about 2½ miles dropping 1,600 feet, but it’s more of an intermediate or advanced ride, with some exposure and some steep berm sections. “There’s views of the valley all the way down, and that’s a really fun loop,” Paton said. The nice thing is you can break it up into parts. If 12 miles and that elevation gain is too much, you can do half.” Another nearby ride is through Freund Canyon. Head up Chumstick for about 2 miles until you
get to the bottom of Freund Canyon, then ride 3 miles up (1,800 feet in elevation) and 3 miles down (2,300 feet in descent). “It’s a good hour or hourand-a-half lap that’s really pretty and has a kind of mid-Alpine feel,” Paton said. For the more experienced, head to Cashmere, about 15 miles away, and do a Devil’s GulchMission Ridge ride. This is a 25-mile loop that will send you up 8,000 feet and then back down 8,000 feet. “It’s a big day,” Paton said. “This is a true, super fun, old-school downhill course.” Paton recommends riding up Devil’s Gulch and descending Mission Ridge, rather than the other way. This ride is for more advanced mountain bikers, as there are technical sections in the upper part. Finally, Paton recommends Sage Hills, in the foothills outside Wenatchee. There are a variety of trails in this area, but Paton’s favorite is to drive to the top of Horse Lake Trailhead, then take Homestead, a 2½-mile climb to Glacier View, descending 2½ miles to Burt’s Trail, which will carry you back to the trailhead. Burt’s Trail was just finished earlier this year. With new trails underway, Paton said it’s important to respect the trail builders and stay off closed sections. He also said if the trails are wet, don’t ride them, because riding a muddy trail will result in ruts. With the amount of clay in the soil here, once the ruts are there, they’re almost impossible to remove. When you’re dusty and tired, head back to Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort for a pampering session. If you still have some stamina, try Mana Restaurant, which has a three-hour, multi-course meal for the senses. Or go full Bavarian with Rhein Haus for pretzels and schnitzel. JUNE | JULY 2019
Gear Up Arlberg Sports’ Scott Paton offers his picks for making your mountain bike getaway in Central Washington.
Club Ride apparel prices vary Bell Super 3R MIPS full-face helmet $230
Dakine Hot Laps hip pack $70 Specialized EMT chain breaker $30 Syncros Matchbox Coupe cage $40
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