PNW Must Do Rides

[North]

Flights to Seattle are cheap right now, and I've always wanted to ride in the PNW. Assuming a 5 day trip in September, what are some areas/trails that should be on my list? Bellingham is an obvious place to start. North Vancouver? Ideally would spend more time riding than traveling from place to place, so bonus points for bang-for-buck type suggestions.

[Not Neil_Armstrong]

Woodlot in Maple ridge was awesome when I rode up there several years ago... like a decade ago... If I remember correctly it was Wade Simmons old stomping ground...
not sure your riding preference. I like big, fast and stupid.

[knowsam]

North Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler (maybe extending into Pemberton) seems like the natural plan on a bang for your buck basis - and you can hit classics (though I am very very rarely found on a bike, so my opinion should be tempered). Can be a great time of year there too.

[mtnjam]

ATCA in Oakridge, OR is in the PNW.

[D(C)]

If there's some rain, don't miss Pemberton. It will be dry and dusty if not. Squamish and Bellingham would be other spots I'd prioritize. The new alpine trail on Sproat in Whistler (into the mystic/lord of the squirrels) is the real deal.

[kidwoo]

Kinda depends on what you like to ride eh?

[XXX-er]

I just talked to someone who told me Valemont has some amazing stuff

[WaistDeepGroomers]

I did 5 days just in North Van/Squamish/Whistler and that was not nearly enough just to get the classics. Feel like I hit the major North Shore ones and the highlights of the Whis bike park, but wish I had had more time to ride Squamish & the Whistler valley trails.

Fantasizing about a fall trip too to Seattle and hitting Tiger/Bham and and maybe run up to Squamish, but I have a feeling that'll need to wait til the spring.

[North]

Kinda depends on what you like to ride eh?

Fair question. Somewhat difficult describe but I can tell you what I like in CO/Moab/Jackson. Most have ridden at least one of those places.

TLDR
Generally, I like brown pow over kitty litter and moon dust, fun turns, fast sections and feature-wise more pumpy/double-able stuff and side hits and drops over full-on dirt jumps/gaps. If it's rocky/technical I prefer it to be rideable at speed and smashable vs billy goating.

TMI
CO: On the Front Range (where I live) I like White Ranch, Hall Ranch, Walker Ranch (so many ranches!) - generally the rockier stuff that has sections of open/fast smoothness interspersed. CB is my favorite spot to travel to in CO for MTB, and there I think Star Pass/Block & Tackle, Doctor's Park, and Teocalli are my favorites. 18Rd and Loma stuff is fun for a weekend, and I prefer it over lunch loops.

Moab: Whole Enchilada (specifically Burro Pass and LPS sections) and Ahab. Jackson Rocks is fun too.

Jackson: Phillips Canyon, Shadow Mountain, Black Canyon. Lithium was fun for a lap, but I wouldn't say I rode it well, and felt a bit undergunned on my trail bike. I'm pretty awful at jumping so Fuzzy Bunny laps were fun 2-3x but I wasn't willing to do much more than the tables and the itty bitty gaps. Oh, and Ferrin's - that trail is sweet.

[snoqpass]

The Methow area has some fun trails

[DolphinSki]

The Methow area has some fun trails

This area is awesome. Rode as much of the Angel's Staircase ride as I could back in June when it was still snowed in. Amazing backcountry rides up in that area.

[dfinn]

Generally, I like brown pow over kitty litter and moon dust

Not sure when in September you're thinking but if this is a priority for you I'd keep an eye on the weather. It hasn't rained in who knows how long. I'm currently in Whistler and the trails are in the worst shape I've seen in the 5 or 6 years I've been coming up here. It's not not fun but it's very moon dusty currently.

[North]

Not sure when in September you're thinking but if this is a priority for you I'd keep an eye on the weather. It hasn't rained in who knows how long. I'm currently in Whistler and the trails are in the worst shape I've seen in the 5 or 6 years I've been coming up here. It's not not fun but it's very moon dusty currently.

Late September....but yeah I was warned back in July that "popular stuff like Stevens and Whistler will be blown out and dusty" in September. Sounds like it happens every year but is worse than usual this year.

[XXX-er]

Buddy told me that Valemont was new/ awesume and NOT beaten out

[Not Neil_Armstrong]

Late September....but yeah I was warned back in July that "popular stuff like Stevens and Whistler will be blown out and dusty" in September. Sounds like it happens every year but is worse than usual this year.

i can vouch for that. whistler and stevens are banged out and shitty by september. I rode Stevens a few times in Sept and it was pretty beat. My V-10 was barely enough....

[gramboh]

Whistler will be rebuilding a lot when (if?) it rains... it's really the jump trails that are punched to shit. Late Sept is usually awesome riding.

Valemount looks awesome but it's really far away. Not relevant for OP.

[reynolds.trailrun]

Kinda depends on what you like to ride eh?

^^^This.

Both sides of the Cascades/Coastal Range have what you speak of. Really way too many awesome places.

Any particular region you want to see?

Sort of a sampler of WA that seem to be popular, I guess: Bham - Galbraith - Chuckanut, Tiger, Tokul (if it rains and re-opens), Mission Ridge-Devils Gulch, Angel's Staircase, Freund-Rosy Boa, Xanadu, Duthie, Ranger Creek-Palisades-Suntop, Lake Creek.

But there are more that are equally awesome and probably popular too. Like Kettle Crest near Sherman Pass.

Also why not throw in Rossland/Trail area? Idaho is considered PNW by some (why I have no idea) and Trail, BC is west of that. Heard the Seven summits is beyond awesome. A friend is doing over labor day. I will either do it this year or next. Kamloops and Penticton are awesome too. As well as Squamish, Whistler, Vancouver, Oregon, Pemby, Nelson, Kelowna, Williams Lake.

The list is too fucking long.

[mtngirl79]

After September 15 orcas island opens up a whole bunch of riding. I was going to do that this fall : (

Also, galby is fun, super close to town and its a great place to learn but it's not spectacular.

The chuckanuts are rad, and there are some awesome shuttle trails in glacier... lots of secret, illegal stuff and I was just getting good enough to be in the know but my my ankle is broke

If you are camping out there's a place that's cheap and practically at galby that you can camp. Pm me if you want to know.

[caulfield]

Gotta put a plug in for Port Angeles. Dry Hill is an important spot in the DH world, but fun for the rest of us now too. You can look at the stages of past enduros for a good ride. Maybe a lot of driving to hit one spot, but if you aren't picky, there's a great long XC-type trail and some shorter multi-use trails that can make good <10 mi rides, and PA is some authentic PNW. If you stay near Seattle, Capitol Forest in Olympia is another good spot that hasn't been mentioned yet, also has enduro stages you can follow.

[ACH]

The HWY 410 zone between Greenwater and Crystal has several good options.

The Evergreen trail guide is your friend

A good place to start

[Dromond]

For late September:

Highway 410: if you want to do longer climbs/descents and more backcountry style trails. Don't miss this one: https://www.trailforks.com/trails/palisades/
Bellingham: This ride is the shit https://www.trailforks.com/route/dou...k-double-down/
Squamish: so many amazing trails...
Whistler (I don't know much but seems like an obvious choice; I liked this ride: https://www.trailforks.com/trails/lo...the-squirrels/ )
Pemberton (if wetter weather, dirt seems to be really dry there)

I love Oakridge but it's in the opposite direction, so that can be a multi day trip in itself.

[skibrd]

Tiger Mountain specifically Off the Grid. If you like steep stuff, check out Predator, the rock rolls are not nearly as bad as the look.

[Groomer Gambler]

Alsea Falls near Corvallis, OR is a fun ride!

Really hot and dry for the past month as well as some forest fires burning statewide. Might still be a few more weeks for some heat relief.

[ACH]

The HWY 410 zone between Greenwater and Crystal has several good options.

The Evergreen trail guide is your friend

A good place to start

Cross this one off your list for 2017 at this point.
Because: Norse Peak wild fire

[PNWbrit]

Cross this one off your list for 2017 at this point.
Because: Norse Peak wild fire

Sad......