Okay, I need to learn to pay attention to the fine print in trail reviews and guidebooks. Work was done early yesterday and I was heading east with bike, gear and good weather all around. The destination was Tiger Mountain State Park about 30 miles outside of Seattle near the town of Issaquah. The plan was to get in about a 3 or so mile dirt road climb and then start hitting up some singletrack. I got to the trailhead, suited up and started peddling my rather portly rent-a-piggy up the mountain. Just like me this bike could stand to go on a diet. It was all good as I need the excercise. I was not to far up the road when I passed the Northwest Timber Trail on my right that I was planning on coming out on at the end of the ride. To my non-engrish reading surprise, there was a barricade and a sign saying it is closed from October 15th – April 15th. WTF? So I pull out my guidebook I had stashed in my pack and actually starting reading those pesky little details (you know the section that does not include stuff like turn here/there, this is cool, that is cool.) Yep right there in the guidebook it tells me that all the bitching singletrack I was looking forward to was CLOSED. What to do now? So I read around and find out there is dirt road loop I can do up there that will get me a good heaping of excercise, some scenery and a tiny bit of singletrack. So I was off up the mountain on Plan B.
The dirt road climb up Tiger Mountain had some steep sections but overall it was not too bad as there were spots where you got a reprive from the climbing. There was plenty of forest all around but there were a few spots were distant views could be seen.
Mount Rainer was the dominant landscape feature, and I could not help but stare at it whenever it was in view. There was nothing wrong with the weather today that is for sure. The view of Rainer reminds me a great deal of Mount Fuji in Japan the way it just towers over the surrounding landscape.
The rest of the ride included some bombfest fireroading and as well as some steep up and downs. There was not just cool stuff to see off in the distance. There were lots of small streams crossing under the roads that were quite pretty.
I used up the better part of the day up in my loop out here. It is ashame I don’t have any pictures I can show you of the Preston Railroad Trail, the Northwest Lumber Trail and the Fat Hand Trail which are touted as really killer singletracks. Oh well, I’m going to be back at some point when they are open. For now my time is Seattle is over so,