{"id":2064,"date":"2019-08-25T23:58:56","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T07:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/?p=2064"},"modified":"2019-09-14T08:06:39","modified_gmt":"2019-09-14T16:06:39","slug":"lower-dungeness-gold-creek-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/?p=2064","title":{"rendered":"Lower Dungeness\/Gold Creek"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of my favorite trails to date in the Puget Sound area is the Lower Dungeness and Gold Creek Trail Loop<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have ridden it twice before and I was excited to get back out for another outing in the area.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A fire road that does not suck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first few miles of the Lower Dungeness trail can be brutally steep and amazingly pretty.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A lot of people opt to take\u00a0 the fire roads around to 3 o’clock ride and then take a connector trail down to the Lower Dungeness cutting out much of the brutal climbing section of the trail.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Views from along the forest service road heading towards 3 o’clock ridge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I have done both options and decided to take the forest service roads\/3 o’clock ridge option.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
More views from along the forest service roads<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The views from along the forest road are really nice and grades are reasonable but you are missing out on pristine stuff my bypassing those first few miles.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lower Dungeness Trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once I reached 3 o’clock ridge there was quite a bit of zippy downhill singlet rack goodness down into the creek watershed.\u00a0 Once down there it was just sublime Pacific Northwest loamy, mossy forested goodness following the creek up stream.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There is plenty of undulations along the Lower Dungeness trail and since you are heading upstream you know you are trending uphill.\u00a0\u00a0 You probably will not care as the experience is pretty incredible.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Once the trail reached the junction of the Dungeness Creek trail and another fire road it was time for some more climbing to get to the top of the Gold Creek Trail and the Tubal Cain Trail at the edge of the Buckhorn Wilderness.\u00a0\u00a0 It was not a horrible climb, but you certainly did some work.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
From along side the forest service road climb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Gold Creek is pretty awesome section of trail that spends a lot of time along the a steep hillside with the Lower Dungeness Creek far below.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Along Gold Creek Trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was not recently that I learned that a portion of this trail is also part of the Pacific Northwest Trail<\/a>.\u00a0 Established in the 2009, the\u00a0Pacific Northwest trail is 1,200 miles long and goes from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Oceans.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hmmmm, I was a little lite on pictures through much of the ripping downhill sections of this trail.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gold Creek will eventually drop down off of the high ridge sides.\u00a0 Where you will enjoy some more creek-side riding before you have to a wee bit of climbing on an decommissioned forest road back up to the trail head.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On this day I logged right at 20 miles with 3,900 feet of climbing.\u00a0\u00a0 My legs were drained and my soul was full!<\/p>\n

More Stuff Like This<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Welcome Back Yeti_Rider!<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t CRHT Recon in East County<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Oh My Otay<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t La Costa<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/div>