“The guides have been all exceedingly friendly, helpful, and genuinely fun to be around, especially to my son, whose first question upon returning home is always, "Where are we going next year?" ”
Methow Valley Singletrack
Dates Available
- Aug 12, 2013 - Aug 16, 2013
- Aug 19, 2013 - Aug 23, 2013
- Aug 26, 2013 - Aug 30, 2013
- Sep 2, 2013 - Sep 6, 2013
The Methow Valley in northern Washington state is a really special place to ride your bike. The rivers are at about 2000 feet and the ridge tops are at about 7000 feet and in between there is all kinds of awesome rolling climbing zooming world class singletrack—with incredible alpine views and a glimpse or two of an actual glacier.
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Methow Valley Singletrack Itinerary
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to call us at 1-800-845-2453 or email biking@westernspirit.com.
MEETING TIME AND PLACE
This tour will begin at 8:00am PST at Arlberg Sports, 25 N Wenatchee Ave, Wenatchee, WA 509-663-7401. You will need to spend the night before in Wenatchee.
ENDING TIME AND PLACE
Between 4pm and 5pm at Arlberg Sports in Wenatchee.
ITINERARY
TRIP DAY 1
Day One After a beautiful shuttle into the heart of the Okanagan Valley, we will unload and have a bite of lunch at the South Creek Campground. After lunch we will begin with a nice warm up along the north creek road for a few miles before finding the Twisp River Trailhead and jumping on the singletrack for the rest of the day’s journey. The trail begins with some short technical sections as it crosses a dramatic scree slope along the lower shoulder of the mountain. Then we'll finish with some sweet singletrack right into our camp at War Creek. Total mileage: 20
TRIP DAY 2
Day Two A quick shuttle to the opposite side of the valley will bring us to our lovely camp on the banks of Lightening Creek. From here we ride east on a forest service road for a couple of miles to our first trailhead. Once on the singletrack we begin our climb up the middle fork of Beaver Creek. We reach our high point and jump on the Starvation Road and continue on the ridge to the Lightening Creek Trailhead, where we there will be no starvation for us! After lunch we begin the descent along the Lightening Creek Trail itself. Again the tricky sections are at the top of the trail, but we are soon cruising along through the forest all the way back to our camp. Total mileage: 16
TRIP DAY 3
Day Three Today we head for the high country along the Sawtooth Ridge. We begin with a climb that starts quite gently and becomes more challenging as we near the top. But the views are totally worth it as we work our way up the drainage between Martin Peak and Mt. Bigelow on our way to Eagle Lake and Horsehead Pass. After a picnic by the lake we retrace our route down, down, down to our camp at Foggy Dew. Total mileage: 16
TRIP DAY 4
Day Four From the Foggy Dew Trailhead we begin this classic loop with a gentle morning climb. The trail meanders through the trees and the pace is easy going. And then it gets a bit steeper, but the trail tread is good and the spinning continues. Then we arrive in Merchant’s Basin, a beautiful alpine paradise. The pristine beauty and wild flowers make this place incredibly beautiful. And then you may notice the trail to the top of the ridge. At first it doesn’t look too bad as it makes its way diagonally up through the rocky scree. But at some point the going gets rough and most of us will find ourselves pushing a bit before we reach the top. And now for the big reward—one of our all time favorites-- swooping and zooming alpine descents. The real deal—worth every minute of the climb! You will recall this descent with fondness for the rest of your days! Total mileage: 21
TRIP DAY 5
Day Five Our final ride starts with warm up climb along the road to the Bear Mountain Trailhead. This trail was built for mountain biking and has lots of fun sections along the ridge before many switchbacks take us down to the creek. From here the road takes us up again for our final great singletrack descent. After a final lunch, we will reluctantly return to civilization. Total mileage 15
TERRAIN
Riding Surface: Singletrack, mostly firm pack, some loose pumice, smooth pine duff, and rocky sections. Some dirt roads and a few miles of pavement.
Technical Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult.
Physical Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult.
Altitude:
Please Note: This is a technical singletrack trip. A high level of fitness is necessary and singletrack experience is highly recommended. We will be without vehicle support during all of the singletrack sections of the ride. Itineraries are subject to change due to weather, road conditions, rider safety, and other factors which may affect the logistics of the adventure.
TRAVEL LOGISTICS
LODGING BEFORE YOUR TRIP:
Coast Wenatchee Center Hotel
Free shuttle service to/from Pangborn Airport
509-662-1234, 800-716-6199
Holiday Inn Express Hotel Wenatchee
509-663-6355, Central Reservations 888-465-4329
La Quinta Inn & Suites
509-664-6565, 800-753-3757
Red Lion Hotel
Free shuttle service to/from Pangborn Airport
509-663-0711, 800-733-5466
TAXI SERVICE
Greyhound – 800-231-2222
Apple City Taxi, Wenatchee 509-662-2126
SHIPPING YOUR BIKE
Arlberg Sports 25 N. Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee WA 98801 509-663-7401
GETTING TO WENATCHEE
Driving
Wenatchee is located in North Central Washington and lies on the western side of the Columbia River at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia rivers. Wenatchee is approximately a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle, Olympia, and Spokane.
Flying into Wenatchee – Pangborn Memorial Airport
Airport Code: KEAT
From this airport you have 2 options:
Flying into Spokane International Airport
Airport Code: GEG
Driving time from Spokane Airport is approximately 165 miles - 2 hours 45 minutes
Flying into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Airport Code: SEA
Driving time from Seattle Airport is approximately 138 miles - 2 hours 30 minutes