Teanaway Grand Opening Social Ride
Social ride leaving from the West Fork gate shortly after the Opening Ceremony concludes. The ride is meant to be a social paced tour of existing and new trails, plus a sneak peak at the top of the Windy Ridge trail that is still under construction! Route details are below so you know what to expect.
This ride is open to anyone and will be ridden at a social pace. I am planning to climb up the Carlson Canyon/Tie and partway up the Upper Big Sandy Trails. It's a decent amount of climbing but we will be riding at a reasonable pace and will stop and regroup frequently to make sure nobody is left behind. We will also stop and enjoy the views and some unique Teanaway geology. If you think this ride may be too much for you, join anyway and if you are not feeling it there will be spots to bail out and I'll put some wayfinding signs out on the road to get you back to the trailhead. If you are looking for a faster pace ride to get a workout in, this ride is probably not for you because we won't be going fast.
The Opening Ceremony starts at 1:00 and is scheduled to conclude in about an hour, but there are several speakers planned and it may take more time to finish so the departure time will be flexible, but we won't leave before 2:00 pm.
Where: Lower West Fork Teanaway The new trailhead parking lot will be open! A Discover Pass will be requred (and I am sure they will be checking them that day)
When: June 6, 2:00 pm (departing after the opening ceremony, so we may depart later than 2:00 pm, but we will not depart earlier than 2:00 pm)
Meeting Location: Gather just past the gate at the end of the West Fork pavement. I'm the old guy on a dark green specialized bike wearing a bright green Evergreen trail crew shirt.
Planned route: Distances and elevations below are approximate. You can see the Trailforks route
- Departing the West Fork gate ride Carlson Canyon road about 1 mile to the Carlson Canyon Trail.
- Climb Carlson Canyon/Carlson Tie for just over a mile.
- Climb Upper Big Sandy Trail for about 2.5 miles.
- Drop into the new portion of the Windy Ridge Trail, exit the trail and ride down Illahee Rd. The trail and road combined are about 2.5 miles. There will be a little more climbing on Illahee Rd.
- Finish on the Lower Big Sandy Trail. This trail is mostly downhill but has a few punchy climbs on the way down. Approximately 2 miles.
The entire ride will be about 9 miles with ~1300 feet of climbing.
I'll probably get asked about E-Bikes, here is my view. If you want to bring a e-bike, I don't mind. DNR lands are officially closed to e-bikes, but I see plenty of people riding e-bikes in the Teanaway. So, it's strictly your decision.