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Hansen Ridge

Hansen Ridge View

Key Info

2-3 of 5 (technical difficulty)
3 of 5 (physical difficulty)
X-Country
NW Washington

Stats

18 miles total
4200' elevation gain
75% single track
25% fire road
47.3642285 lat.
-121.5315059 long.

General

Hansen Ridge is the first segment in the new South Fork Snoqualmie riding area, a project Evergreen has been working on this project for 15 years. Currently there are 18 miles of singletrack and doubletrack of great riding, forming an inverted lollipop as you ride from the trailhead to Harris Lake and back. Evergreen, in partnership with the US Forest Service and Mountains to Sound Greenway, secured grants to remove the first series of roads from the system and convert some of them into singletrack. Additional sections of trail will be converted as funds become available, eventually resulting in a 30-mile trail system.

Phase 1 of the Hansen Ridge trail is just over 4 miles each way. The climb is nice up the trail, and most will choose to do this ride as an 8 mile out-and-back, resulting in a total accumulated climb of about 1300 ft. The trail flows nice, and is a bit loose in places. The character of the trail will improve as Evergreen does trail finishing and maintenance. The trail is comprised of two converted roads that connect with a trail about half way. The converted road/trails were made to simulate a trail out of a straight section of road and wind around from left to right with some small rollers and sections of rock and trees. The views from along the trail are spectacular, particularly on the upper segment.

The trail head used to be a popular shooting pit but as of Nov 7, 2011 notices have been posted prohibiting target shooting there. Forest Service regulations prohibit discharging a firearm withing 150 yards of the trailhead. Expect to see people shooting in smaller pits along the road before you reach the trailhead.

Rocky, sandy - usually dry and very little possibility for muddy areas after the rains. The trail head is at 3370 ft, and the highest point is at 4100 feet. It will freeze up quicker than the lower elevation stuff, which makes the shale a little more "sticky".