Kachess Ridge
Info
Tough Forest Road climb to the top, a bit of hike a bike and then spectacular single track for an hour or more - all downhill to the cars. Breathtaking scenery of the northern Cascades, including Lake Kachess, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Stuart, and more. The singletrack portion of the trail generally follows Silver Creek on a winding descent through shadowy glades, open meadows, sections of head-high wildflowers, and exposed ledges. This is a wilderness ride not for the faint of heart - several hours of endurance required, and richly rewarded.
It can also be done as out and back, which takes approximately the same amount of time as taking the road up, though it requires about a 1.5-mile hike-a-bike at the beginning + here and there above that. It is, some believe, a lot more fun this way, though.
Note there may be large patches of snow on the trail well into May or June.
Ride Reports
Overall a great ride - one that comes with a sense of accomplishment for both the uphill endurancefest and technical challenges going down the trail.
It's well covered in the description, but I'll second that the climb up is no joke. I wish I had brought headphones to help take my f...
Started before sunrise on the road along the lake and then began the climb to the Ridge. Saw 3 deer at the uphill junction and then started seeing the morning views. No snow until around 4500' due to the dry week and sun. The snow was just in the shaded areas. At the top, the descent to the base...
Rode this a week ago. Parked under the Power Lines and rrode clockwise. All clear to the top of the road climb and the shortdescent before the last saddle. Had a bit of a sketchy traverse over a remaining snow field at the base of a rock wall. I was able to kick step...
Did the clockwise loop today. Trail is running great. Slightly tacky, with just a little dust in the corners. All the stream crossings are rideable (unlike back in July). And no bugs. Amazing!
Rode the loop in a clockwise direction (i.e. north along Kachess lake then south on the trail). A couple of snow-slide banks in the pass then smooth going down the trail. Lots of snow melt water in the upper meadows which is probably responsible for the relentless swarm of mosquitos and flys. It...
We rode OAB up the trail. We found two short sections of snow that should soon be gone. Heard there's some more in the hike-a-bike you do after the road climb. Got wet feet in one or two of the creek crossings, and the trail is muddy in one of the meadows, where conveniently but also unfortunatel...
Had a great ride at Kachess Ridge yesterday. The climb was tough but it can be done within an hour or two. The view at the top is great reward. Trail is in good shape with two or three small snow fields on the way to the saddle, this is hike a bike for sure. The return has...
Rode this as an out-and-back from the lower trailhead. I turned around at the meadow just below the saddle on the south side. Lots of snow as you can see from the photo. From that point down, there were just a couple of patches of snow. Otherwise, the trail was running great, with no blowdowns. S...
First time riding Kachess Ridge.
trail is good to go.
very dusty in spots so bring glasses or goggles if riding with a group and prepare for fun!
I know I am getting old but sheesh! Kachess Ridge is rated 3 out of 5 for physical effort but it gains 3600 feet to get to the ridge. Tiger gains less than half that...
Thanks to my good friend Pavel for the early Sunday morning invite to ride one of my favorite alpine classics. We hit the trail (rather started out on the service road) at sometime between 6:30 and 7:00, and made it back to the car in about 3:30 hours. Saw not another person until we...
This is a fantastic ride, there was still a lot of tree blowdown and a bit of snow on the upper section of the trail.
Great adventure bike ride, amazing landscape, views, and lots of berries!
The ride along the lakeside warms you up, but the climb is big - try avoid doing it in the heat of the day!
I would reiterate the ride report two below - it is a technical trail suited for ~6" travel bikes a...
Kachess Ridge is open and riding well. Just a few patches of snow on the hike a bike section, otherwise totally clear. 3 trees down, one between the top of the fireroad and the hike a bike section, and two near the end of the downhill between the boyscout bridges. Earliest I've...
I've been meaning to write this ride report for a while... Rode this last September and as a novice mountain biker, this trail is much harder than listed on this site. The climb is not technical but long. There was more hike a bike than anticipated and although some of the decent was easy, the ma...
Did the clock-wise route (ie. along Kachess lake up the gravel road and south down the ridge). It was peek-a-boo sun between the ground level clouds at the top. The huckleberries are past prime for sure. It must have rained pretty well up here the night before because the trail was wet, muddy in...
This trail is such a gem: big physical climb, epic views, and a mixed descent that at times is high tech, fast and flowy, or just meanders through the meadows.
Saw only two other riders, and they were just finishing up as we were getting started. And one hiker. One tree down, otherwise wi...
I was having too much fun and lost track of my camera, somewhere near the top, where the single tracks starts or the top of the hike-a-bike. it was in a gray case. And the trail is in great shape. Pay attention to how to find the start of the trail from the end of the road.
Trail in fine/typical summer Kachess Shape. loose, rocky and brush starting to creep into the gladed portions. Creek crossings are low. Air is clear of smoke.