A fantastic day on the MTB's exploring some of the single track trails within the CDA ID area. In one word; AWESOME!!
Last week brother Ben asked if I were up for a good, long MTB challenge. Well, I could never pass up an opportunity like that! Anyway, he did quite a bit of research and managed to find and analyze a few rides that had been posted by other riders. Looking at the topo's we were quite certain each of these routes would provide the kind of challenge we were looking for...they did indeed and much more.
Kami, (riding her road bike), Ben and I started out from downtown CDA heading east and then south working our way to the Beauty Bay area. We rode the asphalt for approximately 15 miles to the trailhead which worked well for a warm up. Both on the way out of CDA and on return, we climbed up the hill via Yellowstone Trail road so as to avoid riding along I-90. It was definitely the right choice and the hills get the blood pumping. At 15 miles in Ben & I said good-bye to Kami and headed up the Beauty Bay campground road. Kami at that point continued on the main highway for several more miles solo before heading back. She did an amazing job and chalked up a 53 mile ride! Quite impressive, as this was her first ride of the season and she endured a strong wind blowing out of the WSW at a sustained 20mph, all day! Great work Kami!!
This area is breathtakingly beautiful and is fairly remote. At approximately 3 miles up the Beauty Campground road, Ben & I found the trailhead we were looking for. We were extremely excited to hit the dirt however, and as we quickly learned, had to make the first of many creek crossings that day. Let me begin by saying these creeks are flowing pretty swift this time of year! The water is cold and can be a little deeper than envisioned. :-0 We weren't 100 meters into our journey before our feet and portions of our legs were soaked! No worries though, good Woolie Booleys and adrenalin flowing you "flat out" can not stop smiling. This pretty much set the tone for the day! After the creek crossing, (first one), we began our journey up what I believe they refer to as Caribou Ridge. Wow!! This single track climb is steep, laden with huge roots and rocks all the way up! And just in case you're not paying attention, if you veer off the trail it's a long drop in most cases. Great way to improve those bike handling skills! About a mile in Ben hit a sharp rock and sliced his front tire. He was running tubeless but the cut was long enough that the tire sealant couldn't handle it. Once again, no worries! We had duct tape, and spare tubes. Within minutes we were off again. After reaching the top of Caribou Ridge the trail was less populated with the huge tree roots and boulder type obstacles. There were still wet roots and plenty of rock just not near as big. There really isn't much flat in this country. You're either going up or down and most the time both are steep, (and an absolute blast I might add!!) This route provides some serious climbing in addition to technical demands. It is certainly NOT for those new to the MTB environment. Riders that do have a few years under their belt will enjoy this immensely as did Ben and I. The going is slow and makes for quite a long day so plan accordingly. We started out at 09:30 hrs and arrived back in CDA at 17:00 hrs. There are very few roads in the area and the trail only crosses them a couple times. Also, a GPS cyclometer with the route plotted, (and fresh battery of course), are mandatory!
As I mentioned earlier it was an absolutely amazing day!! Ben is a top level MTB'er and has excellent bike handling skills. I learned quite a lot from him today and as always he's got a top notch attitude about everything! No major crashes other than my going over the handlebars once however, it was on a hill that was soft dirt and my descent was slowed upon coming in contact with Ben's back tire. This particular downhill was fairly steep and although he detected something going on behind, he couldn't take his eyes off what was up front. He was able to ask, "are you alright?" and of course my response was, "yes, just testing something." That seemed to satisfy him and I was back on my bike laughing and headed down hill again in no time!
I highly recommend this route to the serious, thrill seeking, outdoor loving MTB enthusiast! You surely won't be disappointed!
I can't wait for the next trip!
P.S. - for those serious about taking this journey please take full advantage of the link interactivity. Run through the elevation profiles, view it from several map overlays and plan all components of the trip accordingly. Have Fun!