I’ve never ridden Hansen Ridge before and, full of hubris, I wanted to see if I could make a bigger loop out of it. This route was all kinds of fun (Type 1, 2, and even 3) and it ended up being more of a suffer-fest than I hoped. I wonder if it would have been more fun in the CW direction? What to know about this route: The McClellan Butte trailhead is mostly frequented by hikers, but the initial climb up to the Palouse to Cascade is open to bikes and not too technical. NF 9020 is overgrown in sections but still mostly rideable. Every time I thought the trail was about to disappear, it would open up to something pleasant enough to keep me going. That said, the mosquitos can be annoying (pedal faster? easier said than done) and the climb at the end is pretty brutal. NF 510 is a little better, overgrown with alder in brief sections but still rideable. The rest of the trail is in not-so-bad shape and it's clear someone has been doing trail work to cut back the alder in places. Carter Creek and Hansen Ridge Trails weren’t quite as mellow as I expected, given that they are logging road conversions. The upper section of Hansen Ridge in particular had a brief section of rocky baby-heads that wasn’t exactly fun. After all the climbing to get to the actual single track, I was a bit too gassed to enjoy it :). The decent on NF 5510 is the best gravel on the entire ride and I was able to air it out until the Humpback Mtn trailheads, at which point the pot holes picked up in frequency and I had to be a bit more careful with my line. At some point, you'll pass under the P2C trestle. I saw what looked like a very rough trail leading up the hill, but I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of hauling my bike to it, so I stuck with Tinkham Rd for the return, which was perfectly fine. Not too many cars and I was actually able to pass a couple of them, since they had to move more slowly to pick their way through the potholes. I did the route on my hard tail but I suppose it's doable on a gravel bike for the brave. Side trip: I recommend a quick hike up Little Saint Helens, or at least the first quarter mile. It's got the best views of Rainier. That said, the views from the true summit aren't actually any better but the southern end of the trail has views into the watershed.