Mountain biking at Duthie Hill Park in Issaquah

The Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park grand opening is slated for May 22. Tentative plans are for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, poker ride, bike vendor tents, skills demonstrations, demo bikes, raffles and more. The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance's Web site will provide details as they emerge.

I took my first test ride a couple weeks ago, and ....it was fantastic !

Miles of buff, mostly flat but still plenty curvy-swervy, cross-country trails; technical free-ride routes with wood structures offering deep drops, table tops and ramps for launching oneself airborne; fast, flowy downhill sections, and lots more.



Usually you go to a bike park and they only have hard-core stuff for body-armor- wearing weekeend worrieres. But if you don't want to do those crazy jumps , this place has lots of cool stuff for riders of all levels.

I have to admit, that so far I've found Duthie Hill Park to be the most fun place to go mountain biking. We've all heard about Stevens Pass Ski Area hoping to break ground on a lift-operated mountain bike park this year ( the only one of its kind in Washington ! ), so hopefully, soon Washington will be as huge mountain biking mecca as Utah, Idaho and Whistler ( combined :))!


P.S: If you are new to mountain biking, Evergreen Mountain Biking Alliance offers classes for riders of all levels, from beginners ( to learn how to stay balanced and in control while you zip through the trails comfortably getting over roots and small logs ) to more advanced -Introduction to Freeride ( to get your wheels off the ground ).
Price is $45 for Evergreen members. If you are not a member, you must purchase a membership for an addition $30.

Personally, not sure if it's worth it, but if you've tried, let me know about your experience !