Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day At Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park

TKMBD is an annual celebration held on the first Saturday of October. The event, developed and coordinated by IMBA, strives to encourage communities around the world to join together and ride mountain bikes with youth. Over the years we’ve had tens of thousands of kids participate from across the globe, including: Italy, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Malaysia, and Mexico. Informal or formal, one child or 100 children, TKMBD celebrates the joy of riding in the dirt.

Besides being good, healthy fun, the goal is to develop a connection between kids and the natural world around them. Today’s children are tomorrow’s land managers and politicians — future decision-makers for important matters like recreation and access to public lands. How different might our current access landscape look today if previous generations of policy makers had grown up riding bikes on natural-surface trails?

In the past, almost 200 kids and 100 adults turned out to explore the trails at King County’s Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park. Duthie, located in Issaquah, is a bike trail park built for all ages and ability levels – from first-timers to advanced riders.

This year’s event included guided trail rides, an obstacle course for the little ones, an exciting jump show from local and pro riders, costume bike parade and barbecue, and tons of prizes!

It’s a terrific way to get kids outside in the woods having fun on bikes. Come join us at this family event! All ages are welcome – from tots to teens – they just need a working bike and helmet to participate!

Best Biking Seattle Has To Offer

If you have out-of-state friends or family who love to ride visiting Seattle for the first time, where would you take them ?

My personal picks would be : Colonnade Bike, Elliott Bay, and Burke-Gilman Trails.

These places have a lot in common : conveniently located in the heart of Seattle, easily accessible with lots of parking, suitable for riders of all ages and fitness levels, and all three of these places offer great sightseeing opportunities !

Also, if your friends/family are ExtraHyperActive ( like us ), you can bike all three spots in one day !

We started our "Seattle bikothlon" in Ballard on Burke-Gilman trail, rode our bikes to Magnuson park, hitched a ride to Colonnade park, where my 7 year old got to learn his first basics of technical mountain biking, and then we made our way from Smith Cove to downtown Seattle to enjoy the beautiful city at night !

There is something special ( and spooky ) to walk around your favorite Pike Place Market at night.

Did you know that in the Market stands the city's first mortuary, part of an old graveyard, and a former brothel that still has a red glow cast on its side ? And that it has been voted the most haunted location in the northwest ?

Even if you don't believe in paranormal activities, walking around the market is a very exciting experience ( not to mention the lack of crowds is perfect for taking iconic pictures ! ).

Tacoma Hosts A New Mountain Bike Park

I said it years ago : Washington is becoming a new mountain biking mecca in US !

With Stevens Pass mountain bike park, Duthie Hill in Issaquah, and thousand of miles of well maintained trails around the state, Washington easily competes with such famous mountain bike places like Whistler, Utah, and Colorado.

And now a new mountain bike park in Tacoma has become a great addition of places to ride around the state. It's nice to finally have an area in the South Sound we can rally around.

Swan Creek Park is a 290 acre greenspace nestled on the boundary between East Tacoma and Pierce County with a salmon bearing stream, wooded canyon, upland forest, paved and natural trails, a new community garden, and new mountain bike trails.

The park is popular for bird watching, hiking, walking, picnicking and other recreational uses, and is also used for driver training by public safety and utility departments. And now it's the home of Tacoma's first trail system for mountain bikes!

Developed and operated in partnership with Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, the newly completed Phase 1 includes an easy perimeter trail, advanced trails and a technical skill building zone. There is something there for everybody from little kids to full-grown rippers.

May be because it's a new park, and not many features have been built yet, I felt the park was more suitable for novice to intermediate riders like me. I especially liked "Hustle & Flow" - a 1.75 mi cross country loop that circumnavigates the ~50 acre Douglas Fir Forest. Designed to be similar to Bootcamp at Duthie Hill -- smooth and flowy with lots of rollers and banked turns, max sustained climbs and descents, optional features. Skill level: Green (entry) level and kid/family-friendly but fun to rip for all ages and skill levels. Some more difficult options.

Since the park is relatively new, the skill building features only include : skinny practice zone, drop zone and pump track on the north side of the park.

But if all goes well at Swan Creek, Metro Parks and Evergreen hope they can soon start building more trails in the forest.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/03/23/3111832/local-mountain-bikers-blaze-their.html#storylink=cpy

In my opinion, Washington is one of the best places to be a mountain biker in the continental United States ! From freshwater lakes to towering peaks and green valleys, Washington's landscape is as exciting as it is diverse.

 Below, check out Mountain Bike! Washington (America by Mountain Bike) the guidebook that will introduce you to the thrill of exploring Washington's wilderness while you experience its most unforgettable rides.

Back To Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park

Wow !  It's been almost 2 years since my last visit to Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park. I almost forgot how much fun it was riding at the park.

Still being a complete beginner, the only trail that I could safely enjoy was a 1.5 mile XC ( cross country ) Boot Camp trail. Relatively flat with no significant climbs, and just a couple tight climbing turns, the trail is ideal for novice riders.

But after a few runs I got bored, and tried to challenge myself on an intermediate trail called Moving On. That's when I realized that even my new K2 Base Sport full suspension bike  was not going to compensate my lack of confidence and skills  to tackle terrain beyond green runs.

In the center clearing at Duthie, I scanned the news board for beginner classes. As I mentioned before, Evergreen Mountain Biking Alliance offers classes for riders of all levels, from beginners to more advanced.

Introduction To Freeride teaches you all about  the freeriding basics. You'll learn to maintain good body position while conquering wheel lifts, obstacles, step-downs and drops.

To learn more about Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and what they do to help make Washington State an amazing place to mountain bike, check out the video below: