Bellevue is Your Cycling and Mountain Biking Basecamp in Washington
The Pacific Northwest is one of the best regions in the world for mountain biking. Basecamp in Bellevue and you have the whole mountain biking gamut at your disposal - smooth cross-country loops, gnarly freeride lines, and high alpine epics all within an hour's drive.
Located just across Lake Washington from Seattle, Bellevue provides easy access to some of the mountain biking and biking best trail networks in the region. The city itself has several parks with mild trails great for beginners or families, as well as the state's only Velodrome!
Venturing out from Bellevue, you can ride the iconic Issaquah Alps within 30 minutes, featuring rocky, technical terrain at places like Grand Ridge Park. Head over to the Cascades and you'll find incredible alpine riding at places like Olallie State Park and the Cle Elum Ridge trail system.
Bellevue's modern city amenities, plentiful restaurants, breweries, and bike shops make it a perfect hub for your two-wheeled adventures across Western Washington.
Get To Know: Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance
The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is the largest statewide mountain bike association in the United States, and is internationally known for developing world class trails and sustainable recreation throughout the state of Washington.
In the past 8 years, the grassroots born nonprofit organization has grown to deliver more than 220 miles of new mountain bike trails in WA state with over 30 years of mountain bike advocacy.
The Cascades to Sound Chapter serves riders and volunteers in Bellevue and the greater Seattle region. Visit the Calendar to plan your trip around one of Evergreen MTB's events, such as a mountain biking class, a race event, or a work party to help fix up some of the heavily loved trails.
Add to Calendar: Evergreen MTB Festival 2024
Join the Evergreen MTB for MTB Fest at Raging River State Forest in North Bend, June 8-9. The MTB Festival will have plenty of activity, including demo bikes, live music, a beer garden, skills clinics, kids group rides, and more for a weekend in the woods full of all things mountain biking.
Snoqualmie Valley Trail
Great for: gravel cycling, rail-trail, lush evergreen forests
The Snoqualmie Valley Trail is a beautiful multi-use trail that starts at the charming, small town of Duvall and runs about 30 miles towards Rattlesnake Lake. With various access points throughout the trail, riders can enjoy a variety of experiences. From Duvall, the trail passes by Oxbow Farm, where you can enjoy the picnic tables and small farm stand.
Near Fall City, advanced riders enjoy the Crazy Ivan Trail, a wild and unique route that turns sinister after the pump track when it dives down a steep skid trail.
You can also start in downtown Snoqualmie for a moderate ride towards Rattlesnake Lake, along an old railway grade to enjoy incredible views of the Snoqualmie River. For an epic trail ride in the warmer months, ride for another 18 miles from Rattlesnake Lake to the Snoqualmie Tunnel near Snoqualmie Pass. Be sure to bring a light jacket and long sleeves. It gets pretty chilly, even in the hot summer months.
Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park
Great for: mountain biking skills park for all levels
Located on the Issaquah Plateau just 15 miles outside of Bellevue, the Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park is a wooded 120 acre forest with rolling terrain and well draining soils. This skills park was designed and built by the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance with grant funding from King County and caters to riders of all skill levels. You'll discover four cross country (XC) trails that can be connected into a 5 mile loop, a Flowpark with the biggest concentration of freeride trails and features in the state, progressive jump lines and flow lines, as well as a wide variety of practice and skill-building features.
Olallie Trail Mountain Biking Trail
Great for: intermediate levels, big views, and big verticals
Starting at the beautiful Rattlesnake Lake, the Olallie Trail is less than 40 minutes from Bellevue at Olallie State Park. It opened in the Fall of 2017 for rides through the pristine forest with stunning viewpoints. The trail is an out-and-back that goes 8.6 miles up Cedar Butte, and the trail finishes just below the summit of Mount Washington at 3,700 feet. Olallie trail is also unofficially known as the "Len Francies trail" in honor of the man who spent so much time building and maintaining mountain bike trails here in Washington with Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance.
Mountain Biking at Tiger Mountain
Great for: mountain biking, all skill levels, double-diamond downhill trails, views of Mount Rainier from the summit
Tiger Mountain is one of the region’s most popular mountain biking destinations with all-mountain and downhill trail types. There's a wide variety of trails for different skill levels. Take the East Tiger Summit road towards the summit, which will take about an hour. The trails here are steep, long, and quintessentially PNW - there are lots of root and rock sections. At the summit, enjoy breathtaking views of Mount Rainier. For thrill seekers, the double black diamond rated Predator is a super gnarly trail with almost 2 miles of high-speed descend. A Discover Pass is required for entry and parking, and an annual pass will cost $30 and grant you access to other Washington State parks and recreation areas throughout the state.
Raging River State Forest Trails
Great for: cross country, downhill and freeride trails for all skill levels
Raging River State Forest is a new trail system that is being developed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. The system started as a 14 mile loop, and in later phases will be an epic 40 mile system of trails that connects to Tiger Mountain. This is a 2-way trail and uphill has right of way.
For beginners, the 2023 CDC Raging River Beginner Course is a a wonderful 13 mile easy race route near Snoqualmie for mountain bikes only. This route has 7 trails with an elevation of 2,647 ft.
For a challenge, full Raging River Lollipop route is a big, fun ride that will take 3 to 5 hours depending on fitness and pace, measuring out at 18.6 miles with 38 trails of mountain bike only routes used in one direction. There isn't cell phone service on the backside, so please ride with caution. A Discover Pass is required for entry and parking.
For those who want to experience the new trails that have not yet been open to the public, volunteer with Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance for a sneak peek! Be sure to plan around the Evergreen MTB Festival, happening this June. Check out the Instagram post for more info.
The Only Velodrome in Washington
Great for: cycling fans, bicycle racing
Redmond borders Bellevue to the north, home to the Microsoft campus and museum, as well as Washington State's only velodrome. It's a 400-meter track dedicated to bicycle racing operated by the Marymoor Velodrome Association. The Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome is named after the long-time cycling advocate who was instrumental in designing and building the velodrome in 1975. Read more about his remarkable life at Cascade Bicycle Club and Seattle Times. You can register for races on the calendar, take classes, and more at the Velodrome, which is also home to the Junior Track National Championships.
Choose Bellevue as your base camp
Big city amenities. Easy access to mountains, evergreen forests, and beaches. Countless adventures. Stay the weekend.
