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Trail Description:
Ride to Southeast corner of parking lot to find a single track heading downhill. Head down. Turn left at first intersection, and right at the second. Climb up a little hill and drop down again to the main double track which parallels Liberty Creek at 0.5 miles, turn left. (A right turn takes you into the campgrounds). Turn right (0.6) at first intersection, cross Liberty Creek on a bridge at 0.8 miles. Turn left at wooden wall and begin the leg burning climb. Stay on this well used wide trail, pass two right hand junctions, climbing over the water bars until at 1.9 miles an unsigned right fork appears; turn onto it. You have climbed about 800 feet so far. The climb backs off as the trail climbs and contours. At 2.9 this trail dumps out on a dirt road coming in from your right. Continue straight ahead to Y intersection just ahead. Go right and climb up to an old logging landing. Find the beat up trail heading up the hill from the landing. In about 1.1 miles intersect with a road coming in from your right. Go straight ahead. Continue on this washed out road, staying on the main trail, ignore the left hand turns. Keep at it until you break out in the open and there is the FAA radome enclosed in fence. You can turn around here or ride a little further South to see the views by turning right on the gravel road, and then left dropping down to another electronics installation. And do your gaping.
Return back to the road you rode up on and ride downhill until you reach the previous landing 2.1 miles later. At the landing turn right on the beat up road that heads downhill continuing for 1.7 miles to a saddle at Round Mountain with several roads leading out from it. Take the left most road which goes over Kelly bumps and traverses Northwest over the Liberty Creek drainage. You are now riding on recent logging haul roads. Stay on this main road going over another set of Kelly bumps. At 1.5 miles find a sort of hidden wide trail dropping to your right. Hang on for the big water bars. Cross a creek and Kelly bumps and a smaller creek. Just pass this smaller creek follow the trail right to face the door of an outhouse. Turn right at the outhouse and left and drop onto an old road. Turn left and drop down into Liberty Creek 3.9 miles later. Stay straight at any intersections. Watch out for water bars and other trail users. The water bars you will find do more than divert water from trail. Soon you will pass the intersection where you turned right on your climb. The decent is sweeter than the climb out. Turn right at the wooden wall, cross Liberty Creek, and turn left onto main double track and continue till you find the trail on the right you rode down on. Take this, climb up back to the parking lot. Total ride 18.0 miles and 3750 elevation climbed.
Variation: Drive into Liberty Lake Regional Park, pay the entrance fee, drive back to the campground. At the Southern end park at a gate. Go thru the gate and in just 150 yards find the trail on the left coming down the hill from the upper free parking lot. At the end of the ride drive to the swimming area for a cooling off swim.
How to get there:
Drive I-90 to Liberty Lake exit. Go east on Mission (or Appleway?) to Moliter rd., turn South. Turn left on Valley Way, between the golf courses. Continue on this winding road. Stay left at the intersections. Pass the road on the right going down to county park (a variation to be discussed later). Climb past a water tank on the right and take the next right heading to the ORV park. Drive past the ORV parking lot and short while later pull into the horse parking lot. Park here.
Additional Notes:
Lots of vertical. Great view from top all around. Trail is mostly beat up dual track.
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