Ride Summary:
It starts with a mellow climb up fire roads, the descent if for experts only! Full face helmet and body armour encouraged!
Trail Description:
Ride starts off with a easy pedaling along Lake Kaches. Access road rolls up and down along the lake and then takes a turn up Kaches Ridge. Climb is long but not too difficult. Serious riders should be able to reach the top with out leaving the middle chain ring. As you ride up the ridge you will be rewarded with spectacular views of the lake and surrounding area. Once at the top two jagged angry peaks are visible to the south east. Take a close look because you ride right between them. For about a quarter of a mile the trail is too steep to ride. Once between the two peaks you'll find several fields of wild flowers. Steep technical ribbons of dirt, rocky descents and nearly un-rideable switch backs make Kaches Ridge a tough ride. However, the scenery is incredible and the miles of great single track make for a fun fun ride.
How to get there:
From Seattle take I-90 east over Snoqualmie Pass. Take exit 70 and cross back over I-90 to the north side. Quickly turn left to Kaches Dam Road. Take a right on the third road. Drive just over a half of mile and park under the power lines.
| Posted by: PTUX on 9/8/2011 |
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First of all, the guy who wrote this description belongs on the short bus because I consider myself a serious rider, and I had to leave my middle chainring. Why do people always talk about this? There are more noble causes in the sport than what chainring we use to ascend.
Now, that being said, this is an okay ride. Flow rating- low. Backcountry rating- high. Hill rating- high. Technical rating- high. Bring the LT bike and get ready to have your control tested.
There are some really nice sections to this trail, but they're the exception.
The loss of 1600 or so feet in roughly a mile at the end sort of sums up why this ride is only Fair.
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| Posted by: devinci on 6/21/2009 |
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june 15,2009. Missed Martay's post by one day, the snow needs at least three more weeks to clear but i went for it anyway. Martays tracks still in the snow for the final hike a bike through the pass and a few hundred yards later double back. looks like an excellent singletrack through a pristine drainage with lots of creek crossings.I finally got out of snow about 5 miles down and ripped the rest of the trail with a few blow downs to cross. Nine miles or so from the powerlines to the trailhead. Be sure to take the right at 6 miles on rd # 4824 I believe or you will dead end in 2 miles and 1500 ft of climbing. I'll be back for this one.
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| Posted by: The Martay! on 6/14/2009 |
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Rode up the road last week only to find the backside, where all the singletrack is, deep in snow. Great view however! June 12th and covered with snow, who would have guessed. The hike-a-bike looked unpassable due to snow cover. We lost the trail twice before turning back to ride down the road to lake Kaches. Shuttling is out until someone does road maintenance, several large logs across the road near the top. Hope to ride it later this summer after the snow melts.
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| Posted by: Wonko on 10/11/2007 |
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This is a great ride considering accessability and trail quality. Either as a loop or out and back it takes about 3h, which makes it a fun ride when one is short on time. However, the fact that it is possible to shuttle cause it to be kind of crowded on a nice day, therefore only 3 wheel rating for me.
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| Posted by: The Martay! on 11/14/2006 |
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It is shuttleable yea... but manly men ride the 6 mile flat road and 4 mile climb. I had to use the granny gear and even walk the bike in some places up the steep road to the top. Once there...the view is unreal! Nuf said on the view.
The ride down was on a hard tail and I found it interesting because you had meadows, glades, forests, scree fields, swithchbacks and single track to deal with. I even ran over a snake sleeping or sunning in the path. There just wasn't enough singletrack for me.
The top part is a bear, but after the hike-a-bike it's pretty much all down hill from there.
Would I do it again? Maybe, after I check out some other rides elsewhere.
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| Posted by: Nathan on 8/13/2006 |
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so we can shuttle it?
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| Posted by: kachess_rider on 8/12/2006 |
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Rode it today (8/12) and the blowdowns have been cleared.
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| Posted by: Nathan on 8/12/2006 |
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can i shuttle this trail?
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| Posted by: chujface on 7/24/2006 |
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no snow as of 7/23. still several downed trees. excellent ride... a little dry and dusty
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