Trail Description:
Routefinder's special. Start with 2000' ride down from Windy Ridge into Smith Creek (trail 225). Look for 6' tall "telephone poles" along the Smith Creek trail. Its 8 miles total from trailhead. Make sure to take the poorly marked (if at all) gravel road uphill (right as heading downriver)where the Smith Creek trail becomes doubletrack. Climb 1500'on gravel road (trail 184 unmarked) to Loowit trailhead (trail 234) then climb 1500' to Ape Canyon. Return to car at Windy Ridge are via Plains of Abraham trail (trail 216, 216D, then 207). Note that tiny streams you ride over along Plains of Abraham are huge feeders into Smith Creek. In 1997 4 groups tried (JZilly, STM, Me, and Flint) and one successfully found route (Mark Flint's Oregon group). USFS worked on trail in 1998 after John Zilly included route in guidebook. Be prepared! My first attempt with my wife took 9 lost hours ('97). Flint's tip to me was: make sure you stay on east side of Smith Creek for a while. We struggled to stay on the West side following flagging which was incorrect. The 6' "telephone" poles mark the entire Smith Creek route. Last year was 5-6 hrs with no hurrying. Some technical areas (single to double black diamond), but very short. My wife Jenny had no complaints about the amount of "extreme" riding. We both enjoyed this natural and unique route in Washington State.
If you come from the Portland/Cougar side you should simply start with the 1500 foot climb up the Loowit Trail and you'll finish with the 1500 foot road climb after you finish the Smith Creek Trail.
Advanced due to routefinding issues and the fact that folks are trapped and have to climb back uphill 2000 feet once they drop down into the Smith Creek Drainage.
How to get there:
From Seattle Go to Randle then Windy Pass. Park at Smith Creek Trailhead. From Portland to to Cougar then Loowit Trailhead.
Additional Notes:
Season: August-September. Smith Creek is too high to cross before August (trail crosses. Green Trail
| Posted by: sdfwe on 1/24/2013 |
|
 |
Steel is one of the important economic support,GHD Straighteners market trends and prosperity or not reflect a country economic boom or depression status, direct response country investment market, the basic construction of the heat and prosperity. GHD Hair Straighteners China's steel market dropped to freezing point,GHD appear crash price, just reflects the economic downturn, China is now declining trend, directly reflects the basic construction investment flagging status.
|
| Posted by: Greg on 7/22/2010 |
|
|
One of the best rides of my life. Epic ride, epic view. Definitely start at the Ape Canyon trail head and get the climbing done first. Bring extra water..it gets hot and also recommend extra tubes.
|
| Posted by: Scott on 8/30/2004 |
|
|
I too definitely would recommend starting at the Ape Canyon trail head since getting the climbing done first with the downhill on the way back is a much better option. The views from the trailhead are amazing and the views from the top are amazing and the views all along the way can't be beat either. The ascent is moderate but not too bad. The Plains themselves are relatively easy but your legs will probably be a little weak by this time. All in all, you get screaming downhill with a few tight switchbacks and great trail riding. The downsides can be the number of people (both bikers and hikers) on the trail especially on weekends. You usually need to stop completely to get around which interrupts your personal feeling of heaven. Bring a camera -- it's epic riding.
|
| Posted by: Chris on 7/26/2002 |
|
|
I would highly recommend starting at the Ape Canyon trailhead located on FS83. This can be accessed a few miles out of Cougar. Starting at Windy Ridge as the author suggests commits you to a course with no bail outs. Once you are down in the Smith Creek drainage you cannot ride back up the trail to your vehicle.Ape Canyon is a nice 7 mile climb up to the Plains of Abraham along the Lahar mudflow. The trail is smooth and the are decent view of the mountain.The Plains of Abraham are awesome. Akin to the surface of the moon. Excellent views of the mountains, St Helens, Adams, Hood, and Rainier.Toward the end of the Plains you start climbing to Windy Ridge. Prior to decending to a knife-edged Ridge, where you can look into the crator, make a decision how far you really want to go. Halfway down the knife-edged ridge are several series of stairs. You may not want to carry your bike back up these sections.The end of the road from the Windy Ridge Observation area meets the trail at th
|
| Posted by: nathan on 8/20/2001 |
|
|
We started at ape canyontrailhead and road/walked up... and up... and up...and a little down... and back up... got to the fork in the road. What an awesome view, full 360 degrees. Just spectacular. Trail wasn't at all hard, just lots of up hill, but after paying gravity in advanced, she didn't let us down with a smooth D.H.. Watch out for the soft shoulders, and hair pin turns. A ride to remember.
|
| Posted by: max on 8/13/2001 |
|
|
Nice climb out of the trailhead & up to the blast zone. Once you break out into the open the ash and pumice make for some tough going because its so loose. Wierd views. Sweet DH!
|
| Posted by: Armando on 7/23/2001 |
|
|
Great ride. We started up to Ape Canyon-plains of Abe-Windy Ridge-Smith Creek and the 1500ft road climb back to the cars. For lunch (at the blast zone of St Helens) we sat to enjoy clear 360 views of Mts. Adams, Hood and Raineer. At Smith Creek pay attention because the trail is poorly marked and a bit overgrown (low budget/understaffed FS).
|
| 
