Quartz Mountain Tr949, Quartz Creek Tr949
Overall: 6
Aerobic: 7
Technical: 6
Steepness: 6
Flow: 6
Singletrack: 98%
The Ellensburg Washington Quartz Mountain Trail and Quartz Creek Tr949 combine with Manastash Ridge Tr1388 to create a challenging loop ride.
Type
Loop
Length
Avg: 21mi
Ascent
Intense
Elevation Change
TH:2700'
Avg Ascent:6900'
Ascent Incline
10%
Duration
Avg: 6hr
Weather
Forecast
NOAA
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USFS
Pyramid Peak Tr941 and FR1904 help ease the Quartz Mountain Tr948 ascent, but it is still one tough ascent to the Manastash Ridgeline.
Getting to the Kaner Flat campground from the Seattle area is much more time consuming than accessing the Taneum area, so this ride is often started from the Quartz Mountain campground, at the end of FR3100, resulting in an inverted ride profile which makes the ride even tougher than usual.
Ding: This area is well suited for Orv and may be overrun on any given summer weekend.
All of the abandoned forest roads and frequent Orv use results in many opportunities to wander away from the main trail into areas too steep to ride.
Further up the Little Naches River valley, the Bear Creek Tr943 to Mount Clifty Tr947 loop offers a better backcountry ride.
The South Fork Tr946 to Middle Fork Tr945, Raven Roost, ride also offers a challenging backcountry ride.
Directions: See Map. NW Forest Pass required right at the TH. SR410 to FR19 to the Kaner Flat campground. View Larger Map. No Map?.
Loop Directions
lookout
- TH: Ride Pyramid Peak Tr941 from the north side of the Kaner Flat campground, cross FR1903 and Quartz Creek at .6mi, then pass the Quartz Creek Tr949 intersection on the right at .7mi.
- 1mi: At the FR740 Quartz Mountain Tr948 TH, go left on Pyramid Peak Tr941 (riding just above FR740 along the ridge) rather than attempt to start the ascent from this TH. Go right onto FR1904 and switchback the second Quartz Mountain Tr948 intersection.
- 4.2mi: Go right onto Quartz Mountain Tr948 and hike-a-bike .5mi up to the ridgeline, the steepest section of the ride. Briefly merge with a road at 5mi, as the trail descends from the ridgeline traverse, then ascends to the next knoll. Ride around a knoll at 6.6mi then climb to the next ridgeline at 7.5mi. Pass Dry Meadow on the right at 8.2mi, as the ascent moderates.
- 9.1mi: Go right onto Manastash Ridge Tr1388 and gradually ascend to FR3100 and the Quartz Mountain ride summit at 10.2mi. Go right onto FR3100, then go right onto FR306 at the end of the loop, then descend along the ridgeline on FR306 to the Quartz Creek Tr949 TH, passing the Hereford Meadows Tr1207 intersection on the left at 10.6mi.
- 12.9mi: Pass the Wells Meadows FR328 intersection at 12.8mi, then go right onto Quartz Creek Tr949. Traverse to a 13.4mi ridge, then switchback at 14mi and descend steeply to the FR1917 intersection at 15.2mi. Cross a plateau then descend some tight switchbacks at 16.7mi, to FR1901. Ride alongside a ridge then begin the final descent at 17.7mi, crossing Quartz Creek at 19.1mi. The trail intersects with FR740 then traverses back to the creek.
- 20.3mi: Go left onto Pyramid Peak Tr941 and ride back to the TH.
Trail Index
This Ride
Manastash Ridge Trail 1388, Pyramid Peak Trail 941, Quartz Creek Trail 949, Quartz Mountain Trail 948
Orv
Kaner Flat Trail 4W676
Campgrounds
Crow Creek Campground, Halfway Flat Campground, Kaner Flat Campground, Little Naches Campground, Quartz Mountain Campground, Sawmill Flat Campground
Trail Rankings
Ranking consistently applied to all of the listed trails.
- Overall Rating: Ride quality and challenge
- Aerobic: Ascent challenge
- Technical Difficulty: Terrain challenge
- Steepness: Average incline
- Flow: Uninterrupted riding
- Elevation Change: Total elevation gain
- Ride Difficulty: Terrain challenge
