Sun Mtn Ski Resort Trails
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Overall: 6
Aerobic: 6
Technical: 5
Steepness: 5
Flow: 6
Singletrack: 95%
The Winthrop Washington Sun Mountain area consists of a combination of dual-use (MTB/XC-Ski) trails and XC-Ski doubletrack, at the foothills of Thompson Ridge.
Type
Loop
Length
Avg: 19mi
Ascent
Easy
Elevation Change
TH:2600'
Avg Ascent:3900'
Ascent Incline
9%
Duration
Avg: 3hr
Weather
Forecast
NOAA
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Trail
Review
Well suited for Beginner to Intermediate riders, Rader Creek, Patterson Lake, Yellowjacket and Black Bear are the favored trails, and it's possible to put together several loops into an all-day ride without too much overlap.
Doubletrack: Inside Passage is FR300/320, Meadowlark is mostly FR200, Little Wolf is FR500, Fox is FR522 and Aqua is FR530. Bluejay is mostly doubletrack.
A route is described in the guide below, which covers the usual way the various trails are ridden, but is by no means the only way to link the trails. The area is well-signed, so maps are optional and GPS not really needed.
The intersection of FR300 and FR4410 is the ride summit, with the Wolf Creek area trails on relatively flat terrain.
Please leave any fences as you find them, to prevent free-range livestock from becoming a little too free.
For a backcountry hike, nearby Wolf Creek Tr527 follows Wolf Creek for 9mi, with abandoned trails continuing past Gardner Meadows to the Abernathy Ridge.
Three abandoned trails connect to Wolf Creek Tr527, exploring, Wolf Creek, Abernathy Trail, and Hubbard Creek Tr527B.
Directions: At the US20 Winthrop river crossing, go west on White Ave. to Twin Lakes Rd, then turn right on Patterson Lake Rd. Park at the Chickadee TH. View Larger Map. No Map?.
Loop Directions
ski-n-bike
- TH: From the Chickadee TH, ride .4mi, then go left onto FR320 (Inside Passage) and ascend towards Thompson Ridge alongside Rader Creek. Merge onto FR300 at 1.3mi and continue the ascent for 1mi.
- 2.3mi: Go left onto FR4410 at the ride summit and descend 1mi to FR200 (Meadowlark).
- 3.3mi: Go left onto FR200, then bear left at the 4mi FR220 (Goshawk) intersection and traverse the hillside to the 4.5mi Thompson Creek crossing. After a brief descent, go right onto Bluejay and continue traversing the hillside on the mostly doubletrack trail, passing a connector trail at 6.3mi.
- 6.9mi: Go right onto Meadowlark and descend the steep doubletrack to FR320, then go right.
- 8mi: Go right onto Rader Creek and continue the descent (through 2 gates) to Patterson Lake, then go left onto Patterson Lake (the trail. do not turn left into the lake.) at 9.5mi, near a doubletrack intersection.
- 11mi: After a gradual lakeside climb, go left onto the road and ride Cabin Trail to Magpie, then ride Magpie back to Rader Creek. Go right, then go right onto FR320 and cross FR4410. This completes the southern figure 8 loop.
- 12.3mi: Ride Criss Cross to FR500 (Little Wolf), crossing Overland at 12.7mi. Go right at FR500, then left onto Yellowjacket and ride alongside FR500 to the doubletrack (Fox) intersection, then go right.
- 14.2mi: Go right onto the doubletrack and ride past the Hough Homestead to Black Bear, which soon becomes singletrack. Descend the gradual Wolf Creek hillside traverse to the 16.2mi Moose intersection, then go onto Lakeview and continue the descent to the creek.
- 17.2mi: At the creek, go right onto the doubletrack and ascend alongside the creek to the 18mi CR1117 (Patterson Lake Rd) intersection. Go right and continue to the climb to the Chickadee TH.
Trail Index
This Ride
Aqua Loop Trail, Beaver Pond Trail, Black Bear Trail, Bluejay Trail, Cabin Trail, Chickadee Trail, Criss Cross Trail, Fox Trail, Horse Trail, Inside Passage Trail, Kraule Trail, Lakeview Trail, Magpie Trail, Meadowlark Trail, Moose Trail, Little Wolf Trail, Overland Trail, Patterson Lake Trail, Pine Forest Trail, Rader Creek Trail, Raven Trail, Rodeo Trail, Sunnyside Trail, View Ridge Trail, Wolf Creek Trail, Yellowjacket Trail
Area
Wilderness
North Creek Trail 413, Scatter Creek Trail 427, Slate Lake Trail 414, Wolf Creek Trail 527
XC Ski
Aqua Loop Trail, Beaver Pond Trail, Black Bear Trail, Bluejay Trail, Cabin Trail, Chickadee Trail, Criss Cross Trail, Fox Trail, Horse Trail, Inside Passage Trail, Kraule Trail, Lakeview Trail, Magpie Trail, Meadowlark Trail, Moose Trail, Little Wolf Trail, Overland Trail, Patterson Lake Trail, Pine Forest Trail, Rader Creek Trail, Raven Trail, Rodeo Trail, Sunnyside Trail, View Ridge Trail, Wolf Creek Trail, Yellowjacket Trail
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
