[AlmostHeaven]

This could end up being a pretty lengthy post, bear with me...
I'm taking a trip this summer after graduating to ride bikes and explore the western part of the country. Only took me 23 years to get west of the Mississippi!

I have a pretty basic itinerary planned out so far, but still lots of questions.
-I have about 3 weeks of play time (within the month of June)
-I want to ride my bike as much as humanly possible within that time
-I'm flying to Reno and spending a couple days at my buddies in Tahoe
-We are going to hit the road after that and make out way up to WA and OR, then across the border & into BC
-I'm taking a freeride/all-mtn bike instead of a full DH rig because I'd like to possibly ride in some places where some pedaling will be needed

Disclaimer: I'm sure most of these questions are simple and could be answered through a Google search, but I figured there were plenty of guys/gals on this board who are much more well-traveled than I and who have extensive knowledge of these local areas who might be able to succinctly answer my questions.

PNW
-I'm pretty clueless about this entire area. The only place that I know of that sounds worthwhile checking out is Port Angeles, WA.
-I would like to see parts of both OR and WA, so recommend some killer trails.
-We'll be doing lots of camping since my buddy has a dog, but I have heard about some biker-friendly hostels so if you know about those I'd love some info about them
-Like I said, I'm pretty clueless so any helpful local knowledge about the best places to ride, eat, and crash would be really helpful

BC
-WHISTLER. This is my top priority out of everything. It's easy to find info on the place, but my main question is that after the opening day (May 15th), how often do the majority of the trails start opening? I had planned originally to be there the first of June, but it's looking like I may want to push back the trip by a couple weeks in order to enjoy Whistler fully.
-Almost as high of a priority is riding some of the world-class trails in the surrounding areas. I don't want to break my neck on North Shore stunts - just want to shred some killer BC singletrack and shuttle runs. What are the best places to ride in this general area?
-I'm aware that BC is huge, but in terms of a days drive from Whistler, what are some other areas that I should focus on? Squamish, Vancouver, Chilliwack, Kamloops, Nanaimo, etc....?
-I'm sure there are some hostels in this area too so if anyone has used any of them before and/or can recommend a good one, it would be great.

Misc.
-I haven't solidified a budget yet. I figured I would see what most of my expected expenses are going to be before I set aside a fixed amount to take.
-I picked the freeride/AM bike over the DH rig because of airline costs and because I wanted to do some all-around riding and am not opposed to pedaling back to the top for another run.
-We are going to be camping for the majority of the trip I'm sure. If anyone reading this lives in the PNW or BC and has a couch/futon/garage floor for a couple of smelly bikers and a well-behaved black lab to crash for the night, we can definitely make it worth your while in beer.
PM me if you are one of those people!

I think that about wraps up all the questions I had.
I'm sure I forgot something and I'll be adding to this thread as other questions come to mind.
Like I mentioned before, I am totally open to suggestions. If you know of some awesome places to ride ANYWHERE in the PNW, please don't hesitate to let me know. I want to experience the best that I can with my time out there.

If you're still reading this far - THANK YOU - and know that your time and advice will not to go waste but will instead help make my first real travel adventure a success and much more fun!

 

[bizutch]

Let motomike know you're coming. He's new to the PNW, but apparently, quit the local now. Have fun Sam, and get yourself a thread on here with a "Where's Sam?" sort of theme to keep us posted.

 

[AlmostHeaven]

Wow, cool - I didn't know motomike moved out there. Is he going to school somewhere?
I'll most definitely keep everyone satisfied with plenty of pictures and updates (to those who care).
Gotta take care of logistics first, sadly. Can't wait to have everything planned and ready to go!

 

[motomike]

While driving up from Tahoe, making sure you hit these spots in Oregon:

Ashland- Near the border with CA and home to the 12 mile Super D race. Plenty of riding here.

Black Rock- You have probably seen lots of footage from here and never knew it. Located in tiny Falls City, OR just west of Salem. The place is amazing, and you don't want to miss it. Apparently there is a big mtn lion prowling the area right now, so watch out! Tons and tons of freeride stuff, big and small, and dh trails.

Hood River, OR- about an hour east of Portland, and a major destination for wind surfing/kite boarding in the columbia river gorge. Amazing trails there, xc, dh, and freeride stuff. Look up Post Canyon on youtube for some decent footage. Very tasty beer there too.

Mt Hood National Forest- over a million acres, plenty of single track and elevation. There is a new place called Sandy Ridge that is built by the imba, and its a must see. I'll take you to it if you want.

 

[slyfink]

I'm from out East, so not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. But I have ridden in Whistler, Squamish, North Vancouver, the Woodlot (which is about 45 minutes east of Vancouver) and Pemberton. They're all world class. I especially liked Squamish. Pemberton was really "old school". Tight, tech, gnarly, steep. Lots of skidding through scree, but I loved it. It's 30 minutes from Whistler. I've also seen the trails in the Okanagan, around Kelowna. They're awesome. I think Williams Lake is also within a day's drive and is supposed to be unreal. Come to think of it, Silver Star and Sun Peaks are also within a day's drive of Vancouver. If you're willing to drive for a day, almost all the riding spots in BC are within reach. Also look into the Sunshine Coast. In reality, BC is your oyster man... you can't go wrong.

 

[Beast]

Meet up/find some people in the southern Seattle area and ride the Exit trails. Hands down my faves.

 

[AlmostHeaven]

Thanks motomike! That's exactly the type of info I was looking for. I'll be sure to PM you sometime soon and swap contact info.

Big thanks for the beer tip in Hood River. Apart from trying to find the best trails to shred, my second mission is to find and drink the best beers from the respective locale.

edit: thanks to everyone else who has replied so far too!

 

[AlmostHeaven]

Meet up/find some people in the southern Seattle area and ride the Exit trails. Hands down my faves.

It's on the list

 

[Jason4]

It's definately worth the time to stop in Bellingham for a couple of days. There is some good XC/AM/light freeriding on Galbraith. Stop by any local bike shop and they can give you directions. There is also a very good mountain bike community and if you find the right person they will probably share more good directions. Stop by Chuckanut Brewery for some good beer too.

It's a good stopover between Port Angeles and Vancouver. Maybe I missed it but what time of the year are you planning this for?

 

[jon-boy]

While driving up from Tahoe, making sure you hit these spots in Oregon:

Ashland- Near the border with CA and home to the 12 mile Super D race. Plenty of riding here.

Black Rock- You have probably seen lots of footage from here and never knew it. Located in tiny Falls City, OR just west of Salem. The place is amazing, and you don't want to miss it. Apparently there is a big mtn lion prowling the area right now, so watch out! Tons and tons of freeride stuff, big and small, and dh trails.

Hood River, OR- about an hour east of Portland, and a major destination for wind surfing/kite boarding in the columbia river gorge. Amazing trails there, xc, dh, and freeride stuff. Look up Post Canyon on youtube for some decent footage. Very tasty beer there too.

Mt Hood National Forest- over a million acres, plenty of single track and elevation. There is a new place called Sandy Ridge that is built by the imba, and its a must see. I'll take you to it if you want.

Add McKenzie bridge to the list in Oregon.. the McKenzie River trail is 20 miles of some of the sweetest flowing single track I have had the pleasure to leave tire tracks on.

Port Angeles is a way off the route north and will add to the budget as you'll need to add a ferry ride into the equation to prevent back tracking... doable though.

Once you hit BC and Vancouver you are within a few hours drive of the following: North Shore, Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, Woodlot (Maple Ridge), Veder Mountain (Chilliwack).. then the Sunshine coast is a short ferry ride and well worth the effort and then on Van Isle there's Courtenay, Nanaimo, Port Alberni etc, that again is worth the trip. In Courtenay there's a riding hostel called the Riding Fool (I think) that's a great place to stay. In Van there's the youth hostel at Jericho Beach, which is a prime spot. You be well served to bring a tent and camp in spots too.

As for timing.. Whistler can be low on rideable trails early season. With things being warm and dry I don't see that being an issue right now, but in general mid-June sees most lower trails open and some of the Garbanzo zone open too. The sea to sky highway area (Van-Squamish-Whister-Pemberton) has some of the most sublime trails that won't see you getting bored.

 

[BigHitComp04]

Cant help you out on the logistics Sam but that sounds like a sick trip! If you have your bike up here after spring break let me know. Cleared off some of the Baker's Ridge trails if you want to go for a shred.

 

[Sam B]

You have more to ride than your time would allow. However, you will be able to hit all the obvious spots and should have a blast.

Black Rock for sure and Post Canyon along with other Hood River riding (talk to Dirty Fingers bike shop).

Seattle "exit" trails plus Duthie Hill. Up to Galbraith in Bellingham. Lots of new trails, and you could ride once from each side and not realize you were on the same hill. Drop N Zone and Fanatik are the shops to go to.

You could hit up Woodlot between Bellingham and Vancouver...

Hit Fromme and Seymour in Van. Any of the tons of bike shops can set you up with a map and help in figuring out shuttles on Seymour.

Whistler area could occupy a week solid on it's on without a question. Don't limit yourself to the bike park either. Since you will have your pedal friendly bike go ride some of the valley trails too. Stuff in the park is just getting going in May, but with the year we are having out west almost all the lower mountain trails should be open, you just won't be able to hit Garbo. Then Squamish and Pemby as well...

 

[gonefirefightin]

if you make it through central oregon you can climb aboard my shuttle express and hit some of my super secret DH single track

 

[ods]

I pm'd you about Port Angeles. And it is out of the way, but we have a ferry to Vancouver Island that puts you into Victoria. Near there is the Iguana Ranch (mtb hostel) and Mt. Prevost. Then take a ferry to Squamish and Whistler. Then back to the shore and Bellingham for sure. Makes a nice NW loop.

 

[stinky6]

Leavenworth WA is cool, one of my favorite places to ride, but might be too far out of your way. Northbend and Fall City also are good. Bellingham is also good. I don't know if Port Angeles would be worth it just because it will be some what out of the way, the riding is epic though. PM me when your in the Seattle area and I'd be happy to show you some of the local stuff.

 

[Sam B]

I pm'd you about Port Angeles. And it is out of the way, but we have a ferry to Vancouver Island that puts you into Victoria. Near there is the Iguana Ranch (mtb hostel) and Mt. Prevost. Then take a ferry to Squamish and Whistler. Then back to the shore and Bellingham for sure. Makes a nice NW loop.

Scott?

Yes... that would be a good way to do it. Take the ferry from Seattle over to the peninsula. While you are over there take advantage of some site seeing and go to the coast and the Hoh rain forest - amazing stuff over there.

Then hit the ferry up to Vancouver Island, or the ferry to Keystone on Whidbey Island if you want to hit Bellingham.

 

[coldawg]

If you're in Whistler you have to hit some of the valley trails. The bike park is great, and definitely worth checking out, but the true gems are outside of the park.
It's been said before, and I didn't really listen the first 3 or 4 summers I went up to Whis (from California), so I just rented a DH rig and rode the park all week instead of bringing up my AM rig.
Now that I go to school up here at UBC in Vancouver, I have ridden a number of the valley trails and also some SICK stuff in Squamish, and I can safely say if you're in search of amazing rides, these are the ticket! Corsa in Squamish and Evolution in Whistler have done me well in recommending trails. Also, post on nsmb.com bulletin boards and you'll find some great people to show you some amazing trails. I'd offer, but I'll be back in Cali by the time you're up here. Oh and it's worth a ride or two on the north shore, just to say you've done it and to see what it's all about. Trails like 7th/Pipeline on Fromme, or CBC/Neds on Seymour won't get you in deep and breaking your neck. But they give a nice little sampler of what the shore offers.

*If you want to hit the bike park the way it's meant to be hit, it might be worth renting a big bike for a day or two. I've done it on my Enduro and had a blast on the jumpy trails and even some tech trails, but unless you're content with staying on the brakes the whole time (or breaking parts left and right), you'll want to think twice about rocking an AM rig in the park (if you happen to have a really burly wheelset you'll be fine, but your body will take a beating).

Also, some notable other BC destinations are the island (heard tons of good stuff), Nelson (first on my list of non-Whis/Squamish destinations), and Sunpeaks/Silverstar parks inland.

 

[motomike]

Big thanks for the beer tip in Hood River. Apart from trying to find the best trails to shred, my second mission is to find and drink the best beers from the respective locale.

Oh well in that case, add Portland as a destination...for beer.

http://www.portlandbeer.org/

 

[rigidhack]

Wait, there's mountain biking in BC?





Fire off a PM if you want a quick tour of some of the Shore trails when you get here.

 

[Huck Banzai]

Dont forget to stretch before every ride, and make sure to eat plenty of burritos.

 

[AlmostHeaven]

Thanks again everybody.

Dont forget to stretch before every ride, and make sure to eat plenty of burritos.

I definitely need to start hitting the gym more often to get in shape. Like I said, never been that far west which in turn means I've never done anything at elevation.
No burrito will be safe within a 50-mile distance.

if you make it through central oregon you can climb aboard my shuttle express and hit some of my super secret DH single track

sha-weet. PM sent!

Maybe I missed it but what time of the year are you planning this for?

Probably either end of May into June, or possibly the entire month of June.

 

[AlmostHeaven]

Question to those who have ridden all these areas before:

What bike do you feel would be all-around ideal for riding at all of these spots? I'd love to take a DH bike AND an XC ride, but space is tight. DH or AM?

And if you know of the perfect bike, do you have one you'd like to sell?

 

[stinky6]

Question to those who have ridden all these areas before:

What bike do you feel would be all-around ideal for riding at all of these spots? I'd love to take a DH bike AND an XC ride, but space is tight. DH or AM?

And if you know of the perfect bike, do you have one you'd like to sell?

I ride an SX Trail and can do just about everything on it. Some stuff not as fast and I have to be a little bit more careful not to overshoot stuff. I would go for a bike like that and bring a set of DH tires and a set of AM tires, makes a huge difference in the way the bike pedals and rides, just change tires according to the trail.

Edit: Good brakes are huge as some of the descents are long and wide bars are great because a lot of the stuff is fast and relatively open.

 

[AlmostHeaven]

I ride an SX Trail and can do just about everything on it. Some stuff not as fast and I have to be a little bit more careful not to overshoot stuff. I would go for a bike like that and bring a set of DH tires and a set of AM tires, makes a huge difference in the way the bike pedals and rides, just change tires according to the trail.

Edit: Good brakes are huge as some of the descents are long and wide bars are great because a lot of the stuff is fast and relatively open.

Thanks, good tips, kind of figured that about tires, brakes, bars, etc.
SX Trail is one of the bikes I have in mind. Giant Glory is an option, too.

 

[FlipFantasia]

while a big dh bike is certainly fun, I rode my cove hustler (5.5") with a lyrik solo air on the front in the park last year an awful lot, and had a lot of fun. yeah, its definitely undergunned on the super gnar or high speed stuff, but its more than capable of getting you down fast too...that being said, having something pedalable will get you to some real gems out in the valley, that are never crowded, and will leave you giggling like a school girl....I'm sure you'll have fun regardless, but something a bit shorter travel will allow you to see way more stuff if you're motivated, and ride more stuff than you think....

 

[AlmostHeaven]

...that being said, having something pedalable will get you to some real gems out in the valley, that are never crowded, and will leave you giggling like a school girl....I'm sure you'll have fun regardless, but something a bit shorter travel will allow you to see way more stuff if you're motivated, and ride more stuff than you think....

great minds think alike. I think my decision is pretty much made-up at this point.

 

[Bench]

You can't go wrong with any of the places mentioned, but as was said before you will have a blast riding for 3 weeks but pick the places you most want to ride as you will not be able to hit up 1/3 of the areas mentioned so far. I would try to pick 4 or 5 places and to get full sample of the local riding.

Me and some buddies did a 9 week road trip through the western states and into BC last summer and that is the only thing I would change if I had to do it again. We took our time in some places and really got a feel for the local trails but some places such as bend, hood river, and bellingham we only got in a ride or two. So much more to explore!

I would also set a rough plan of the amount of time you will stay in each place as you don't want to run out of time and not get enough time in BC.

As for cost if you camp on the cheap and cook your own food it really isn't gonna cost you that much. Just for something to compare to, our trip cost $2200 CAD total, and we didn't have an overly fuel efficient truck and had drive to and from PEI Canada so gas was our main expense.

As for places I could go on forever.... We kept a Blog of our trip with pictures, videos of every location we hit so it might be worth checking out. If you have any specific questions hit me up with a pm. As we focused more on the XC/AM side relevance will depend on if you have a bike that can climb or not.

I Agree a 5 or 6 inch travel bike would be ideal (coming from a more xc backround) except for whistler bike park and the shore... could probably get away with it on fromme. I used a Trance X0 last year and was perfect for everything from 7 hours epics to anything we climbed up to in Squamish.

Way to long for a first post, but lastly a few places I really liked:

Downieville, CA (think you said you were gonig to tahoe so very close)
Oakridge, Or
Squamish/Whistler BC (am moving there for the riding)
Rossland, BC but a Little out of the way

Anyway hope some of this rambling helps and you have a great trip this summer.

Ben

ps Flip sweet pics and we'll have to get out for some rides this summer once I move out there.