[boxxerace]

JAPANESE GULCH *Master Thread, work in progress*

Description: A lush, wet forest on the North slopes of Mukilteo, WA, filled with singletrack, overgrown and nearly lost freeride stunts, fresh dirtjumps and one decent down route, back down to your vehicle.

Location: Mukilteo / Everett Washington, just North of Boeing. [MAP]

UPDATES Below 05/05/09:

Notes: I realize that there are some of you who may resist the creation of such a thread, but frankly the knowledge of Japanese Gulch's existence is nothing new. The upper forest is threatened by the expansion of private business (in and of itself, business is good, just not in THIS forest) and as such, the more knowledge and people who are riding, using and loving the gulch, the more resistance the property owners will see to leave the forest trees still standing.

And Finally, a Photograph of your's truly: Almost faster than a speeding camera shutter.

 

[boxxerace]

Photographs: (Summer of 07)

 

[Spahman]

those bars are chopped!! lol

Are there any good dh single track trails?..

 

[bent^biker]

not really, there is one decent route on the east side but it is definitely just a cross country trail that happens to be pointed down hill, nothing fun.

oh and by the way this thread is pointless because... http://evergreenmtb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Trail:Japanese_Gulch

 

[boxxerace]

oh and by the way this thread is pointless because... http://evergreenmtb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Trail:Japanese_Gulch

Thanks for the Link. I think you'll find this thread eventually being a bit more useful than you think. To start, there will be more current trail updates than "2006" and an ever expanding amount of content.

I also am going to encourage putting together some build / fix parties, of which there are already several who have offered to lend a hand. The terrain, this close to the city, is worth the effort.

 

[boxxerace]

Trail Conditions Update 05 05 09

Japanese Gulch is Wet. I am talking total downpour and I made the mistake of checking the trail in my work clothes. So much for cleanliness.

My Canadian buddy and I entered on the West side of the Gulch, through what appears to be a future Mukilteo Park. We headed down the primary access trail to check out the condition of the dirt jumps and how damaged and beat all the old wooden stunts are. Here is what we found (see inset photo's).

Entrance

The trails were in overall pretty good shape considering the amount of rain coming down.

Lots of winters droppings:

The step up looks to be in great shape with no damage to the actual trail or jump.

The Stump drop ladder on the other hand

Nothing but a rotting mess.

 

[boxxerace]

Another, more revealing look at the problem.

Look close, one of the DreamLifters coming in, making a bunch of racket.

Old bones of a large trail gap

Yeah, that was the old, now overgrown landing.

XC trail

One of the up routes from the train tracks

Old, half assed downhill trail

With a little work, this one could be back up and running.

Introducing the average West Side XC trail, at any given point in the year.

yuck. Leave this to the Cyclocross crowd.

 

[boxxerace]

Get your balls together and...

Pretend someone is airing out inverted

Commitment? Yes.

High Five to the guys who are keeping all the trash together. Great going!

Sorry for the poor image, the "baby" line on the left.

Buck up Son!

Future Jumps, with your help:

Death Ladder

Another XC trail, leading out of the DJ's

Buff

And lastly, a sneak peak at the all new 787

 

[DamienD]

did some one cut the log laying on the middle of the landing on the step up? cus we were out ther a few weeks ago trying to make it good and ther was that log ther making it not ridable and stuff.

 

[boxxerace]

did some one cut the log laying on the middle of the landing on the step up? cus we were out ther a few weeks ago trying to make it good and ther was that log ther making it not ridable and stuff.

Looks like it, it is completely ridable, sans the inrun stump drop.

 

[boxxerace]

Update from Saturday: Someone drove a pickup truck down the main access road. How they got there, I am not entirely sure, but I suspect someone has access off some personal property and into the Japanese gulch area. I don't think the intent was to wheel. Instead, I noticed the run in at the dirt jumps has been fixed / put back in place for the season. Perhaps the two are related?

Anyhow, good day out at Japanese Gulch. Lots of plant growth and the trails are tight in some places. Found some new lines I have never seen before.

P.S. Found a 1/2 baked skinny...

 

[boxxerace]

Rode Japanese again yesterday. Weather was stellar, humidity high and trails ripe.

I did reach a conclusion that I'll be bringing my machete out the next time I am out there. There is a point where tight single track is sick and a point in which the nettles that lean into the spot your body needs to be at during a corner the trail needs some maintainence.

Overall the ride after work was excellent. I saw several other riders on the trail, I think all of them on Santacruz Hecklers and superlights go figure. Either way, I was not going to complain while huffing the big bike up stuff.

So check this out, going down the primary East trail (the fun one with berms), at the spot that has that log that fell to the ground and there is an optional -small drop / transition, take a look to your left. Right there at this spot is an alternate, slightly hidden wooden structure/ tree thing to drop!

Someone has taken the liberty of leaving the last five rungs out of the wooden ramp jump for some reason, maybe it's just not done yet. In any case, this is worth some more exploration. Japanese Gulch is ripe with options for fun freeride lines!

 

[jeepmauler]

I'm lookin to pick up a used stinky this summer so I may be puting some work in at the gulch.

 

[trailhacker]

I'm lookin to pick up a used stinky this summer so I may be puting some work in at the gulch.

Back in your hole you!!!

 

[boxxerace]

I'm lookin to pick up a used stinky this summer so I may be puting some work in at the gulch.

Holy Bantam, your giving up precious wheeling time to ride?!?!?!

In any case Jeepy.. get yourself a ride and get on out and pedal again. Shoot me a PM when your game to ride, I am just a few minutes away from Japanese.

P.S. Just how is NWW doing these days?

 

[knittingfiend]

Holy Bantam, your giving up precious wheeling time to ride?!?!?!

In any case Jeepy.. get yourself a ride and get on out and pedal again. Shoot me a PM when your game to ride, I am just a few minutes away from Japanese.

P.S. Just how is NWW doing these days?

What's a girl named Motodestroyer gonna do out at the Gulch?

Count me in...

 

[knittingfiend]

Back in your hole you!!!

I know, right?!

 

[anklepain]

was out there yesterday for the first time, spent the entire time on the North side of the tracks, apart from clearing out spiderwebs with my face and having nettle burn, the trails were a lot of fun. Where are the dirt jumps? I saw the step up, with the broken down ladder/drop thing but never came across the jumps.

 

[Big B]

They're west of the main trail. One entrance is at the clearing at the top of the downhill section that's all beat to snot.

I rode there Saturday. The trails are fine, but every structure is damaged or useless. The big drop down by the tracks keeps evolving. It gets gnarlier every year with the erosion. It's takes more commitment now than it used to. It's still one of my favorite drops.

I wasn't wearing long sleeves or shin gaurds, so I got a fair amount of nettles to scratch at.

 

[anklepain]

must have had my North messed up, I think I must have been on the West side. I've seen vid of jumps there

and a map http://www.mountainbikebill.com/images/Trails/WA-JapaneseGultch/JapaneseGultch-Map.jpg

Eventually I'll find them, but thought I'd save myself some time.

 

[boxxerace]

must have had my North messed up, I think I must have been on the West side. I've seen vid of jumps there

Eventually I'll find them, but thought I'd save myself some time.

Yo Ankle,

Try riding or navigating from the trail that starts at this defunct park

mukilteo - Google Maps

You park at the bend, ride past the road blocking wire, down to the right on the pavement to the culdesac at the end. Right there, the main West side trail starts. Follow this for a bit until you see the jumps on the left.

Money!