Windy Ridge: DH#2

[gripnrip]

Great ride, my wife and I normally do it every August Long weekend. We usually go down and come up from the south, do Windy Ridge, agree that the north road out is veeerry bumpy. But great roads all around there. As August long weekend is a Monday and a work day in the US, we like to do Rainer on the Monday coming back, less traffic.

And August it should always be open, earlier in the season is hit and miss, sometimes snow keeps the road closed late into the season.

[doser]

There's no good way to get to Enumclaw

gotta disagree. you can ride Hwy 9 and nearby sideroads to Arlington, then great backroads to Granite Falls, Duvall, etc south to Buckley - nice little town, OK for overnite . Firehouse Pub in downtown is a great place to eat, drink, and chat with locals. Econo Lodge at south end of town is OK to stay, and reasonably priced. Wallys Drive In at north end is a hoot, outa some previous decade... or maybe you can get further on the first day... south of there, ride thru Kapowsin and Eatonville, etc...

http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=2...3c6bd165&msa=0


you don't have ANY idea at all that metropolitan Seattle-Everett exists, just over the hills to the west. wonderful...


addendum: old guy's got it right that the road south from Randle is pretty rough (not to mention 'green' here and there), but that doesn't have to be a negative. I actually really LIKE 'rough stuff' - I enjoy the bike getting pitched and tossed around - keeps you active and on the pegs and reading the road ahead - not just some perfect, easy, smooth, predictable (boring) highway... know what I mean?

[K-rod]

gotta disagree. you can ride Hwy 9 and nearby sideroads to Arlington, then great backroads to Granite Falls, Duvall, etc south to Buckley - nice little town, OK for overnite . Firehouse Pub in downtown is a great place to eat, drink, and chat with locals. Econo Lodge at south end of town is OK to stay, and reasonably priced. Wallys Drive In at north end is a hoot, outa some previous decade... or maybe you can get further on the first day... south of there, ride thru Kapowsin and Eatonville, etc...

http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=2...3c6bd165&msa=0

Of course, the other route/option is to pop down Hwy 1/101 (the coast) to like San Diego, and then hit ALL the Destination Highways marked out in the Calfornia book on the way back up through Cali, plus all the really great roads in Oregon ... until eventually you get back into Warshington ...

[doser]

Of course, the other route/option is to pop down Hwy 1/101 (the coast) to like San Diego, and then hit ALL the Destination Highways marked out in the Calfornia book on the way back up through Cali, plus all the really great roads in Oregon ... until eventually you get back into Warshington ...

now, THAT would be a great 3-day weekend ride!

[CanadianBird]

now, THAT would be a great 3-day weekend ride!

More like a three week ride.

[K-rod]

but great, nonetheless

[flyfishinwoman]

Be careful, really careful, of your speed anywhere near Randall. There are lots of revenue collectors out looking for bikes.

Windy Ridge is one of my faves in WA state, you'll enjoy it immensely.

[CanadianBird]

A Washington local just told me the Windy Ridge ride has been shortened due to slides.

[jeckyll]

That road often has slides and closures. I think they also had a big one 3 years ago (may have been 4 now, time flies).

It's a great road but it does get very busy. And bikes run off the edge fairly frequently (judging by the skidmarks I've seen over the years). Still, an excellent ride. I love the stretch down to Carson as well, some extremely good corners.

The bumps last year between Randle and the Windy ridge turnoff were pretty severe, I actually ended up nose-wheeling the KLR off one of the hard dips, which is pretty damn hard to do. Tons of fun on a long travel bike, not so much for my buddy on a 954

[old guy]

Doser, you're right, hwy 9 to Arlington is good, and suggested route to munroe is pretty good too,Munroe south is scenic but not so twisty,(except for a short section on #7 just north of Morton) only thing is that way may be an overnighter to M.S.H. any time we've done it on a 3 day long wknd we wanted to do windy ridge on the way and end up in Woodland for the evening the 1st day, 2nd day tear around the area, then home the 3rd day. big fun.

[Triplepete]

It's been a while since I have done it but a fantastic ride. I fell in love with MSH and Gifford National Rec area when I first rode in over 10 years ago. Last time I tried to do Windy Ridge the roads were out and the US national budget didn't have enuff money to clear the slides. The roads on the East side between Randall and the Columbia gorge were pretty heaved in some corners too. Check road conditions, sometimes MSH doesn't open till July due to snow. And of course be very careful of wild life and Park Rangers... they can issue tickets too ad like to set up speed traps on long weekends.

Have a safe ride!

[Mighty Kentor]

I've ridden the ridge about 30 times in the past 20 years. I've never seen any LEO's, and have seen little in the way of traffic. It's a great ride, just make sure you can see around the corners, as mentioned above, it is prone to small rock spills over the road.

[Dee Hubbs]

I ride it at least once a year. Trip up to Windy Ridge is great.
Call the Forest Ranger Station in Randle 360-449-7800 or look here http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mount...6099&actid=105

[heisenberg9]

^^ Excellent info. Thanks for the phone number and URL. Most helpful.

[stonecold]

I was up there July 6th and it is still not open...However Randall to Carson is still a fucking amazing ride...However Windy Ridge is the Cherry on Top