Raging River State Forest, just south of Snoqualmie, Washington, and 30 miles southeast of Seattle, boasts five new miles of singletrack across two new trails. The new trails come a decade after Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and Washington DNR first broke ground. They also represent the final phase of building at Raging River, which quickly became a must-ride trail system in the Seattle area.
New descending options at Raging River
Raging River State Forest has two new descents, the first being ‘Over and Out,’ which Evergreen describes as a “2.6-mile, purpose-built intermediate descent trail.” Over and Out is located on the north side of the trail system and provides an alternative descent to the more advanced ‘Poppin Tops’ trail.
Those who have visited Raging River in the past few years might have seen construction on ‘Trail E,’ which has since been officially named Over and Out. The blue descent has a similar vibe and flow to Upper Poppin Tops, but is a bit more tame. While Evergreen didn’t mention the elevation drop, the three-mile climbing trail, ‘Upward Mobility,’ gains nearly 1,000 feet.
‘Wild Waves’ is the other new option at Raging River. Similar to Over and Out, Evergreen says that Wild Waves is a “2.5-mile purpose-built intermediate mountain bike trail with a flow descent.” Formerly ‘Trail C,’ Wild Waves is on the southwest side of Raging River and begins partway up the popular intermediate climbing trail, ‘Return Policy,’ ending at ‘Way Back.’
Again, while Evergreen didn’t specify, Wild Waves looks to drop around 1,200 feet of elevation over its 2.5 miles.
The addition of the flowier descents complements more technical options well. While the intermediate ‘Executive Decision’ starts on the flowier side, it eventually turns steeper and rougher. ‘Canyon Creek DH’ is another intermediate and technical descent that riders should likely be confident on before jumping to the more advanced tech trails like ‘Physical Therapy’ and ‘Reverance.’
With the completion of Over and Out and Wild Waves, Raging River State Forest offers multiple green, blue, black, and double-black trails, plus a variety of tech and flow.
A popular trail system 10 years in the making
The Washington DNR, in partnership with King County and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, purchased the Raging River trail system in 2009. The initial purchase covered about 7,000 acres of former timberland just outside Snoqualmie along the I-90 corridor. The total land mass would eventually stretch to roughly 11,200 acres.
Fast forward a few years, and the Washington DNR looked to partner with Evergreen to design and build a trail system from scratch. Shovels hit the dirt at the end of 2015, with the first phase opening to the public in 2018 with over 15 miles of singletrack.
More phases over the years brought additional mileage to Raging River, with the last five miles opening this weekend. Evergreen said that trail construction was mostly funded by a Washington State Recreation & Conservation Office grant and state capital funding.
“Raging River is a perfect example of what a committed riding community can create alongside land management partners who have a shared vision to make the northwest a premier destination for not just recreation, but also to help people connect with nature,” Eddie Espinosa, Executive Director of Evergreen, said in a Raging River press release.
In the past 10 years, Raging River has grown into one of the most popular trail systems in the greater Seattle area. In fact, the area has become a top stop in Washington for mountain biking. Riders heading to Raging River should also plan a stop at Tiger Mountain — it is literally across Highway 18.
Those looking for lift-accessed riding should drive 30 miles east of Raging River and Tiger Mountain to Summit Bike Park at Snoqualmie Pass. Between these three destinations (and likely some others), you could easily spend a week’s worth of riding in the Snoqualmie area.
Evergreen and Washington DNR are celebrating the competition of Raging River with the grand opening of Over and Out and Wild Waves. The celebration is this Saturday from 12-5 PM.
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