Fall could\nbe the very best time for a mountain biking adventure in just about any\ndirection around the Yakima Valley. From\nwide open, sage-covered landscapes and river-side, forested trails to mountain\ntop views, the mountain bike trails in and near the Yakima Valley are truly one\nof a kind. No matter your skill level or age, there\u2019s someplace special for you\non your next two-wheeled adventure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Cowiche](\"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Cowiche-1-700x525.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBeginner Trails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Yakima Greenway <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Yakima Greenway is a paved path that boasts more than 20 miles of scenic riding from the small town of Naches all of the way through Gleed and Yakima, ending in Union Gap (or the other way around!). With only a slight grade, scenic lakes, picnic areas and treed green space, this beginner friendly trail is a perfect choice to bust out some miles or get comfortable on your mountain bike before you take the next step to riding on uneven, technical terrain. For a great weekend ride, park at the Gleed\/Suntides parking area and pedal to Naches \u2014 grab a coffee and a massive homemade cinnamon roll at Sticky Fingers Bakery. Then pedal on back to your car. The way back is slightly downhill, so you\u2019ll be cruising with a full tummy and full heart. Or, start at the access point in Union Gap and make the trek along the river with side stops at the Yakima Area Arboretum<\/a> or the new Rotary Playground<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Historic Jeep Trail, Summitview South, Coyote Way, South Uplands Loop <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the\nbest trails to dip your toes into mountain biking on is the Historic Jeep Trail\nat the Uplands\/Scenic trailhead of Cowiche Canyon Conservancy<\/a> (CCC). This double track has only a few slight hills and\ngives you the space to learn how to navigate rocks as well as practice speed\ncontrol without a high level of risk. You can go out and back on the Jeep Trail\n(a total of approximately 4.4 miles roundtrip) or take a few little lollipop\nloops off of the Jeep Trail (I recommend Summitview South, Coyote Way and South\nUplands Loop) to take a slightly larger step into some more technical terrain.\nThe wide open skies and unique shrub-steppe landscape make this trail system a\nlocal favorite for beginners and families to adventure and ride on trails that\nare fun for the entire crew. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n South Uplands Loop, Cliff Path, Brake B4U Break, Colonel Barnhill, Radio Flyer, Trailbreaker <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The CCC\ntrail system truly has something for all levels. If you want a good pedal\nworkout with fun, keep-your-mind-busy trails, then the above trails all linked\ntogether with short stints on the Historic Jeep Trail in between will most\ndefinitely fill your cup. Between short sections of flow and technical ups,\ndowns and turns past sage brush, and mini rock gardens, these trails will keep\nyou on your toes while delivering some serious fun for any\nintermediate-advanced rider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n ***Trail Notice: Due to recent wildfire, only a small portion of this trail is currently open. While this is one of our favorite trails, we recommend waiting until springtime to give the area time to recover and for re-assessment. Keep it on your list though!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This trail\nwill always have a special place in the hearts of locals because of the beauty\nthat it holds, but also because it\u2019s one of the most fun and flowy trails that\nwe have for mountain biking near Yakima proper. Located off of Highway 12 just\na few miles west of Naches, this eight-mile out and back trail truly is a gem\nno matter the season. It follows the Tieton river upstream, so your pedal out\nwill be slightly uphill (there are a few steep hills to pedal up but they are\nshort and out of the way in no time), weaving close to the river and then into\nwoods and wide open meadows filled with Oak Trees and Aspens. In the fall,\neverywhere you look will be the brightest shades of orange, yellow and red that\nyou can find in nature. Couple that with perfect, riverside picnic spots and a\nfun ride back to your car, and you\u2019ll soon be calling this one of your favorite\nall-time biking trails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Located just\noutside of Moxee and Yakima in Wapato, this loop has everything from climbs to\nflow to technical sections to some all-out pedal miles. With just under 1,300 feet\nof elevation gain, this ride has some pretty epic views of the valley, but be\naware that there isn\u2019t any shade so if you\u2019re going on a summer day, I would\nrecommend going early enough that you won\u2019t get too hot during your adventure.\nA few technical climbs and descents and over 10 miles of riding make this a\nmore challenging but very rewarding ride. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n South Rim Trail <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve\nridden in Moab, Utah, then you may have some mini flashbacks while riding our\nSouth Rim Trail in the Uplands\/Scenic trail system of CCC. Sharp switchbacks\nand technical rocky ascents and descents, as well as a few challenging rock\ngardens will await you as well as keep your mind and body on task while\nnavigating this trail. One of our favorite parts is the unbelievable views \u2014 so\nwe recommend stopping at least once to fully take them all in. This trail is a\nfull-on crowd pleaser for riders that want a technical adventure in an\nabsolutely breathtaking landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Little Bald Mountain Trail #961 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no way to leave this one off the list. This multi-use trail (open to mountain bikes, dirt bikes, hiking and more) begins at Halfway Flats Campground off of Highway 410, which is also a favorite place to stay for the night. You can make this ride as long or as short as you\u2019d like, but if you want to make the trek to the top of Little Bald Mountain, it\u2019s about 22 miles total (out and back) with about 3,600 ft. of elevation gain. The views from the top are stunning but the basalt cliffs and the forested areas that you\u2019ll travel through and past to get there are beautiful as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THANK YOU TO OUR GUEST CONTRIBUTOR FOR HER GUIDE TO FABULOUS rides for all levels. SHANNON MAHRE IS A LOCAL OUTDOOR GUIDE EXTRAORDINAIRE AND PASSIONATE ADVENTURER. CHECK OUT HER YEAR-ROUND OUTDOOR ADVENTURE CLINICS, CLASSES AND RETREATS WITH <\/em><\/strong>MAHRE MADE<\/em><\/strong><\/a> AND <\/em><\/strong>GIRLS WITH GRIT<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Beginner, Intermediate and Challenger Adventures by Shannon Mahre, Outdoor Adventure Guide \u2013 photos by Shannon Mahre and Kayla Writer Photography Fall could be the very best time for a mountain biking adventure in just about any direction around the Yakima Valley. From wide open, sage-covered landscapes and river-side, forested trails to mountain top views, the… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26837,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-fun","category-outdoor-recreation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1104"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26840,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104\/revisions\/26840"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Uplands\/Scenic Trail Head <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n![\"Tieton](\"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/TietonRiver1-700x525.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIntermediate Trails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Intermediate Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Uplands\/Scenic Trail Head <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tieton River Nature Trail <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n![\"Cowiche](\"https:\/\/www.visityakima.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/DSC_9158-dw-sleeves-700x467.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nChallenger Trails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Konnowac Pass Loop Trail <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Uplands\/Scenic Trail Head <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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