Palisades Via Ranger Creek
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- / voiceovertrails
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The Ranger Creek/Palisades loop, located in Washington State not too far from Enumclaw and Packwood in the Summer, near Mount Rainier and Crystal Mountain Ski Resort, takes riders up the Ranger Creek trail and down the Palisades trail. Both Palisades and Ranger Creek can be shuttled but I strongly recommend just pedaling to the top to save the hassle of jockeying shuttle vehicles. Earn your turns!
Non-purpose build mtb trails have a way of keeping the rider on edge, reading the trail and picking the line. Most exciting trails are often the trails forgotten and least used. I agree trails like this one feed the soul of mtbing.
If you don’t have to walk the bike, you’re not mountain biking!
The last time I rode this (several years ago) my friend, an intermediate level mtn biker, rode Skookum Flats as a "warm up" and then humped our bikes all the way to the top of Pallisades via the waterfall "trail" (think scrambling up on all fours even without a bike!). Then we hit Pallisades basically in the opposite direction towards the Boy Scout camp at the top of Ranger Creek. There was no burnt trees at the time. Then we hit the 10-mile long descent with all the steep switchbacks and narrow exposed trail (I only hit my pedal and went over the bars once) to 410. We both had matching 2001 Rockhoppers. My friend gave it a "pucker factor" of 9.5. I think we were out there (Skookum, Pallisades, Ranger Creek) for around 6 hours. That was the last time my friend ever went mountain biking (of course we had ridden Capitol Forest the day before. I think it was just too much.)
That’s….a lot of riding.
Very impressive that you ascended ranger creek! That's no joke
It was a lot of climbing. Worth it, though.
I remember riding this 2 months after the Norse peak fire. At the intersection of ranger and palisades there used to be a oddly substantial log cabin. When we got to that part after the burn only the nails from the cabin remained.
That’s kind of a bummer. I wish I could’ve seen that cabin!
Great review! Those Palisades switchbacks are actually rideable for anyone who is comfortable with a front wheel pivot. Some are easier and safer than the others so might be worth a try.
I am definitely not comfortable with a front wheel pivot. It’s a growth area for me.
Frenchy turns!
@@VoiceOverTrailReviews "It's a growth area for me" is my new favorite phrase for when I'm not good at something.
Cool to see this trail! A couple years ago I rode Sun Top mountain and the Skookum flats trail which is just across the river from there. Similar kind of environment, but the climb is a gravel road and it's a bit smoother on the way down than this one looks. I also couldn't see Mt Rainier due to heavy fog at the peak.
Those are next on my list for 410 trails!
I liked this review, but I have limits on a mountain bike, and this ride would definitely be beyond those!
Thanks for the feedback! And also, that’s exactly why I make these videos, so you don’t have to drive three hours to discover that! I feel like I’ve done my job. 😀
@@VoiceOverTrailReviews yes! I have a hard tail, but there are some canonical rides I still haven’t done yet. Ape canyon being one. Hard tail friendly too, I believe.
@@colincbass414 Ape Canyon is absolutely hard tail friendly. I’ve even seen folks ride it on a fully rigid bike!
Looks like this is my ride tomorrow. Shuttling tho.
My younger days no trail scared me! Now no thankyou not going to kill myself! You want to have fun try a electric bike you will never ride a regular bike again!
Ebikes are still too heavy for me. I’ll wait until they get lighter and have internal drivetrains.