close
      Just a short drive from Olympia, Capitol State Forest has trailheads, day-use areas, and campgrounds with access to the forest's hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and off-road vehicle riding trail systems. From horseback riding at Mima Falls, to mountain biking and off-road-vehicle riding at Rock Candy, Capitol State Forest provides a variety of recreational opportunities. Horseback riding-oriented campgrounds, like the Margaret McKenny, offer corals and hitching posts, while off-road vehicle-oriented campgrounds, like the Middle Waddell, provide access to the forest's motorized trail system. Visitors should follow these rules to keep their trips safe and fun.

      To access recreation sites on DNR-managed land with your vehicle, you'll need a Discover Pass, your ticket to Washington's great outdoors.

      Campsites available first come, first served so there's no need to make a reservation.
      Capitol Forest campgrounds are closed Dec. 1 - April 30 for the winter season.
      Limit stay to 7 days per year. Camp only in designated campgrounds

      Mountain bikers may bring unleashed dogs controlled by voice command.

      NOTE: Off-road motorcycles and horseback riders can enjoy Capitol State Forest trails from May 1 to November 30 only.
      Primary Trail Type: All-Mountain & Downhill
      eBikes Allowed: Yes
      Shuttleable: YES
      Land Status: State Forest
      Land Manager: Washington Department Of Natural Resources
      Mima Falls Trailhead google parking directions
      Links

      Trail info last updated

      Region Supporters & Maintainers
      Activities Click to view
      Region Details
      • 29
      • 28
      • 17
      • 4

      Region Status
      Caution as of 2 days
      Local Trail Association

      Stats

      Avg Trail Rating
      Trails (view details)
      80
      Trails Mountain Bike
      78
      Trails E-Bike
      60
      Trails Gravel Bike
      33
      Trails Adaptive Bike
      6
      Trails Winter Fat Bike
      2
      Trails Horse
      9
      Trails Hike
      77
      Trails Trail Running
      77
      Trails Dirtbike/Moto
      50
      Trails Observed Trials
      8
      Trails ATV/ORV/OHV
      50
      Total Distance
      200 miles
      Total Descent
      27,679 ft
      Total Vertical
      2,578 ft
      Highest Trailhead
      2,658 ft
      Reports
      1,128
      Photos
      401
      Completed Counter
      14,250

      Popular Capitol Forest Mountain Biking Trails

      90 4.3 6 miles 1,453 ft 928
      Starting at Fall Creek Trailhead makes this a long climb that you can tie into Or all the way to .
      95 4.5 2 miles 127 ft 896
      The trail is a great trail for learning to do small, flowy jumps. It is a really fun trail, and most of the third section is a pump track. It mostly goes downhill, there are a few flatter spots, so if you are DH all day every day, you...
      100 4.4 3 miles 701 ft 643
      , a recent addition to trail network in the Fall Creek area. It serves as an alternative to climbing the road on the way to the top of Mountain and it is a good trail to practice skills building. It is a joyful beginner trail to ride in...
      100 3.8 2 miles 241 ft 637
      Popular green difficulty singletrack. This mountain bike primary trail can be used both directions and has a easy overall physical rating with a 241 ft green climb. On average it takes 14 minutes to complete this trail.
      80 4.0 1 mile 335 ft 618
      Connector from to .
      95 3.5 1 mile 324 ft 478
      Tie between / and Mima Falls East/West.
      85 4.0 5 miles 647 ft 478
      loop will tie in with Mima Falls West or .
      85 3.9 5 miles 1,261 ft 471
      Continuation From Mima Falls that takes you up and will link with or . Some steady climbing on this section and no technical downhill

      Recent Ride Log Activity in Region

      Today
      • 1 rides
      Yesterday
      • 0 rides
      Past Week
      • 33 rides

      Capitol Forest Mountain Bike Routes

      4.0 10 miles 1,782 ft 3 Loop
      This is the poker ride route from the Capitol Forest Classic (also the beginner route for the XC race)....
      5.0 25 miles 4,410 ft 5
      4.0 7 miles 1,069 ft 6 Loop
      Loop is a roughly 9 mile ride out of the Fall Creek TH. Debates rage about route, but most people ride...
      4.0 38 miles 6,327 ft 4 Loop
      From the Mima Falls trailhead you can make several types of loops in a wide range of distances. The goal...
      4.0 11 miles 1,724 ft 6 Loop
      This is the Peacock Loop, sometimes just called "The Peacock." Relatively easy, rolling loop out of the...
      4 miles 788 ft 1
      A route that shows total mileage for if you were to pedal the climb trail instead of shuttle.

      Photos of Capitol Forest Mountain Bike

      mtb
      74 |
      Apr 11, 2026 @ 4:12pm
      Apr 11, 2026
      mtb
      76 |
      Oct 8, 2025 @ 5:03pm
      Oct 8, 2025
      mtb
      99 |
      Sep 24, 2025 @ 4:54pm
      Sep 24, 2025
      mtb
      129 |
      Sep 14, 2025 @ 6:26pm
      Sep 14, 2025
      mtb
      73 |
      Sep 10, 2025 @ 6:44am
      Sep 10, 2025
      mtb
      94 |
      Sep 10, 2025 @ 6:43am
      Sep 10, 2025
      mtb
      92 |
      Aug 23, 2025 @ 4:46am
      Aug 23, 2025
      mtb
      135 |
      Jul 30, 2025 @ 11:57am
      Jul 30, 2025
      mtb
      130 |
      Jul 30, 2025 @ 11:57am
      Jul 30, 2025
      mtb
      113 |
      Jul 30, 2025 @ 11:56am
      Jul 30, 2025
      mtb
      101 |
      Jul 30, 2025 @ 11:56am
      Jul 30, 2025
      mtb
      108 |
      Jul 30, 2025 @ 11:56am
      Jul 30, 2025

      Videos of Capitol Forest Mountain Bike

      Running Into a Tree
      mtb
      0:14 | | Oct 10, 2022
      Level Up Trail
      mtb
      trail: Level Up
      0:24 | 492 | Jul 6, 2019
      Snow Day
      mtb
      3:04 | 127 | Jan 29, 2017
      Little Larch Mountain Trail & Friends of...
      mtb
      6:38 | 569 | Oct 8, 2016
      Upper Porter Trail
      mtb
      4:40 | 301 | Sep 24, 2016
      Trail Work Results
      mtb
      0:39 | 132 | May 13, 2016
      MP 3.5 on the Porter side.
      mtb
      4:26 | 217 | May 7, 2016
      capitol forest, nite ride, gnarly rooty section
      mtb
      5:58 | 173 | Mar 1, 2016

      Current Trail Warnings

      statustraildateconditionuserinfo
      Larch Mountain West/Upper Twin Peaks
      Sep 7, 2026 @ 4:36pm (America/Los_Angeles)
      2 days
      VariableefaganLogged within the first mile with...

      Recent Trail Reports

      Activity Feed

      usernameactiontypetitledate
      advanstiriddentrailactivity #103432325
      Sep 9, 2026 @ 1:24pm
      2 hours
      efagancommenttrailactivity #103308547
      Sep 7, 2026 @ 4:37pm
      2 days
      efaganaddreportactivity #103308476
      Sep 7, 2026 @ 4:36pm
      2 days
      HucknGnaraddreportactivity #103304264 and 1 more
      Sep 7, 2026 @ 3:35pm
      2 days
      yeahhdawggaddreportactivity #102870015
      Sep 1, 2026 @ 8:26pm
      Sep 1, 2026

      Recent Comments

      usernametypetitlecommentdate
      efagantrailLarch Mountain West/Upper Twin PeaksLogged within the first mile and impassable....
      Sep 7, 2026 @ 4:37pm
      2 days
      nichinctrailDivide Trail NorthNot great for MTB. Fat gravel, super slippy....
      Jul 19, 2026 @ 4:26pm
      Jul 19, 2026
      alwayshardtailtrailLarch Mountain West/Upper Twin PeaksMistagged. It’s a moto trail. Take the fire...
      May 9, 2026 @ 7:33pm
      May 9, 2026
      natchelatrailForever FernsThis has quickly become one of my most-ridden...
      Sep 20, 2025 @ 8:59am
      Sep 20, 2025
      doujafreetrailForever FernsThis trail rips. a very versatile green run....
      Sep 4, 2025 @ 2:28pm
      Sep 4, 2025

      Nearby Areas

      namedistance
      North Slope Trails 5 8 5 48.1 km
      Kennedy Summit Lake 5 309.4 km
      Millersylvania State Park 149.7 km
      Grass Lake Nature Park 411.4 km
      Heritage Park12.2 km

      Local Badges


      Activity Type Stats

      activitytypetrailsdistancedescentdescent distancetotal verticalratingglobal rankstate rankphotosreportsroutesactivity logs
      Mountain Bike78199 miles27,372 ft84 miles2,579 ft
      #655#2393961,1285115,967
      E-Bike60143 miles18,087 ft59 miles2,579 ft
      #842#6438202828
      Gravel Bike3386 miles10,390 ft36 miles2,579 ft
      #975#50414484
      Adaptive Bike613 miles1,378 ft5 miles2,073 ft
      #978#505461
      Winter Fat Bike223 miles2,602 ft11 miles2,290 ft
      #975#504
      Horse98 miles719 ft2 miles1,768 ft
      #1,616#8502571
      Hike77187 miles26,289 ft80 miles2,579 ft
      #815#40021,0781289
      Trail Running77187 miles26,289 ft80 miles2,579 ft
      #405#16711,0781340
      Dirtbike/Moto50117 miles14,003 ft46 miles2,536 ft
      #67#333101157
      Observed Trials86 miles663 ft2 miles1,768 ft
      #65#1884
      ATV/ORV/OHV50117 miles14,003 ft46 miles2,536 ft
      #21#1730211

      Frequently Asked Questions About Capitol Forest

      What are the highest rated mountain biking trails in Capitol Forest?
      The highest rated mountain biking trails in Capitol Forest are: View all mountain biking trails sorted by rating.
      Where can I park to ride in Capitol Forest?
      There are 9 parking locations listed in Capitol Forest. The most popular parking spots are: View all parking and trailhead locations on the map to plan your visit.
      What is the longest trail in Capitol Forest?
      The longest trail in Capitol Forest is Porter Trail at 12.9 miles. View all trails sorted by distance.
      What are the best & highest rated hiking trails in Capitol Forest?
      • By superman601 & contributors
      • Admins: FOCF, FOCF, WA DNR BHD, EMBA-C2S
      • #5527 - 70,347 views

      Downloading of trail gps tracks in kml & gpx formats is enabled for Capitol Forest.
      You must login to download files.