3.2 miles
Distance
-1,745 ft
Descent
00:34:39
Avg time
Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of Dark Meadow Trail

  • USFS
    Land Manager

Dark Meadow Trail Details

  • Activities
    • Dirtbike/Moto
    • Mountain Bike
    • E-Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Dark Divide
    Randle, Washington
  • Ref Number
    #263
  • Difficulty Rating
    Black Diamond rate
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T1 Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC
  • Direction
    Both Directions
    Popular direction shown
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    Yes up to Class 1
  • Global Ranking
    #29581 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #32249 in E-Biking
    • #58193 in Hiking
  • Local Popularity
    95 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 5 in E-Biking
    • 5 in Trail Running
    • 5 in Hiking
    • 65 in Dirtbiking
  • Land Owner
    USFS

This trail is open to motorcycles, hikers, horses, and bicycles.
Creek crossings and sections of the trail are difficult even for experienced motorcycle riders. The route starts at FR 23 and climbs gently at first along Dark Creek through old growth forest. The grade ramps up steadily, becoming quite difficult by the time you cross the creek. The trail passes through Douglas fir and Western Hemlock, before crossing Dark Creek (at mile 1.5), and climbing steeply toward the Dark Meadows area.

The steep terrain continues as the trail works its way up towards Juniper Ridge. Occasionally, the trees open to some brief views of the valley below. Eventually, the grade mellows a bit as you work your way around the shoulder of a lower ridge to meet with Juniper Ridge Trail #261.

This trail is named after John Dark who built a cabin in the meadows in 1895 while prospecting in the area. Take a look at the huge boulders in Dark Creek as you're hiking. These are excellent examples of what melting glaciers can leave behind.

Access Info

From Randle, Washington travel south on State Highway 131 (Forest Roads 23 and 25). Veer left in 1 mile at the Y of Forest Road 23 and Forest Road 25. Follow Forest Road 23 about 22.5 miles.
Trail is off Forest Road 23.

Disclaimer

This trail is maintained by the US Forest Service. Check with the USFS/Gifford Pinchot National Forest for the latest trail status.

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for Dark Meadow Trail dirtbike/moto trail trail
  • Altitude change
    -1,745 ft
  • Altitude min
    2,532 ft
  • Altitude max
    4,277 ft
  • Altitude start
    4,277 ft
  • Altitude end
    2,533 ft
  • Grade
    -10.4%
  • Grade max
    -75.7%
  • Grade min
    0.2%
  • Distance climb
    669 ft
  • Distance down
    3 miles
  • Distance flat
    318 ft
  • Avg time
    00:34:39
  • Avg reverse time
    00:46:16
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Jul 29, 2024
Dry
Avg: 4.3 (7 votes)
Your vote: 0

view (179)
close
  • BasemapMap 
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
3D
Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Partial
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
  • > 96%
  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
  • bi-directional trail
  • no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
  • < 2 days
  • < 1 week
  • < 2 weeks
  • < 1 month
  • < 6 months
  • > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
  • Downhill Only
  • Downhill Primary
  • Both Directions
  • Uphill Primary
  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
  • Description
  • Photos
  • Description & Photos
  • Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
  • most popular
  • popular
  • less popular
  • not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
cell carrier legend

Radar Time
x Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.
  • mountain biking recent
  • mountain biking (>6 month)
  • hiking (1 year)
  • moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.
  • Downhill Ski
  • Backcountry Ski
  • Nordic Ski
  • Snowmobile
Winter Trails
Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
x Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
disable
Only show trails with NO bikes.
enable

Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.

Save
      Directions to dark-meadow-trail trailhead (46.289550, -121.766860)
      update trails status or condition

      Dark Meadow Trail Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Jul 29, 2024 @ 1:14pm
      Jul 29, 2024
      		 All clear. Watch out for the washout at the bottom in the middle of a fast flow section
      Oct 22, 2023 @ 8:26am
      Oct 22, 2023
      Oct 22, 2023 @ 8:25am
      Oct 22, 2023
      Aug 2, 2023 @ 11:10am
      Aug 2, 2023
      		 All clear but dry, dry, dry! It's an enduro race minute start gap if you're riding with friends :)
      Jul 6, 2023 @ 7:00am
      Jul 6, 2023
      		 reporter Mostly clear and running great. One tree down near creek crossing but can be ridden around.
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 0 rides
      •  
      6 Months
      • 3 rides
      • 9 miles avg distance
      All
      • 30 rides
      • Last: Oct 13, 2024

      Technical Trail Features (TTF)

      Photos

      more »
      278 |
      Nov 1, 2020 @ 8:08pm
      Nov 1, 2020
      254 |
      Nov 1, 2020 @ 8:08pm
      Nov 1, 2020
      236 |
      Nov 1, 2020 @ 8:08pm
      Nov 1, 2020
      258 |
      Nov 1, 2020 @ 8:08pm
      Nov 1, 2020

      Routes with this trail

      titledistance
      Juniper ridge loop via Dark Meadow35 miles
      Randle loop45 miles

      Trail Products

      Links

      2 Reviews & Comments


      We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!

      Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.

      Create a Free Account

      Videos

      more »
      youtuber Dark Meadow
      13:25 | 681 | Oct 1, 2020 , Randle
      Dark Meadow Trail #263: Gifford Pinchot Forest...
      27:53 | 101 | Jun 27, 2023 , Randle

      Nearby Trails

      Dark Divide

      You must enter a description before submitting.