Hansen Ridge #1020

Hansen Ridge is the first segment in the new South Fork Snoqualmie riding area, a project Evergreen has been working on this project for 15 years. Currently there are 18 miles of singletrack and doubletrack of great riding, forming an inverted lollipop as you ride from the trailhead to Harris Lake and back. Evergreen, in partnership with the US Forest Service and Mountains to Sound Greenway, secured grants to remove the first series of roads from the system and convert some of them into singletrack. Additional sections of trail will be converted as funds become available, eventually resulting in a 30-mile trail system.

Phase 1 of the Hansen Ridge trail is just over 4 miles each way. The climb is nice up the trail, and most will choose to do this ride as an 8 mile out-and-back, resulting in a total accumulated climb of about 1300 ft. The trail flows nice, and is a bit loose in places. The character of the trail will improve as Evergreen does trail finishing and maintenance. The trail is comprised of two converted roads that connect with a trail about half way. The converted road/trails were made to simulate a trail out of a straight section of road and wind around from left to right with some small rollers and sections of rock and trees. The views from along the trail are spectacular, particularly on the upper segment.

The trail head used to be a popular shooting pit but as of Nov 7, 2011 notices have been posted prohibiting target shooting there. Forest Service regulations prohibit discharging a firearm withing 150 yards of the trailhead. Expect to see people shooting in smaller pits along the road before you reach the trailhead.

Turn-by-Turn Guide:
Park at the trail head and ride up the road 1.8 miles. At the watershed gate, hang right onto the singletrack, up to the ridge and down the trail. You can continue on the singletrack of the phase 1 trail for a 4 mile ride, or take a left (the only intersection) at the top of the ridge and head west on the phase 2 singletrack. At the end of it, you will hit a doubletrack logging road at a T intersection (beginning of phase 3) - go right there and follow the road, taking the first right fork, and the second left fork, to the lake. Most of this latter section is doubletrack but the last couple miles before the lake the trail turns into a very technical singletrack with some rocky sections and tight switchbacks. Doing the entire "reverse lollipop" to the lake and back is 18.5 miles and 4200' of accumulated elevation gain.

Access Info

From Seattle, take I-90 east to Exit 47, the Asahel Curtis exit.

Turn right at the end of the offramp, and go a couple hundred feet to the stop sign.
Turn right onto Tinkham Rd (dirt, but good with some potholes), and go 1.2 miles.
Take your first left onto FS road 5510, go 3.8 miles, always staying on the main road. When you come to the big former shooting pit (at a gate), you are at the trail head.
The trail begins just on the other side of the gate on your right.