Trail System near the Southworth Ferry south of Port Orchard in Kitsap County. A series of mostly tight and technical trails built mostly by XC riders. A whole bunch of trails densly
Trail System near the Southworth Ferry south of Port Orchard in Kitsap County. A series of mostly tight and technical trails built mostly by XC riders. A whole bunch of trails densly packed into one square mile. You'd be surprised at how much riding you can get out of a 1 mile by 1 mile square.
How to Find It
From Tacoma:
(this route is easier than Sedgwick Rd.) Exit Mullenix Rd off rt 16, go right. Continue to stop at Ollala Valley Rd, go left. Continue to stop at Banner rd, go left. .75 miles on left to main parking area. Another parking area is near white gate on Ollala Valley rd. Sign boards at both locations.
From Seattle:
Leave your car in West Seattle and take the ferry to Southworth. From Soutthworth take Sedgewick Road past church and school, turn left on Banner Road. West Seattle ferry is served by Metro bus # 54 or pasenger only ferry (weekdays) from downtown to Vashon then car ferry to Southworth.
Park in the main lot on Banner road. Options are at the gates on Banner and Ollala Valley rds. Never block the gates.
Typical Conditions
Very tight and twisty. Fun technical riding. Dry in summer, wet in winter (go figure). Stay out of middle during the wet months and you'll find well drained trails with minor puddles. Open to non-motorized only.
Advocacy & Stewardship
Most maintenance comes from invisible trail gnomes but they seem to be pretty active as the trails stay in good shape. If you have questions on how you can get involved, contact the Banner Forest Stewardship FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1751831691762078/
Turn by Turn
If you have a smart phone, download the Maprika app then from there download the "Banner State Forest" Map onto your phone. It is the above latest map uploaded to Maprika which makes it GPS enabled with tracking, location sharing, etc.
Best tech trails: Capitulate, Sidewinder, Stumps, Bloviate, San Fransisco, Oakland, Greek System. Small area, but you'll be working. Trails are well signed (look for carved vertical wood signs in the trees) at the entrance and exit.
Many riders enter the park and chain together trails circling around the park. Enter via the fire road, take PR2, Curve Ball, follow Mishmash all the way through, stay right and take Foxy Deer, loop through Bonzer (tight and twisty), roll down Sashay and through Oakland. These frequently drop back to the fire road for convenient places to orient yourself again.
