This route starts at the 4th of July trailhead, and climbs up 6200' to intersect icicle ridge trail, which leads to a 7455' descent. Incredible views and fun trail. If you leave your car at the 4th of
This route starts at the 4th of July trailhead, and climbs up 6200' to intersect icicle ridge trail, which leads to a 7455' descent. Incredible views and fun trail. If you leave your car at the 4th of July TH, you'll need to come back up on the paved road : (
How to Find It
Icicle Ridge TH:
Near milepost 99, just west of Leavenworth, head south on Icicle Creek Road. Continue 1.4 miles to the Icicle Ridge trailhead sign. Turn right and then make a quick left. The trailhead parking lot is ahead. FS pass required.
4th of July TH:
From Hwy 2 west of Leavenworth, drive south on the Icicle Creek road 9.4 miles to the small (but paved!) trailhead parking area on the right side of the road. FS pass required.
Green Trails map #177 (Chiwaukum Mountains) and #178 (Leavenworth).
Typical Conditions
Hot, steep and loose! Bring tons of water and get an early start
Turn by Turn
There's a few different ways you can do this ride:
- climb up 4th of July, down Icicle Ridge. This loop involves 8 miles of paved road along icicle creek road, which could be shuttled out.
- Out and back up Icicle Creek.
- Up icicle creek, down 4th of July. Note the 4th of July TH is higher elevation, so this CCW loop will get you more climbing and less descent on singletrack, but makes the paved road section DH.
There are a few springs on 4th of July trail with good water. This trail is steep- mostly too steep to climb, but it does get the climbing over with minimal distance.
Navigating any of these routes is straightforward. At the intersection of 4th of July & Icicle Creek, consider taking the spur 0.2 mile to the 7029-foot former fire lookout site. There is no longer a structure here, but you can scramble up onto the foundation at 7029' to enjoy the view. East: Mission Ridge and the Entiat Range. North: Chelan Range, Glacier Peak, Poet Ridge, and the White Mountains. West: Icicle Ridge to Big Jim, Grindstone, and out to Daniel. South: Stuart Range and Cashmere. Icicle ridge trail west of this junction is not open to bikes.
