This route is sometimes known as the Sawtooth Ridge Epic. This ride has it all: old growth forest, pristine lakes, great views, very narrow trail, some climbing challenge, a stretch of flowy downhill
This route is sometimes known as the Sawtooth Ridge Epic.
This ride has it all: old growth forest, pristine lakes, great views, very narrow trail, some climbing challenge, a stretch of flowy downhill and to finish a section of steeper downhill with many switchbacks. Perhaps the one thing missing is an actual peak--despite the name, the route does not go to the top of Osborne Mountain. If you want panoramic views, do the three mile side hike up High Rock that's described below. This is a great ride, more people should check it out.
There are some tough climbs, and there are long, long stretches of very narrow trail with side slope exposure.
The adventure consists of a 11 mile approach on forest roads, and a 12 mile return that's mostly singletrack with a short road climb in the middle. The ride can also be done as a point-to-point shuttle. The shuttle makes it a 12 mile ride that still has 2500 feet of climbing.
How to Find It
This ride starts and ends at the Big Creek Campground in FR-56. Forest Pass is required to park there.
Drive SR-706 through Ashford towards the Mt. Rainier National Park entry. About 2 miles past Ashford, turn right on Kernahan Rd / FR-52. This turns into Skate Creek Road. At a sharp bend to the left, ignore FR-85 and Osborn Rd and follow the bend. About half a mile farther down, the campground is on the right. There's a trailhead parking spot for day-use that an fit 5 or 6 cars.
Note: in summer 2009, the campground closed on Sept 13. If you do this ride late in the season, you'll have to pick alternate parking, e.g. in one of many pull-outs along FR-84 or FR-85. Or you could park at the entry to Big Creek Trail and leave the road climb for the end of your ride.
Typical Conditions
The route does not go above 5,000 feet, but does use trail sections on north-facing slopes in deep forest. Do not expect snow to melt off early in the season.
Trail is generally in very good shape, with very narrow singletrack, especially considering much of the route is open to motorcycles.
Local Points of Interest
Copper Creek Inn, about 2 miles east on SR-706 from the Skate Creek Rd turnoff, is a good choice that serves both burgers and real entrees. No beer on tap, but an OK selection of bottles.
In Ashford, the Basecamp Bar & Grill right behind Whittaker Mountaineering has excellent pizza, burgers, good beer on tap, and a great atmosphere. Seating is outdoor with a covered area, and it might only be open in summer.
There are a number of dinner options in Elbe, including the rail car restaurant and the burger shack across the street from it.
6-29-13 We had no trouble finding 4 camp sites at Big Creek CG on Saturday morning. This CG doesn't see much use. Nice shady spot.
Turn by Turn
Use Green Trails map #301, "Randle" the Routes and Shuttle Options geoPDF above, or USFS geoPDF map Sawtooth Ridge #463712152.
There are several ways to do this ride. It is pedalable and shuttleable either up road 8400 or 8500 with both connecting to the upper trailhead at trail 252.
Head back out of the campground, and turn right on FR52/Skate Creek Road. After about 2.8 miles, turn right onto FR 84, a major road. (Signed for High Rock?). Follow this road more than 7.5 miles, then take the uphill right of a fork onto FR 8440. (A short brown post a bit into the road confirms this is 8440.) Go about a mile until you find the Big Creek Trail (#252) on the right and a small 3-4 car pullout on the left. If you get to the large parking area by the High Rock trail, you've gone too far.
Trail 252 starts with a roughly 1.5 mile tough but mostly pedalable climb to a saddle above Cora Lake. At the saddle, don't miss the view to Mt. Rainier. The trail will go about 0.6 mile downhill to a junction; stay left going uphill on Trail 251, Teeley Creek trail. (The right turn goes down to Cora Lake.) You'll climb steeply for a bit, descend a mile, climb a mile, and then descend to Granite Lake, along the lake, over a rise, and down to Bertha Mae Lake.
A bit past Bertha Mae lake you'll come to a T. You can go either way here.
Option A: The uphill/straight option continues as singletrack through very nice forest but it is little traveled, most of it is quite a grunt, and it has one big section of tough, steep, sandy hike-a-bike. When the trail skims the road, stay on the trail for another short bit. Eventually you'll come out onto the road less than 1/4 mile from the downhill singletrack.
Option B: Alternately the right turn takes you downhill to Pothole Lake and then a 2-3 mile climb after turning left on Road 8410. Downside here is that you lose an extra 700ft of elevation that you'll have to climb back up. The road climb is about 2 miles and goes up 1,000 feet; it's a little easier than the road climb at Tiger.
Either way, when the road reaches the open saddle, you'll find Trail 250, Osborne Mountain Trail.
You now have about 5.5 miles and 2800 feet of downhill coming; the first part mellow and swoopy, the later part steeper and switchbacked. The trail ends at the Big Creek campground.
Allen Mountain variation
You can add more single track by adding the Silver Creek Trail (#258) and Allen Mountain Trail (#269), then down Tr 253 (?), right on FR 8440 to the Big Creek Trail, and continue as above. There are no recent reports for this route, but reports a few years ago mentioned that the trail was brushy and some route finding was required.
Road 85
The approach route going around the west and south side of Sawtooth Ridge on FR 85 is in decent shape as of 2016. It is paved half the way, and then turns to gravel. There are several areas a bit washed out, would be navigable by a sedan with care, and easily passable with a CUV. Early in the season you may want to use FR 84 to 8440 until condition reports come in. Signage isn't great, bring a map and pay attention. 8440 is signed on a short vertical post a bit uphill from the intersection.
FR 85 makes a pretty nice climb on the bike if you're going to ride to the trail.
High Rock side trip for view
For the best view, do a 3 mile round trip hike up trail 266 to the High Rock fire lookout, starting from Road 8440 (?) about a mile south of the start of Big Creek trail. The lookout is dramatically perched on a sheer cliff with panoramic views. This trail is currently posted as closed to bikes.
