Feral roads with some steep climbs and bits of single track. No motos. Very cool forest with lots of Madrona and moss. Would make a nice day trip with some road riding to see the whales and other plac
Feral roads with some steep climbs and bits of single track. No motos. Very cool forest with lots of Madrona and moss. Would make a nice day trip with some road riding to see the whales and other places. Sections of abandoned logging road, reverting to singletrack with actual-factual rooty singletrack connecting routes. Much up and down, opportunities for protracted climbing. Would make an excellent training loop for local riders. If you are staying in Roche Harbor all trails can be accessed with little or no pavement riding involved. These trails constitute the mountain biking and trekking portions of the San Juan Island Quest Adventure Race. The forest is unique, well worth checking out.
How to Find It
Corner of Roche Harbor and West Valley roads. Easy ride from ferry. Refer to maps. The parking near Mitchell Hill is limited.
Typical Conditions
Trails well-draining, some organic debris on ground, little mud. Signage is very good in places and non-existant in others.
Local Points of Interest
Whale watching, whale Museum, kayaking, American Camp / English Camp state parks. Camping at Mitchell Bay Landing, San Juan Co. Park, Lakedale Campground. Restaurants, supplies, services at Roche Harbor, Friday Harbor.
Advocacy & Stewardship
Trails courtesy of the San Juan Island Trails Committee
Turn by Turn
Many trails are signed, sometimes hard to see in tall grass. Ask for map at bike shop, or visit San Juan Island Trails Committee. "Main Routes" on maps are reliable, but singletrack sections may not be accurately represented on map, subject to constant development of new trails/networks. Some sections are closed to bikes and are marked as such.
Highlands with mileage(mileage is accurate) is a good map to use. DNR trails are true mt biking trails. Some trails(w/mileage) are off limits to bikers so read the signs. All of English Camp trails are closed to bikes. Young Hill trail from the North is closed after the 1st 1/4th mile. If you are staying at Roche Harbor you can access all the DNR trails right from your door. See RH trail map to RH Highlands. The orange trail on this map is literally the strip of grass next to the road.
From Roche Harbor Village ride your bike along the grassy strip next to the road until you cross Roche Harbor Road. The trails on the Roche Harbor Trail Map are all like this strip - mowed(usually) grassy stips with a little through the trees action here and there. An easy start ride would be the fire roads around Briggs Lake. If you want some trails and elevation head for Mitchell Hill trails. This area is criss-crossed with single track.
