NW Wa. trails?

[lifeissomething]

Well, after a few years of rocking 2wds, including times where I've passed stuck Jeeps with v8s and tires taller than my truck, drove though a foot deep ice ruts, driven out into marshland, loaded the yota with willow and driven out, etc, etc...

I finally got a 4x4 that wasn't a work truck. A 92 Ranger 4.0, five-speed with BFG A/Ts. Soon to get 4.10s and limited slip rear. (Well, and new heads, thank you Ford.)

I'm looking for trails. Actually, more what I'm looking for is access into areas I couldn't get into before. I drove my little 79 toyota though some things that I don't believe a lot of SUVs could get though, but I wasn't about to go get myself stranded with just a come-along to get me out.

Well, now I have a decent little 4x4. Where should I go? Anybody want to run a weekend trip and show this young guy the wheelin' ropes?

 

[JFA_Spyderman]

Yo,
Where abouts are you located? There are wheeling spots on the Peninsula, near Mt Rainer foothills, all over eastern WA. What type of wheeling do you go for? Rocks, mud, sand? The nice thing about WA is that there is some of everything.

 

[79F1504X400]

Been awhile since I had mine off-road, but there was a place between Sedro-Wooly and B-ham just off Hwy 9. Some call it Wickersham, and I've heard it called Cub Creek. Had a nice hill climb, killer mud hole up on top. It meandered around the power lines. Hard to say if its still accessable since all the eco-nuts are always trying to shut down areas that off road vehicles frequent such as Reiter Pit out by Gold Bar. That was a cool place to get dirty...now DNR has pretty much closed it. Snoho County is trying to make it a bonified park....but who knows what kind of trails will be available. Moses Lake is cool for sand dunes. I think a Ranger could do some of the Naches Trail. Been years since I was there, dont remember how to get to trailhead. My 79 F-150 made it up to Gov't Meadows and down other side to Timothy Meadows.
Try to find some other wheelin' groups. PNW4WDA has a website. Google it and find out what club is near, call one of them and find out when there next club run will be and go with as a guest. You'll love it! I think Rangers can hang with the Jeep guys....most in these clubs have SWB vehicles,(IE Jeeps, Land Bruisers, some Broncos and bob tailed Toyotas) all in varying degrees of mechanical condition, mainly the ones that half ass their work. Look out for those guys. Take a shovel, tow strap,come-a-long and a CB so you can chat with the rest of the group. It can be VERY entertaining!! In the Lynnwood area.....check out the Timber Tamers.....

 

[lifeissomething]

Been awhile since I had mine off-road, but there was a place between Sedro-Wooly and B-ham just off Hwy 9. Some call it Wickersham, and I've heard it called Cub Creek. Had a nice hill climb, killer mud hole up on top. It meandered around the power lines. Hard to say if its still accessable since all the eco-nuts are always trying to shut down areas that off road vehicles frequent such as Reiter Pit out by Gold Bar. That was a cool place to get dirty...now DNR has pretty much closed it. Snoho County is trying to make it a bonified park....but who knows what kind of trails will be available. Moses Lake is cool for sand dunes. I think a Ranger could do some of the Naches Trail. Been years since I was there, dont remember how to get to trailhead. My 79 F-150 made it up to Gov't Meadows and down other side to Timothy Meadows.
Try to find some other wheelin' groups. PNW4WDA has a website. Google it and find out what club is near, call one of them and find out when there next club run will be and go with as a guest. You'll love it! I think Rangers can hang with the Jeep guys....most in these clubs have SWB vehicles,(IE Jeeps, Land Bruisers, some Broncos and bob tailed Toyotas) all in varying degrees of mechanical condition, mainly the ones that half ass their work. Look out for those guys. Take a shovel, tow strap,come-a-long and a CB so you can chat with the rest of the group. It can be VERY entertaining!! In the Lynnwood area.....check out the Timber Tamers.....

Hey, thanks for the info. I'm in Seattle now. I have a little general contracting/handyman business that's based around Snohomish County though.

I'm not really into beating the truck up too bad. It has 30/9.5 BFG ATs right now and I don't really plan on dropping that $850 on anything bigger or better. I rather put in regear and get lsd on the rear. So that's essentially my limitation.

Well, that and I can walk outside and touch my pistons.

 

[dbarton97]

tri-cities has got some sand dunes and a place called juniper that's got quite a bit of sand to play in and there are some others that have hills around here.

 

[79F1504X400]

Hey, thanks for the info. I'm in Seattle now. I have a little general contracting/handyman business that's based around Snohomish County though.

I'm not really into beating the truck up too bad. It has 30/9.5 BFG ATs right now and I don't really plan on dropping that $850 on anything bigger or better. I rather put in regear and get lsd on the rear. So that's essentially my limitation.

Well, that and I can walk outside and touch my pistons.

I agree. Im not into thrashin my rig either. When I was wheelin with some of the clubs I made it clear I wasn't out to tear stuff up and get towed home. Actually I've never wheeled the Ranger I currently have. All the wheelin I did was with the 79 F150, so right there I was at a big disadvantage cuz I had a full size vehicle. But the advantage I did have was horsepower. hehe. Most people are cool about not putting you into situations one might regret. Out on trails runs, its pretty easy to pick and choose what you want to attempt and what you want to avoid. I was always asking if my truck would fit and if it wouldn't then I'd wait, or go around. Another thing to know about these guys in the clubs.....most are locked up front and rear, have a winch and Super Swampers that sling the goo like no tomorrow and usually it's their "trail rig" meaning they haul it on a trailer so if they do break something they just have to make it back to the trail head. Your thinking in the right direction..... re-gear and some sort of traction aid in the diffs will get you farther than lots of CID. I have BFG AT's on the F150, and the only thing they dont like is mud. My Ranger needs a good set of treads just so it will be road worthy.

 

[79F1504X400]

tri-cities has got some sand dunes and a place called juniper that's got quite a bit of sand to play in and there are some others that have hills around here.

I grew up in Pasco. Did alot of wheelin in the dunes out on Rd 100 where that Broadmoor shopping center is now. Use to be nothing out there, just sagebrush and sand. Was a great place to have a bonfire and toss back some brewski's and go climb a few dunes. I 've only been to the Juniper area a couple of times. I know theres alot more out there than what I've seen. Wish I'd wheeled that more.....but it wasn't as popular prolly because it was so far out of town. Is there still a place out past Finley?? (Ayers Rd) some people called it Titty Hill........out past Hover Park. went there once all I remember was a big hill climb, you went up and came down the same way. It was right along the river......

 

[schlitz209]

we got a lot of trails around here in Castle Rock. lot of them are off logging roads though. if you dont know the area, could get lost pretty easy. its mostly clay-mud and hill climbs or a combo of both. still fun though, with plenty of scenery

 

[samsonitesamsonite]

Yo,
Where abouts are you located? There are wheeling spots on the Peninsula, near Mt Rainer foothills, all over eastern WA. What type of wheeling do you go for? Rocks, mud, sand? The nice thing about WA is that there is some of everything.

Or closer to home, for both you and I, there is Walker Valley in Skagit county.

we got a lot of trails around here in Castle Rock. lot of them are off logging roads though. if you dont know the area, could get lost pretty easy. its mostly clay-mud and hill climbs or a combo of both. still fun though, with plenty of scenery

Castle Rock, as in Wenatchee valley? I grew up over there, there is some great wheeling up Blue Grade.

 

[ChopTop84]

Evans Creek ORV area is where I go. It used to be super nasty, and would beat up rigs, but they have so many work parties up there now that its not as abusive. Its still can be very technical in some areas, but nothing really bad anymore. Saw a bone stock 4x4 B2 with street tires way up one of the trails. Kid had a welded rear end, and that was it. I was impressed. He did have to beat on it a little more than everyone else tho to get where he was at.

Liberty, WA used to be really cool. I havnt been out there in almost 15 years, so no idea what its like now. Get off I-90 at Cle Elum and head north. Its the oldest mining town in WA, and most of the trails go thru mining claims, but they only have mineral rights, not land rights. Rangers used to remove the no tresspassing signs all the time and told us to do the same.

Moses lake Sand dunes and Beverly Sand dunes are both in eastern WA. Moses you can find easy enough, Beverly, you cross the bridge at Vantage, and then get off I-90 and head downriver aways. Both Moses and Beverly are a waste of time if you've ever been to the oregon coast sand dunes. Coos Bay, Winchester, Florence, and Sand Lake dunes in Oregon.

The shoestring, the Natchees, Gov't Meadows, The Busywild (I think the busywild has been closed for years now tho.) Ummm, Elbe Hills on the southwest side of Rainier. Elbe Hills has torn some rigs up good in the past!

 

[NotSoPC]

Naches is doable in your rig. Evans Creek is fun and you can do most of the trails with little to no body hits if you pick even an ok line. Elbe is better but they have been doing alot of work up there to help make some of the trails harder. Lots of good wheeling to be had. Reiter is done! DONT WHEEL IT!!! They are working to get it reopened but when people keep wheeling the area it dont help. Log on to www.nw-wheelers.com (I am NotSoPC over there as well) and you can talk to local wheelers and hook up with them for trail runs all over the state.

 

[79F1504X400]

Or closer to home, for both you and I, there is Walker Valley in Skagit county.



Castle Rock, as in Wenatchee valley? I grew up over there, there is some great wheeling up Blue Grade.

I beleive he's talking about Castle Rock just north of Longview/Kelso area. Yeah...I was checking out Yahoo Maps one day and I noticed several roads west of town that might provide some opportunities. Ever thought about leading a trail ride to show case the trails??? You might get some South Sound people and maybe some from around Portland. Depends on how far people want to drive. For me from Everett it would be about a 2 or 3hr-ish drive to Castle Rock.

 

[short bus]

As of right now there is no leagle wheeling in south west washington. That includes Castle Rock area you can run all open service roads. We are about to get the new trail system started down here in the Yacolt burn (Jones Creek) area but as a whole we ask that you or any offroader to please not do any illegale wheeling as all that will do is bring more bad light to this sport. With what is going on with the Rietter area from all the damage they are trying to repair. If anyone would like more info on the new trails that are coming and the effort of many to get it were it is today visit our forum at Pistonswild.com.