It was raining, but we had a plan: wet-root riding and puddle play on the twisting trails at Paradise Valley Conservation Area. There’s nothing too crazy out there—no real climbs, no big drops, no fast descents to coat a rider in mud. But there is fun, serpentine singletrack with plenty of small logs and obstacles to keep hands, brain and body at work and engaged.
After fording the river that the Mainline Trail had become, my friend Brian and I began cornering practice in the “Mountain Bike Park” area on two well-designed loop trails, followed with wet-root riding on the frolicking Two Trees Trail. Rampwork welcomed us on the scenic Cedar Run, and there was a bit of everything on Lloyd’s Trail: some flow, a few rooty corners, small obstacles, even a teeter. There were a couple of down trees on the “Detour” loop connected to Lloyd’s Trail, but it was worth riding anyway. (A hike-a-bike is just a reminder that you’re really riding.)
Brian on Lloyd’s Detour:
Can’t ride this one:
If it had been a nice day today—sunshine, birds singing—we could have had a picnic in “The Clearing”, an area not too far from the parking lot. Looks like a great place to take the kids after a spin around the park.
For directions here and further trail beta, see my earlier post, Singlespeed Paradise in Woodinville, WA.
See you on the trail!
Angela Sucich, writer
