Yesterday, I finally got the chance to go with Tony to ride the Sidewinder Trail. This trail is accessed through an M-shaped gate just to the left of the Stinking Springs trailhead. According to Tony, The Snake River Mountain Bike Club was heavily involved in the design and construction of the trail. They deserve to be congratulated for their efforts. It is a fine trail, one the best in the area, maybe the very best. Unlike the Stinking Springs Trail which mostly climbs through canyons, the Sidewinder Trail winds back and forth on the face of the hillside in a long series of switchbacks. The trail climbs steadily and predictably almost from the start, traversing some fairly steep slopes often producing a significant sensation of exposure. Sadly, it is only about 2.8 miles in length. Sidewinder connects into the Stinking Springs Trail near its midpoint, just less than two miles from the top of the ridge.
Sidewinder bypasses some of the loose rock that characterizes Stinking Springs after years of erosion. It connects to a portion of the trail that is rutted, but rideable. However, Stinking Springs gets pretty ugly again as you go higher. The Sidewinder Trail consists of narrow singletrack with fairly tight corners. It is unlikely to be a super high speed descent for most people. The Sidewinder Trail is a great example of the quality of trail that can be developed with good design, solid engineering, and access restricted to motorized vehicles. Hopefully, at some point in the future, it can be extended or incorporated into a series of similar high quality trails.
No comments:
Post a Comment