Good deal, Captain.

....and I see you live in "my" state. If you want tips on different off-roading spots just let me know.

 

I'd be happy to get your tips. My off-roading skills have mostly been honed in E WA (despite my W WA address), as I've always preferred that landscape for getting out and about. As a result, I'm much more comfortable on piles of rocks than in mires of mud. I'm hoping that I can gain some mud skills...but my main reason for off-roading is to get to places away from the crowds-something that's gotten a lot harder to do over the last 40 years in WA. If you've got recommendations for fun tracks that get to scenic destinations, I'm all ears!

 

Most of the places we (me and my buddies) have enjoyed going are in the Cle Elum Valley or around Bethel Ridge or Manastash. Basically draw a 50 mile radius around Ellensburg and those are our spots but they are covered in snow until about June...

They aren't as muddy as you'd think (although some of them are if you go right after the snow melt) but mud CAN certainly be found and it's more of a reality here than, say, in E WA or S CAL. I like to go to the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon, too. That's my favorite spot but it's a good 5 hours for you, without traffic.

If you want scenic, here are two:

1. Hole in The Rock - part of the Liberty trail system. Don't try this one until late June or early July.

2. Fortune Creek Trail - I'd wait until late July for this one.

 

Hi houm-wa,

That area (50 mi around E'burg) is a favorite of mine (Methow Valley is another). I haven't been up to Bethel since about 20 years ago, but have been meaning to get back. Another place I visited years ago and would like to get back to is Cleman Mountain, which has epic ridge-top views like Bethel.

Other places I've been eyeing recently have been:

Raven Roost (47.025, -121.339)
Miner’s Ridge (46.803, -121.362)
Little Bald Mtn (46.902, -121.167)
Timberwolf Lookout (46.766, -121.146)
Sentinel Mtn (46.817, -119.863)

Have you ever been to any of those? If so, any word on doability?

Thanks,
-Captain Sygo

 

I haven't....What is your intel source for existence of "Jeep trails?"

 

My main intel comes from having spent a lot of time on backroads on the E side of the Cascades - enough to have a sense of where a promising track might lie. That and Google Earth...I've been using it to fly over a lot of the ridges in search of promising looking spots. For some, I've been able to track down info via random web searches, but I haven't been able to find much regarding some of the spots I listed in my previous post. That said, I've not pushed the envelope too much, in that I've pretty much driven only where it looks like vehicles have traveled within the past several years. A fun run is to drive up over the Colockum Rd. from Wenatchee...though I did jar something loose in the suspension when I did that this past summer!

Do you have a good intel source, other than word of mouth?

 

I don't have a great intel source. There is nwjeepn.com and there are the government websites that list places...and there is just rumors and mapbooks that have "primative roads" and "Jeep trails" listed. Also there is the WA Backcountry Discovery Route which is mostly made up of forest service roads and logging roads, but there are plenty of off-shoots to that which are decent trails. Rain and snow affect those.