Trail Overview
Snowshoe Ridge is a short but intermediate single track in the Wenatchee Mountains near Liberty, Washington. The trail just barely escaped the fire that burned the surrounding mountains between Wenatchee and Ellensburg over ten years ago, with only a small segment of the trail going through the old burn area on the east end of the trail. It is a steep climb up from west to east, gaining over 1,500 feet in elevation over just 2 miles. The west half of the trail crisscrosses with a rocky forest road, often crossing over the road and entering the forest on another segment of narrow single track. The narrow trail is full of bigger loose rocks, and does some shelfy side-hilling as it weaves through the forest. The first half is moderately easy, but then it pops out of the trees next to a scree field and starts to switchback up a loose and eroded hillside through the burn area. The switchbacks are steep and can easily become rutted. These will require good pivot skills and traction to the rear tire. As the trail crests the top of the hill, you get an expansive view of the burn area covering everything in view, a stark sight to see bordering on apocalyptic. Volunteers with the Northwest Motorcycle Association have done intensive amounts of work to clear logs on this trail to keep it open for riders. The trail is closed to motorized use from 10/15 to 6/15.
Difficulty
This is an intermediate route mostly due to the steep and loose switchbacks on the east end that are tight and technical. There are also rocky and narrow segments throughout most of the 2-mile route that will test the beginner rider. Parts of this trail go through a burn area where the ground can be eroded and unstable, and riders need to watch out for new log hazards.
