There are a ton of quality riding opportunities in the Lake Chelan Valley for both roadies and dirt devils.
Road rides... (ALSO SEE ROAD BIKE TREASURE MAP)
Those looking to spin can climb into the saddle and spin for hours in the Lake Chelan Valley. One of the favorite rides is out the south shore to 25-Mile Creek and back to town. Others enjoy exploring the back roads of Manson where there are miles and miles of paved road winding through orchards. For the serious rider, a climb out of the Lake Chelan Valley along Highway 97A through Knapps Coulee tunnel to the turnoff that will bring you back over Navaree Coulee and back to Lake Chelan giving you plenty of exercise while you are at it. Others like to spin the century by going all the way to Wenatchee on 97A along the west side of the Columbia River and coming back to Chelan along Highway 97 on the east side of the Columbia River. (SEE ROAD BIKE TREASURE MAP)
Dirt...
There is plenty of good dirt in the Lake Chelan Valley waiting to be explored by the mountain biker. Echo Ridge offers over 18 miles of loops and trails including some excellent short sections of single track. Mountain bikers can make their rides as easy or hard as they want on this system. Many begin their ride at Echo Valley and grind up the road to the Echo Ridge parking lot before heading out on the trails. They end up coming back to Echo Valley down the 'Gulch' which is a fast, potentially treacherous downhill run full of rocks, loose sand, wood and huge waterbars.
Riders can also start in Echo Valley and ride the cross-country race course. A short ride up Cooper Mountain Road to the gated National Forest Jeep road (called 'Screaming Echo' in the old days when it was a cross-country ski area) puts the rider on a steady two mile climb to the top of the Echo Valley Ski area before turning into some great singletrack that takes the rider across the top of the ridgeline and back down to the road system south of Echo Valley. There are a number of trails which can be explored off the main race course. Watch out for horseback activity.
Out of Chelan, visitors and locals alike can escape the hustle and bustle of the city by riding out the old Gorge Road towards Chelan Falls. This ride is dirt road and many people use it to run, ride and walk on. Watch out for rattlesnakes.
Chelan Butte offers some exciting opportunities also. The 'Face of the Butte' is a popular evening ride after work. It is accessed off the Butte Road approximately 200 feet from the pavement on the left side. The views of the lake are spectacular and the ride will bring the rider out on the south side of Chelan.
The grind to the top of the Butte is a killer for those not in shape. The elevation gain is approximately 2,700 feet. Some never get to the top, but drop off the other side of Chelan Butte onto Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife 'Wildlife Refuge' land at the saddle. Most head out Downy Canyon to Knapps Coulee and grind back to town along Highway 97A to Chelan.
Looking for the more esoteric rides. Head out to the Wenatchee National Forest lands. There are hundreds of miles of Forest Service roads begging to be explored on both sides of Lake Chelan. An example would be Slide Ridge. Getting there is up to the individual rider. One can climb up the road (tiring) or drive up the road to the top and ride out along the ridge where the views are spectacular. Make sure to take the camera. Other Forest Service roads offer similar "out there" rides with spectacular views of the Lake Chelan drainage and Cascade Mountain Range.
The Lake Chelan Valley has some epic (legendary) rides also. The Devil's Backbone and Pot Peak trail offer the experienced rider some of the best riding experiences in the United States bar none. The Devil's Backbone can be accessed by riding up the 25-Mile Creek trail which is an elevation gain of at least 5,000 feet. You had better be in shape because when you grind up to the Devil's Backbone, you will be pretty much trashed. Fortunately, there is a trailhead that can be accessed with a vehicle. The best way to do this is to find a willing driver to drop the riders at the trailhead and meet them at the bottom at 25-Mile Creek State Park. The trip is approximately 18 miles long. I say trip because you won't be riding the entire Devil's Backbone. You will be hike-a-biking it over a switchbacked trail blasted by the Forest Service from a scree fall. 
The Pot Peak Trail is a maintained motorcycle trail that intersects with the Devil's Backbone. It has been described as one of the best 10-mile downhills in the states. If you think 10 miles of downhill is easy, forget it. It's not. This 10 miles will kick you hard. Last year, the trail was so rutted in places that it took some technical pizzaz to negotiate. Hopefully, the trail will be better this year.
Another epic ride is from the South Navarre trailhead to Boiling and Cub Lakes which is a nine mile grind over an old, established rooted hiking trail. The ride is well worth the effort, but expect to take a sleeping bag, food, and a fishing pole. Cub Lake is the farthest one can ride a mountain bike in the Chelan-Sawtooth because it sits right on the edge of the wilderness where bikes are not allowed. So if you want to go further, ditch the bike in the woods and hike on into Surprise Lake where a single gold hook will guarantee you a wonderful meal of high-country cutthroat trout.
These are but a few of the rides in the Lake Chelan Valley. Locals can guide you to others, but the Chelan Ranger District is a wealth of information. We hope that this web page will become the information center with photographs and stories of rides, small and epic.
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