Oct Mnt Bike Trip: Day 3 403 Trail
Sunday Oct 2
403 Trail
Finally got to do this trail after two previous trips here and skipping out on it. We again waited for the sun to melt off the light frost and warm up the air before chowing down some breakfast. Then packed everything up but left the van at the camp siteto ride the roads up over Schofield Pass and over towards Elkton to hit the 403. That trail then drops down and ends just a quarter mile away from the van.
The map made the road riding look pretty tame but that was deceptive. It's a steep stretch up out of Paradise Basin and to the pass that looks down on the Slate River Valley. What a nice ride despite the work! Incredible, colorful slopes all around and, for a prime leaf peeping fall weekend, few people. The top of the road ride gains grand views of the Slate River drainage and the peaks over in the Raggeds Wilderness. The dimensions are Alps-like in scale.
When you finally make it over to the trailhead for 403, you climb for 20 minutes or so to gain the ridge dividing the Deer Creek drainage from the Slate River. And then it's all down hill for a swooping 1800 foot drop through meadows and thick woods, all on excellent single track. Excellent!
That was it for this trip. A lot of technical miles over three days, all really worthy and already calling for a repeat trip.
403 Trail
Finally got to do this trail after two previous trips here and skipping out on it. We again waited for the sun to melt off the light frost and warm up the air before chowing down some breakfast. Then packed everything up but left the van at the camp siteto ride the roads up over Schofield Pass and over towards Elkton to hit the 403. That trail then drops down and ends just a quarter mile away from the van.The map made the road riding look pretty tame but that was deceptive. It's a steep stretch up out of Paradise Basin and to the pass that looks down on the Slate River Valley. What a nice ride despite the work! Incredible, colorful slopes all around and, for a prime leaf peeping fall weekend, few people. The top of the road ride gains grand views of the Slate River drainage and the peaks over in the Raggeds Wilderness. The dimensions are Alps-like in scale.
When you finally make it over to the trailhead for 403, you climb for 20 minutes or so to gain the ridge dividing the Deer Creek drainage from the Slate River. And then it's all down hill for a swooping 1800 foot drop through meadows and thick woods, all on excellent single track. Excellent!
That was it for this trip. A lot of technical miles over three days, all really worthy and already calling for a repeat trip.
