Trail Snapshot
Trail(s): 4.7 miles of rock-strewn, root infested mountain biking excitement.
Difficulty: Difficult to extremely difficult depending on how much of the trail you ride.
Outdoor Travels Rating: 5 out of 5 bikes
Thumbs Up
- Great views of the Cranberry Backcountry.
- Screaming downhill section more than makes up for the difficult climb in the beginning.
Thumbs Down
- Unless you want to ride 3 miles uphill on the Scenic Highway, two cars or a shuttle are required.
- Depending on your skill or bravado, some sections of the trail are un-rideable.
Lessons Learned
- Nothing says “guy” more than riding extremely technical sections only because someone else is.
- Nettles really make you itch.
- When Dana asks if you want another beer, take it, even if you aren’t finished with your first. By the time you get around to getting that next beer, it will most likely be gone.
Maps & Stuff
Trail Photos
Lots of great photos to give you a good idea of what riding here is like!
Mountain Biking
Tea Creek Mountain Trail
Rocks, roots and one wild, long downhill ride.
09/5/03 - by Christopher Burk
About half way up the first climb on Tea Creek Mountain Trail, I kept thinking back to the time when Jeff and I hiked the trail. As we were hiking down the mountain, we passed two bikers struggling to ride up. All I could think about at the time was they must be nuts. There’s no way I would ever consider trying to ride the trail Jeff and I hiked. Boy was I wrong.
Actually, the only part of the trail that is next to impossible to ride is the very first climb. I’m sure somewhere there are riders out there who could make it up the trail without stopping; however, those riders definitely weren’t in our group. The climb isn’t too terribly steep. What makes it so difficult is that the trail is narrow, cut into the side of the mountain and beleaguered with rocks, roots and logs. One slip in the wrong direction and you’ll be tumbling for a while. This was actually the only section where Jeff wiped out all weekend. Sure, he dabbed here and there but here the trail got the better of him and he laid it down and earned a painful, perfectly round, handlebar grip-sized bruise on his inner arm that had faded to a nice shade of purplish-yellow by nightfall.
As tough as the climb up is, thankfully it’s also fairly short. Before long we crested the top and were riding along the ridgeline. There were less rocks, roots and logs along the top, but not by much. The topography of Tea Creek Mountain Trail is also somewhat deceiving. When you drive back up to the trailhead after leaving a car at Tea Creek Campgrounds, it looks like the trail is pretty much all downhill. It’s not. There are several short, rather steep and technical climbs along the top. There are also several relatively flat sections that allow a rolling recovery before tackling the next challenging climb.
Since Jeff and I had both hiked the trail before, we had a general idea of what awaited us. The one thing we distinctly remembered from our hike was the boulder field along the very top of the mountain. We tried to describe it for Dana to give him an idea of what to expect. Apparently, we did not do a very good job. He was preparing to ride as much of it as possible until he finally saw it. His first reaction was, “Hell, no” but as we started to walk through it, he decided to give it a try. Of course, being guys and not wanting to look like wimps, Jeff and I soon followed suit. Of course, being that the majority of my wipeouts are due to my inability to get my foot unclipped from the pedals before falling over, the first thing I did was unclip.
Did we ride the whole thing? Of course not, but we certainly tried. In the end I would say that we probably came close to actually riding, that is being on the bike and pedaling, over half the boulder field. It was a fun challenge. But not as much fun as what was coming up.
Once through the field, the trail starts to drop, and I do mean drop. It starts out gradually; winding it’s way through the forest, before starting a screaming decent to the Williams River below. Three things make this part of the trail a really wild ride: the slope; the obligatory rocks and roots; and the fact that the trail is extremely narrow with a precipitous drop-off on the left-hand side. As we started down the mountain, we fell into line based on our individual guts, riding ability and peer pressure. Dana led the way (strongest rider, least amount of fear,) I followed (weakest rider but willing to try anything if someone else does,) and Jeff brought up the rear (strong rider but not as likely to ride something difficult, just because someone else does.)
We pretty much proceeded down the trail this way until disaster struck. As I mentioned earlier, the vast majority of my falls happen when I come to a stop and can’t get my foot unclipped. This was one of those times. Dana inadvertently stopped while crossing a small steam because he was in the wrong gear. I came to a screeching halt right behind him. In my haste to stop, I was too close to the uphill side of the trail. I did get one foot unclipped, the uphill one and preceded to basically push myself over. Unfortunately, I never got my other foot unclipped. As I let out a long, agonizing, “Noooooo,” I tumbled over the hill into a huge patch of nettles (itchy little plants). It was only by pure luck that I landed in between all the fallen logs and rocks in the streambed. Although it made for a very comical photo, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with my little spill and my arms and legs itched for about ten minutes.
Up to that point I had been riding very relaxed and in control. Although Dana was still in the lead, I wasn’t far behind him. Subsequently following my little tumble, my confidence was shaken. I began to ride very tense and stiff. It wasn’t long before Dana was way out in front of me. It didn’t help matters that my chain kept falling off and becoming wedged in the crank. By the time I got to the bottom, I was very discouraged and my chain was a mess. Looking back, I realize that my lack of technique towards the end of the ride was the result of a vicious circle. The tenser I became, the worse I rode and the worse I rode, the tenser I became.
Overall the ride was great. For three-quarters of the way, I rode like a madman, traversing over terrain I previously thought unrideable. Sure, Tea Creek Mountain Trail tries your nerves but it also leaves you wanting more. What it takes out of you in stress, it returns in skill and the feeling of accomplishment riding a trail that some people have trouble simply hiking.
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