There are lots of places to start:
1. In the town Fraser, follow signs to Saint Louis Creek Road, where you'll find the
Givelo Trail.
2. From the Rodeo parking lot a little ways down the
Givelo Trail.
3. Or skip a couple trivial, flat miles and park at the end of the
Givelo Trail where Northwest Pass starts.
Wherever you started, you are now at the intersection of the
Givelo Trail and
Northwest Passage. This trail might have been better before all the forest was clear cut (due to beetle kill), it's still a twisty fun ride through the meadow with great views. Very easy and flat. It ends on Church Park Road (marked "50").
Take a left on road 50 (not 50S, which is right there too) and follow it for a couple miles, passing a big resort on the right. At a sharp right bend in the road, look for the start of the
Tipperary Trail.
This old doubletrack is nicely consolidating to a fun singletrack. As a climb, it's never too hard, but don't underestimate a non-stop ascent at this altitude.
You'll pass through thick forest, cross a creek, and then pass through beautiful meadows that kind of feels like a ski run (but it's not). Make a few switchbacks, then one final long climb through the woods until you intersect with
Backscratch Trail and
Spruce Creek Trail. Continue on Spruce Creek.
You'll pass through much beetle-killed forest and past a few ponds on your way past a short uphill and then a long, fast downhill. Be careful of some of the loose rocks if you're moving fast! You'll end on a dirt road with a parking lot visible 100 yards to the right. Head over there, then follow the side road for a tenth of a mile.
Find the
Flume Trail to the left and ride along St. Louis Creek. It's named after an old logging flume that runs parallel to the trail. It's moderate with some twists and turns, but you can really fly along this one with some nice flow, great views, and a picnic stop at a bench near the end. The Creekside trail parallels the
Flume trail and is a nearly-as-good option if you want to do an extra loop on this short stretch.
From the end of the
Flume Trail, turn left (downhill) on
Chainsaw, cross the creek, then turn right on Creekside which will quickly take you back to the start.
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