Parking is limited at the immediate trailhead and along Birch Street. The parking lot at Whatcom Falls Park is easily accessed and adds minimal distance to a ride.
To get to the top, start at the Birch Street Trailhead. Follow
Miranda and the
Ridge Trail to the kiosk at Checkpoint Kilo. From there, take
Family Fun Center and then cross the small bridge onto
Appendix. After
Appendix, turn left up
Road 1200 for
100 feet and take a right onto
Intestine.
Cleavage is the first right off of
Intestine and brings riders to
Road 2510. Take a left onto
Road 1200 and pedal gradually up to Checkpoint Golf. From there, take either
Dragonfly or the
Golden Spike Connector to reach the kiosk at the top.
If the above is too complicated or you want to take the quickest route, take
Cedar Dust at Checkpoint Kilo and then climb or push-up
The Wall until it connects with
Road 1200.
The kiosk is a definitely one of the "hubs" on the Galbraith and if you take a moment before dropping in, you'll likely see riders from one or two parties roll up. Observant riders will notice that the sign at the start of the trail reads "
SST," don't worry, you're in the right place.
From the start,
Golden Spike unleashes a succession of jumps with small rooty sections and flowy turns. In addition to these trail delights, there is a gravel road crossing early on. Towards the end, riders are presented with a steep rock-roll down (or drop for the bold) to the left, or a less ambitious spur to the right. Both of these options feed out onto
Road 1200 before crossing over onto
SST.
SST is a trail that expertly follows the terrain lines. Great design, combined with a favorable descent-to-ascent ratio make
SST a fast and fun trail. Throw in a many jumps, aggressive flow, a table top and a stream crossing and you start to get the idea of the type of entertainment you're in for — the majority of obstacles are rollable making this a favorite trail among riders of many skill levels.
Towards the finish, the builders discovered a small slab of sandstone that makes a welcome addition to the trail. The stone signals a sharp turn to the left to keep following
SST proper, or alternatively, riders can go straight and take the
SST Spur. The first option is more direct, and it's more enjoyable with a few more jumps and the creek crossing mentioned above.
SST ends at the intersection with the
Power Line Trail with
Back Door just on the other side.
The first half of
Back Door continues the fun from
SST with more singletrack and doubles. A sharp rock armored roll-down signals the second half of
Back Door which travels along a creek zone.
Because of the extra moisture, this part of the trail is often slick, even muddy. The end of
Back Door makes a sharp abrupt rise around a few concrete blocks before exiting onto Birch Falls Way. Head left and then a right down the hill. This is a residential area, so be cautious of vehicles and pedestrians.
As an alternate added bonus, riders can head uphill to the left for a few hundred feet until reaching the stairs on the right that are tucked between the houses. From there, you can climb back up the
Ridge Trail until you reach
Upper Bob's which in turn ends on
Karma (checkout
Karma's description for instructions to navigate back to the trailhead through the criss-cross of streets you'll encounter).
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