Tiger Mountain’s Preston Railroad/Northwest Timber Trails

Issaquah, Washington

4 Reviews

Summary Trail Guide Topo Map Reviews Photos GPS

DESCRIPTION FROM:

Mountain Biking Washington

by Amy & Mark Poffenbarger (Falcon Guides)

One of the few neighborhood mountain trails in the Seattle area still open to mountain bikers is Tiger Mountain. Thus, it’s quite popular. The trail has a lot to offer: The forest roads lead up to the singletrack, which in turn leads to the woods, over technical trails shaded by a thick canopy of trees. The singletrack at Tiger Mountain is a great training ground for those learning how to ride technical trails and is especially challenging on wet days.

There are three ways to tackle Crystal Mountain with a mountain bike after the snow has melted. First, there’s the heart-pumper route that we’ve detailed here: up Forest Service 184 and the Silver Creek Trail for a relatively short, steep climb; and then down the Crystal Mountain Trail for a world-class downhill experience. This is not the easiest way up, but it offers a challenging, exhilarating cardiovascular workout.

View Guide Topo Map

Trail Statistics and Information


Activity Type:	Hiking, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking
Nearby City:	Issaquah
Distance:	11.5
Elevation Gain:	1,200 feet
Trail Type:	Loop/Lollipop
Technical Difficulty:	Moderate
Duration:	2 hours
Season:	Best in summer and fall
Trailhead Elevation:	1,300 feet
Top Elevation:	2,500 feet
Accessibility:	Dog-friendly
Local Contacts:	Department of Natural Resources
Local Maps:	USGS Hobart, Fall City
Driving Directions:	Directions to Tiger Mountain’s Preston Railroad/Northwest Timber Trails

Recent Trail Reviews

chris S.

Rating:

Date of Trip: 4/28/2010

HI. I am new to Trails.com. I am just check it out before buying. Anyways, thought I would evaluate it on one of my local rides here in Seattle. The Tiger mountain rides have long been one of my favorites. I must say the Trails.com description is a bit off however. It calls this ride "moderate", and "front suspension is recommended but not required." Wrong. This is a very technical and strenuous ride, and not only is front suspension needed, but rear as well. Your pace would be slowed to almost walking trying to navigate the 3 mile single track down with no suspension! This ride is epic.

Nigel E.

Rating:

Date of Trip: 9/25/2005

Just rerode the trail today - it's in fantastic shape. The loop out to the NW timbertrail is an absolute must!

Doug C.

Rating:

Date of Trip: 6/14/2003

Rode the Preston RR trail for the first time in several years. It used to be one big mud pit. But the BBTC has done a tremendous amount of work on this trail, and it shows. We rode it on a cold, wet day, and it was a blast. Fast, fun, technical singletrack on the decent. The only downsides to this trail are that it is very crowded on weekends, and it's not as long as I'd like it to be. You have to decend about 3 miles on logging road to connect the Preston RR trail up to the NW Timber trail. But, it's a still a lot of fun if you don't have the time to do a longer ride.

Derek L.

Rating:

Date of Trip: 10/27/2001

You will absolutly love the first 2 miles of the trail. It has everything. Uphill, downhill, singletrack, drops, everything. But, once you finish with the first loop, the real stuff begins. You have a 3 mile climb to get to the short singletrack in the woods, and then you hit the awsome stuff. You go downhill for 4 miles. That has drops, logs, ROOTS GALORE, puddles, switchbacks, and some ruts. Be safe on it though. Then you go up a short climb and have about 2-3 miles singletrack which is just as good as the first part, all the way back to the parking lot. HAVE FUN!!!