The cycling blog is done, but blogging about cycling will continue.

Where?

Good Question.

The new Adventure Guys blog.

In this new blog, Adventure editor Jeffrey P. Mayor and I will write about our adventures, misadventures and insights in the outdoors, keep you up to date on the latest news and answer your questions.

Talk to you over there,
Craig Hill

If you haven't noticed, this blog has been retired. The plan was for this cycling blog to run for the duration of our STP Project, which painfully concluded in July.

But stay tuned. A new blog from the Adventure team is coming soon.

Thanks for reading,
Craig Hill

If you're ready to hit Skookum Flats with your mountain bike, check out this post on our neighborhood blog.

The post is from a hiker - Tracy Lebenzon - but gives a good idea of what kind of shape the trail is in. Plus, the pictures are pretty cool.

Check out these pictures of construction being done on the Riverwalk trail in Puyallup.
This trail will evenutally link to the Foothills Trail.

The pictures come courtesy of TNT reader and local cycling enthusiast Dixie Gatchel.

"Won't be long until we can access the Foothills Trail from our houses on a safe route. Hurray," Gatchel says.

I added some kick to the Foothills Trail last night by extending my ride from South Prairie along the roads to Wilkeson, where the trail will eventually go. Instead of continuing on Highway 162 to Highway 165 as most cyclist do, I turned right in South Prairie and took backroads (Tubbs Road, which turns into Johns Road) to Wilkeson. I was pleased to find a nice steep hill climbing out of South Prairie. But after that, it was easy riding to Wilkeson.
By the way, a 0.9-mile section of the Foothills Trail is now paced in Wilkeson.

The Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club is an excellent resource for local cyclists.

Whether you are looking for info on South Sound routes, organized rides (there's one almost everyday this summer), advocacy or you want to subscribe to their newsletter, check out twbc.org.

The TWBC was instrumental in getting the new Highway 16 bike trail named after cycling advocate Scott Pierson. The Scott Pierson Trail will be dedicated Saturday morning at War Memorial Park and Cheney Stadium.

Last week, Pierce County Parks opened the new Soundview Trail in University Place. This week cyclists get another new trail when the WSDOT and City of Tacoma officially dedicate the Scott Pierson Trail on Saturday morning at 9. The trail will eventually run five miles from about the Allenmore Golf Course to Gig Harbor, but the entire route won't be open until the bridge is finished.
The trail definitely has a commuter feel, unlike trails like the Foothills and Yelm-Tenino, but it will definitely draw those who want to pedal across the new Narrows Bridge when the new span opens in July.

Click below for a pdf trail map.
Scott Pierson Trail Map

For more on this trail and other good cycling trails around the South Sound be sure to read Thursday's TNT.

OK, first off, I'm not sure how I feel about RATS as the acronym for this blog, but it's going to have work for now.
In any case, RATS made history this week when I made the first bicycle loop on the new Soundview Trail with Rachel Couch of Pierce County Parks. The trail is part of the county's new Chambers Creek properties in University Place.
Rachel and I made the 3.3-mile loop in about 15 minutes and I was impressed by what I saw.
The trail is very short and very steep and winds through an awesome links-style golf course. The trail climbs back up the cliff with several switchbacks through the trees.
How steep is it? The golf course caddie master says a woman sneaked on the trail for a walk recently. The caddie master said he looked out his window about 400 feet above the golf course and saw the woman waving her hands at the bottom of the trail. The trail was too steep for her to climb back up.
In truth, for most fit people the challenge is barely moderate on foot or bike.
While it's too short to be a cycling destination on its own, the streets of University Place have good biking lanes and make it easy to add on some miles. And the county plans to add on to this trail some day.
The golf course opens in July, but the trail opens tomorrow morning.

I got in a quick 14-mile ride last night in Renton on the Cedar River Trail.
The trail runs from Renton to Maple Valley, but I turned around early because it was starting to get dark.
I was pleasantly surprised by the trail. It has minimal intersections and I enjoyed two underpasses in the first 4 miles, which beats waiting at an intersection. The trail goes through some nice parks and runs next to a golf course. Note sure if I'd recommend making the drive from Tacoma just for this ride, but if you're in the neighborhood ...

Click here, for a trail map.

For more information on the trail visit the King County Parks website.

If you are looking for a new trail to pedal or an old road to pedal again, circle May 5 on your calendar.

On May 5, the Nisqually Road to Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park will reopen for the first time since it was washed out by flooding on Nov. 6.

Also that day, a new trail will open in University Place called the Sound View Trail. The Sound View Trail is only 3.3 miles long, but it offers a unique chance to ride through a golf course and the trail does offer some hills. And the views are awesome.

Here's a glimpse at what mountain biking the Carbon River Road looked like yesterday.
Peter Haley shot this artsy picture of me riding past a huge root wad from a tree taken out by the flood.
See the trail I'm on, that's all that's left of the road after the flood. The road won't be rebuilt until next summer, so grab your bike.

Almost got the answer to this one the hard way during a mountain bike ride today in Mount Rainier National Park.
At the advice of trail foreman Carl Fabiani I wore my hiking boots for a 7.5-mile ride up the Carbon River Road to Ipsut Creek Campground. I no trouble on the ride up. But on the way down, I almost took a nose dive into a stump when my shoe laces got tangled in the chain. Luckily, I was able to stop with no more damage than shredded laces.

If you are looking for a unique biking experience, this might be it. The Carbon River Road is closed to vehicle traffic this summer because of flood damage, so the only access to Ipsut Campground is by foot or bike. The most enjoyable riding are the section of new trailed laid down recently by the WTA to replace washed out sections of the road.

If you ever wanted to ride single track in Mount Rainier National Park, this is as close as you are going to get. The park only allows mountain biking on three sections of dirt road in the park.

The road to Paradise reopens May 5.