The Mission Ridge Trail is another ride to enjoy in the Devils Gulch area. This is a higher, harder route that undulates along one of the ridges confining Devils Gulch. For a full (i.e., tiring) day of riding, make two laps from the Upper Devils Gulch Trailhead--one that descends Devil's Gulch, one that spans the Mission Ridge Trail.
Maps: View our topo map (8.5’x11” portrait/landscape or 8.5”x14” portrait/landscape). Note: use ‘Print Preview’ before printing to properly scale this map to a full sheet of paper.
Activity: Mountain Biking
Nearest Town: Wenatchee/Cashmere
Skill Level: 3
Fitness Level: 3
Distance: Roughly 11 miles one way.
Elevation Gain: 3,250 to 3,900 feet (depending on the upper trailhead used).
Recommended Season: The trail is shaded and provides a good summer ride when it's hot down in the Wenatchee Valley. The area is also very beautiful in autumn when the vegetation yellows.
Access:
This trail can be accessed from a variety of places including: 1) the Lower Trailhead for the Devil's Gulch Trail 2) the Upper Trailhead for the Devil's Gulch Trail 3) or from the Mission Ridge Upper Trailhead about 1.85 miles past the Upper Devil's Gulch Trailhead along Forest Road Number 9712.
- From Wenatchee. Drive up Squilchuck Road toward Mission Ridge. Follow the Squilchuck Road 1 mile past Squilchuck State Park and turn right on Forest Road 9712 (Beehive Reservoir Road). Drive this road about 4.3 miles to the Upper Devil's Gulch Trailhead or 6.2 to the Upper Mission Ridge Trailhead.
- From Cashmere. Exit Highway 2 at the second Cashmere stoplight. Cross the bridge into Cashmere and at the main intersection in town (flashing light) go straight (you’re on Division Street). In a few hundred yards the road bends to the right around the schools and becomes Pioneer Avenue. Shortly after this bend, turn left on Mission Creek Rd. Go roughly .5 mile and turn right at the T intersection. Cross Mission Creek and turn left at the next road, which is Mission Creek Road. Drive 7.5 miles to a Y in the road near where the pavement ends. Near the end of pavement and around this Y in the road, the property bordering the road is private, strewn with dead cars and junked appliances. No trespassing signs are visibly posted making, it seem as though you can’t drive the road. Ignore them. Take the left branch and follow Road 7100 along Mission Creek for about 2.75 miles to the Lower Devils Gulch Traillhead.
- Reaching the Upper Trailhead from the Lower Devils Gulch Trailhead: Drive 2.25 mile to a fork and go right staying on Road 7100. At 8.6 miles from the lower lot, remain on Road 7100 by going right at a 5-way intersection. In about another mile Road 7100 ends, turn right on Road 9712. About 11.2 miles from the lower lot, turn off Road 9712 into the upper trailhead (el 5,000 feet).
Trip Instructions:
- From the Upper Devils Gulch Trailhead. Many people prefer riding the first 3.1 miles of the Devils Gulch Trail and at the intersection of the Devils Gulch and Mission Ridge Trails,turning right onto the Mission Ridge Trail. Initially the Mission Ridge Trail will make a .6-mile long, steep, traversing climb to gain the ridge. Once on the ridge, the trail undulates providing some fun, steep descents counterbalanced with a few short cranks to ascend the next little knoll. The six miles of trail that follows the ridge is often loose, sandy, and rutted by late season and this reporter has taken some over-the-handlebar flights. Keep following the ridge until it eventually drops down into Mission Creek and ends at the Lower Devils Gulch Trailhead.
- From the Upper Mission Ridge Trailhead. Take the Mission Ridge Trail downhill for 3.9 rocky, bumpy miles until you intersect the Devils Gulch Trail. Cross over the Devils Gulch Trail and then complete the ride as described above.
- The return. Most riders return to the upper trailheads by riding up the access roads described above. You can also ride up the Devils Gulch Trail to the upper trailhead. This trail is quite ridable although it is probably best avoided from late morning to mid afternoon on weekends when lots of downhill riders are screaming down the trail.
Fees/Permits Needed: A Northwest Forest Pass is required at the Lower Devils Gulch Trailhead but not at either of the upper trailheads described in the access section.
More Info/Links: Get more info about this ride here.
Leave It Better Than You Found It: This should be every outdoor user’s goal. Pick up trash left by others, pull noxious weeds along your route, disperse old fire rings (they encourage more fires), throw branches over spur trails and spurs between switchbacks (make it harder to do the wrong thing than the right thing).
Important Disclaimer: Treat this information as recommendations, not gospel. Things change, conditions change, and those contributing these reports are volunteers--they may make mistakes, fail to give complete information, or may not know all the issues affecting a route. So forget about finger pointing: If things go wrong, you are completely responsible for yourself and your actions. If you can’t live with that, you are prohibited from using our information.