Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park
We have the lucky privilege of living within biking distance of Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park in Sammamish, Washington. I am not exaggerating when I say this is Disneyland for mountain bikers. My boys absolutely love going here and have been visiting since they were on balance bikes.
Bring:
Mountain Bike with shocks
CamelBak backpacks with water and snacks for each rider
Small first aid kit
Wet wipes
Lunch if you’re planning to stay longer
Long sleeves and pants (if the weather is cool enough)
Don’t Bring:
Bike not meant for mountain biking
Open toed shoes
The dog
Details:
If you’re coming in with young kids, I recommend entering from the southwest side of the park and parking in the parking lot at SE Duthie Hill Road and Issaquah-Fall City Road. The trail into the park from here is longer, but it is much easier to navigate than the trail from the parking lot in the north, near Trossachs.
Halfway into the main hub or central clearing of the park, you can drop into one of the easiest, green circle trails called Boot Camp. This is a loop trail - rule of thumb is to always head left on these types of trails. Otherwise head straight down the main access trail into the central clearing for practice on the pump tracks and to make a plan for your visit.
Here at the central clearing, you’ll find jumps, pump tracks, bike tools, maps, a picnic area, and porta-potties. All the trails dump into this main hub area. There are also some easy, quick trails, like Luna Air Zone, that the slightly bigger kids can do by themselves while grown-ups and little ones, hang at the central clearing.
In years past, when my youngest was only on a balance bike, we would actually bike into the park with him in a kids bike seat on my husband’s bike. We would bungee cord his balance bike to the front of one of our bikes - once we were at the central clearing, my little guy would take-on the pump tracks with me, while my husband would ride trials with my older two boys. If you are coming in from the southwest side, you could even bike in with a trailer behind your bike, and then detach the trailer once you were at the hub. The trail into the park from the southwest is a wider access-type road. A few times I also ran into the park while my husband rode with the big boys - once inside I hung with the youngest on the pump tracks and even did a few trails on my husband’s bike. Moral of the story is: anything goes! Do what works best for your family.
Now that my youngest has been riding without training wheels for about a year and a half, he is able to navigate all the green circle trails at the park. We do still have to use this tow rope to help him get up some of the big hills. I’ve found that as long as your young rider can pedal up a small hill (like 2-3 feet high) and break well going downhill, you’re ready to give this a try! But bring your patience-pants! The first visit can be challenging.
Duthie Hill, or any similar mountain biking area that has been designed with kids in mind is such a great way to burn some energy and get your kids outside. And I actually really enjoy coming too! I like that I’m doing something with my family and not just staying home - and the trails at Duthie are totally accessible to even novice riders, like myself.
My boys even do Evergreen Mountain Biking summer camps that are held at the park - see the link below for info on this hard-to-get summer camp option.
I hope all this information inspires you to take an adventure to Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park with your kids!
Links:
Park Trial Maps: Trail Map
Amazon Link for products: Amazon Link
Evergreen Mountain Biking Camps: Evergreen Mountain Biking Camps
Destination Address:
Duthie Hill Southwest Parking Lot: 26100-26156 SE Issaquah-Fall City Rd, Issaquah, WA 98029
