Blog
10 | Oct | '14
Bryan Rivard
Duthie Hill Park offers mountain bikers a variety of trails and many different riding challenges, but thanks to King County Parks one challenge will soon be a thing of the past--parking.
The popularity of Duthie can mean difficulty finding a space, so earlier this year King County Parks broke ground on a new lot in July and it plans to complete it this coming November.
The new parking lot, located at the corner of Duthie Hill and Issaquah Fall City Road, will provide an additional 74 stalls, a small plaza and gathering area, and trailer space for events. With an off-road connector to the service gate, the lot will further ease congestion and allow park users better access to trails.
Duthie's continued growth in popularity illustrates the beneficial relationship between Evergreen and King County Parks. With more projects on the horizon and the clear benefits of partnerships with county government, mountain bikers across the state have much to look forward to in Washington's future.
10 | Oct | '14
Bryan Rivard
For many companies Fall is the season for making employee giving a priority. With the holidays around the corner and the summer riding season wrapping up, it's the perfect time to consider a donation to Evergreen-especially if your employer will pitch in!
Does your company match donations of volunteer time, or money, or both to nonprofits?
Many corporations do including (but definitely not limited to): Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks, Gap Corporation, AT&T, Home Depot, Verizon, Aetna, Dell, Real Networks, Allstate, Wells Fargo, Safeco Insurance, UPS, Cigna, Bank of America and Costco.
Check with your Human Resources Department to find out if your company matches donations to nonprofits like Evergreen. If so, please report your donation to your employer, or contact our office, so we can further leverage your generous support.
04 | Oct | '14
Bryan Rivard
Last Saturday was one of the biggest yearly events at King County Duthie Hill Park - Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day! With so many kids eager to enjoy a sunny Saturday on two wheels, Evergreen exceeded its estimations and had nearly 300 participants in attendance!
Registration opened at 9:30am with a steady stream of kids and parents until just before lunch when big groups of smiling riders rolled in!
"It's my favorite day to ride Duthie!" said a young rider with her parents at the registration table. "It is," said Mom "this is our second year and she loves it."
Other families happened to be riding Duthie and came to join in the festivities--and some parents dropped by wishing they'd brought their kids for the fun!
Evergreen instructors spent the morning running free skills clinics and guided group rides for younger pedalers, while parents watched or took the opportunity to get a few laps around Duthie in. Kids also tested their skill at the timed Pump Track Challenge and then tested their luck at the huge end-of-day raffle!
Thanks go out to the volunteers, instructors, and businesses that came out to support the day, with 529 Garage offering free bike registration, Giant Bicycles working on bike tune ups, Gregg's Cycles' BBQ lunch, and great shwag (including a new bike from Dirt Merchant!) for the raffle.
If you missed this year you missed the best one yet! So mark October 3rd on your calendar for next year and plan on bringing the family in 2015!
01 | Oct | '14
Bryan Rivard
Evergreen Central Washington is one of two trail groups being recognized "for going above and beyond their prescribed duties" by the US Forest Service Region 6, which encompasses Washington, Oregon, and Idaho!
Headed up by Mat Lyons and James Munly, Evergreen's Central Washington Chapter boasts a local volunteer force of 170 (and growing!) and completed more than 2500 hours of trail work just this year!
Considering some of the difficulties once facing mountain biking in this area, this is a huge accomplishment for Evergreen Central and its volunteers. Currently the chapter is busy working on several trails in the Leavenworth and surrounding areas.
"There's lot of cool trail stuff happening," says James Munly, on a rare break from trailwork "this is our big month to make it happen before the snow and rain come."
Volunteers are currently working on Freund Canyon, where they'll be turning roadbed back to trail, and on Rosy Boa where they're adding flow and repairing some skids. Congrats to all the hardworking members and volunteers of Evergreen Central!
If you'd like to come out and help, keep your eye on the calendar for upcoming work parties!
30 | Sep | '14
Pavel Dolezel
Help maintain the Gold-Creek-to-Mt-Zion connector of the 1200-mile Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail! Come work one of North America’s largest trails-we won’t be going all the way to the continental divide in Montana, but the trail is just as inspiring!
We’ll be riding trail, stopping to do some work when needed, and enjoying the scenery. Evergreen will provide tools, gloves, and snacks—you just provide your lunch and some labor. It’s time to give back to the trail!
So join Evergreen's West Sound chapter for an awesome collaborative work party with the Gray Wolf Trail Crew and the Backcountry Horsemen of WA, in the Gold / Dungeness zone of the Olympic Peninsula! Come on out, work a new trail, and meet some great people.
Also check out the Gold / Dungeness Trail description here.
19 | Sep | '14
Bryan Rivard
Each year volunteers across King County lend their time and energy to area nonprofits for the United Way Day of Caring. 2014 boasted 11,800 volunteers countywide--and nearly 70 of them were for Evergreen alone!
Several teams of project managers and developers from Microsoft came out on Sept 19th to get their hands dirty maintaining Tiger Mountain biking trails.
Led by the Evergreen Trail Crew of Mike, Bryan, Ryan, and Kole--as well as Kevin and Katie from DNR--they picked up their tools and didn't put them down until they had donated over 500 hours of volunteer work!
A small crew worked up on Iverson on tread repair and added improved drainage while the rest continued on the new descending trail that broke ground in August.
Volunteers worked on everything from clearing the new trail corridor and removing the duff layer to finishing work and rock armoring!
Our thanks goes out to the Microsoft employees who donated all their time and hard work to the mountain biking community! If you or your company would like to join (or organize!) a work party, send an email to
15 | Sep | '14
EMBA Webmaster
Come join fellow mountain bike lovers at this all-inclusive trailwork and outdoor endurance sports festival! Centered at Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort in the Cascade Mountains, this is a weekend of trailwork, music, races, food, and more!
Spend mornings at Devil's Fest wearing work gloves and breaking a sweat giving something back to the trails you love. Then sneak in some rides to test your skills!
But be ready because when the sun goes down the excitement amps up with The Darkside Festival!
Live music starts at 4pm with local acts, a beer garden sponsored by Badger Mountain, Icicle, Saddle Rock, and Iron Horse breweries—and tasty grub from Mission Ridge Resort. Or join in the trail races for riders and runners with energy left to burn!
No matter what you do, you'll end up exhausted and replenished and clamoring for more! And remember—all proceeds go to support local trails!
To buy a festival ticket and for more info click here.
12 | Sep | '14
EMBA Webmaster
What’s more fun than mountain biking? Taking a kid mountain biking!
Join us on October 4th for the 2014 Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day and introduce a new rider to the fun of the trail!
For years Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance has worked with its partners to make this fun-filled day a reality. Kids riding with parents, siblings, and friends on every kind of bike on every kind of trail all have one thing in common—a huge smile!
This year's event includes guided trail rides, an obstacle course for the little ones, an exciting jump show from local and pro riders, costume bike parade and barbecue, and tons of prizes! It’s a terrific way to get kids outside in the woods having fun on bikes.
Come join us at this family event! All ages are welcome – from tots to teens – they just need a working bike and helmet to participate.
So bring your kids, your neighbor’s kids, or your friends with kids and come ride bikes on the trails with us!
Volunteers are also needed to make the day a success; please consider joining us as a volunteer and signing up here.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 4thTime: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Location: Duthie Hill Park, IssaquahParking: The primary parking lot for this event is at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints off of Duthie Hill Rd. Click here for directions to the address:Ages: All ages (and abilities) are welcome!Cost: FREE!!
RSVP on Evergreen’s calendar here.
Questions? Contact Bryan Rivard
05 | Sep | '14
EMBA Webmaster
Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is excited to announce a new trail development project in Tiger Mountain State Forest.
Washington State Department of Natural Resources has been awarded grant funding, and entered into an agreement with Evergreen to construct a new trail that will run from near East Tiger Summit and connect to the upper trailhead near Hwy 18.
Almost 2 miles long, the proposed trail will provide a more challenging descending route than the existing options in the forest. Its addition will help develop a trail network that provides a quality riding experience for a broader range of rider skill and fitness levels.
This further extends the partnership between DNR and the mountain biking community. The result of this partnership has expanded trail riding from 7 miles only three years ago to almost 12 miles of sustainable and fun trails today.
The new trail has been designed and work will begin immediately. But we need your help to meet the mountain biking community’s commitment to Tiger Mountain and make this new trail a reality. Watch the calendar for work parties and sign up to volunteer. This is an opportunity to build trail – by bikers, for bikers.