My friends know that I don’t ride my mountain bike nearly enough. I do love being in wooded areas, smelling the fresh air and enjoying the view, but my bike handling skills are much more well suited for the solid surface provided by pavement. I am a true Roadie to the core. But when autumn rolls around and the leaves fall, I long to dust off the mountain bike and try again.
If you are an accomplished mountain biker and would enjoy a rip-roaring descent, this is the ride for you! This route is also perfect for those of us who aren’t ready to tackle stumps, large rocks and trees in our path. It follows Mill Creek Road past the Mill Creek Inn toward Andrew’s Geyser. Mill Creek Road is a well-packed dirt road with very little gravel, sweeping and tight turns and great views. The road is open to automobile traffic and you must be careful when you enter blind curves because the road is narrow and cars commonly take up most of the road. Having said that, it’s been my experience that automobile drivers travel at a slow rate of speed and are very courteous to cyclists.
The return ride is all uphill and follows Point Lookout Trail (which is a paved bike path). The route is about 14-1/2 miles long and the climb is physically challenging — especially with the extra weight of my clunker of a mountain bike vs my sweet little road bike.
Here’s the Map My Ride link for more details.