Trail riding to
Badger Lake
By Joe Wernex
As we rode above timberline, three extinct
volcanoes loomed in clear view. Mount Adams,
towering 12,307 feet above sea level, looked
close enough to scoop snow for our empty canteens. Mountains Rainier and St.
Helens were only slightly further
away.
Like many riders, we tend to
The state of Washington offers some of the most beautiful trail riding
in the world. And much of it - 8S these pictures show - is found in
the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
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wear out our scooters on familiar terrain. The Cascade Mountains of Eastern Washington are our favorite haunt
for summertime riding. This year,
however, rain has been so scarce that
we've taken to exploring new territory
in hope of escaping the heat and dust.
Rumors ot top notch trail riding had
been floating out of southwest
Washington for years, so this particu·
lar weekend we headed for Gifford
Pinchot National Forest and some of
the most scenic trail riding in the state.
How do you get there?
I'll start the directions in downtown
Randle on U.S. Highway 12. There we
headed south on the Cispus Road. At
0.9 mile, bear left on Forest Service
Road #123 to Cispus Center; at 9.3
miles a right turn on F.S. Rd. #112
cross the Cispus River and go left on
F.S. Rd. 11103 (gravel).
We found a place to park and camp
within a couple of hundred yards,
and it's a good place to start the ride.
Down road 11103 for 1 ~ miles to
Tongue Mountain Trail 1294. We set
the spee