eric

National Forest Road 99 - Windy Ridge
by Eric Anderson


The Road


Twisting and diving through sharp corners in a bare landscape with few guardrails to stop a wayward rider from a tumultuous fall down steep hills, Windy Ridge is a spectaculor ride not for the faint of heart. One of the most unique rides you could ever experience, every ride I've taken here has been an adventure with a new story to tell. From seeing steam rising from the volcano at the top to encounters with deer and elk to fog so dense you feel like you're riding on the edge of an abyss, I've experienced it all here.



Before proceeding with the review, I'll add a couple words of caution about this road and it applies to riding anywhere in the park. If you are riding here on a weekday or in the evening, make sure someone knows where you will be. I've ridden the length of Windy Ridge and NF25 without seeing a single car on weekdays, a crash could leave you badly stranded (cell phones don't work in the park.) Windy Ridge and National Forest Road 25 leading to it often have motorcycle accidents. St. Helens is an active volcano and the ground is unstable, combine that with an underfunded forest service and you have roads that are in poor condition in spots. Most of the corners on Windy Ridge are unmarked and can be very sharp, almost every year a death occurs from a vehicle traveling off the road. Lastly, watch out for animals. I don't typically see elk or deer on Windy Ridge but frequently come across them on NF25, especially on the Southern Half which has an overcrowding problem.




Windy Ridge is accessed from National Forest Road 25, the turnoff is pretty close to the middle of the trip between Randle and Cougar. Making the turnoff you are immediately greeted with a couple decent corners before hitting some straightaways seperated by gentle corners. You are still in the dense forest commong of the park but this will change soon. Another set of corners takes you away from the ridge NF25 rests on and onto Windy Ridge itself. The landscape quickly becomes more barren and the scenery is incredible as you continue up the ridge.

One advantage to the treeless environment is the ability to see the road ahead. The road constantly winds back on itself and you can see several corners in advance. As you leave the last of the old-growth forest behind and visibility increases most riders will speed up but be cautious; the road will make unmarked turns you didn't expect and rocks are occasionally on the road itself. The first section of the road has rough spots but when you see a sign alerting you to twisty roads for the next 7 miles you are to the section that is smooth for the most part.



Continuing on your way you'll pass a handful of lookout points, each of which offers a different and always incredible view of St. Helens or the surrounding area. But the best view is at the top. A few more awesome hairpin corners and you're there. If you're lucky you'll see steam rising out of the volcano, it's been very active the past few years so your odds are good. If you have the time and don't mind a short hike in your leathers there is a stairway to a still more spectacular view, the stairs are behind you as you face the mountain. Taking the time to look around you can see the mass of dead logs floating in Spirit Lake below, left over from the erruption in May of 1980. Take some time to rest up because whichever way you are headed, you're probably only halfway there.

Soon you'll come up to the Pine Creek Information Station and the end of NF25 where you have a choice, Take a right on National Forest Road 90 towards Cougar or take a left to Curly Creek Road and Wind River Road. I'd at least make a side trip up Curly Creek Rd. Just follow the bumpy NF90 for a few miles and hang a right up the hill. Curly Creek is an absolute blast, 5 miles of high-speed uphill sweepers. Moving on past Pine Creek on NF90, you hit a long stretch of hairpins and s-curves as you twist along the Swift Reservoir. NF 90 is awesome on weekdays but the weekends will bring in boater traffic.


The ride is usually at least as good heading down as it was coming up. Hopefully you're noted which corners are particuarlly challenging or have rocks in them and can open it up a bit. Careful on the lower section on the way down, the road is bumpier going down then it was coming up. And don't forget to be extremly careful the whole time you are on Windy Ridge, the road probably eats more bikes than about any other short stretch of road around.


For more on this road, including more photos, maps and downloads, please click here.


Getting Here

Windy Ridge is accessed only from National Forest Road 25. Please Click here to see a review for NF25 with directions to get there.


Distances

Windy Ridge
16 miles

Randle to NF99 junction
20 miles

Cougar to NF99 junction
44 miles

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DRD2

Wow, great write up man! Have you ever been to roadsnw.com. I think they sort of tried to do the same thing. Your idea looks a little better though.

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eric

Yeah, there are a few sites out there like that but none had some of the things I wanted, so I made my own.

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Quicklimegirl

I've got to say, that was probably the most concise, yet comprehensive (hmm maybe I'm contradicting myself here) writeup about my favorite road I've ever read....and just makes me miss it that much more, since I haven't been able to ride since the end of May. All I can do is hope there will not be a repeat of the severity of weather and road damage/washouts which occurred in the winter of '07/'08 and that it will reopen once again next summer when I will be able to ride again.

It really is impossible to fully describe what a spiritual nirvana it is to ride up into the blast zone. A riding "high" that I've yet to duplicate anywhere else. I hope everyone gets a chance to ride it who hasn't done yet, provided they have a fair amount of both experience, and restraint where warranted, before the snows close it down once more.

Thanks again for taking me on a vicarious trip up to the mighty Mt. St. Helens!

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Driftertank

Yeah, my brother came down the other day, borrowed my bike for a few days while I was working.

Told me Friday night, "I think I might head over and ride down NF25 tomorrow." I grimaced, and told him, "You might wanna wait til I can go up there with you. I love the roads up there, but they can be kinda nasty in spots, and even I don't ride up there alone. Too easy to get caught out by a pothole, frost heave, or decreasing-radius turn, and if you get hurt, you want to have somebody there to go get an ambulance...phones don't work too well up there."

So he went out to Bickleton and Goldendale instead.

But yes, the St. Helens area is an AWESOME riding destination. I often jokingly refer to it as "Mt St Helens Nat'l Motorcycle Playground."

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Frosty the Slowman

I was just up there yesterday. great ride perfect weather, was like 70 when we got to morton before noon. got creamed with some huge bugs. Only road I've been on that I would suggest for newer riders to avoid. The pavement is really beat up in spots so you have to pay close attention to the road and get around the worst stuff.

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