The Capitol State Forest!
Capitol State Forest is on the ancestral lands of the Stl’pulmsh (Cowlitz), Sq’ʷayáiɬaqtmš (Chehalis), Nisqually, and Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla peoples who have stewarded those lands since time immemorial.
I was first made aware of the Capitol Forest, located on the west side of Olympia on lands historically stewarded by the Coast Salish peoples of the Squaxin, Nisqually, and Cowlitz, because of the Evergreen Gravel Grinder. I followed them on social media and had been interested in doing the race, but never had the guts to do a lot of gravel riding beyond the Iron Horse/Palouse-Cascades Trail until last year. The Capitol Forest is a really beautiful area with incredible views of Mount Tahoma, the Cascades, and the Olympics. It is also used for a numerous industrial and recreational uses.
The Forest is owned by the Washington Department of National Resources, and is an active logging area (like a number of gravel areas in Washington). Logging takes place in the fall, when trees go dormant and it isn’t completely muddy, so you may encounter trucks, machinery, and all of the soupy roads that come along with it throughout that season. The good thing about riding logging roads in the fall is that (where it isn’t muddy soup) the gravel is more compact since trucks and machinery are rolling around. The photo to the right is an example of the kind of muddy conditions that logging operations leave behind. In summer, the Forest is a hot spot for dirtbikes and four-wheelers, so be prepared for revving motors that come out of nowhere. There are also skeet shooters and hunters in the area year-round, and I have heard gunshots on all three trips I have made down there.
In July 2020 I decided I really wanted to challenge myself and try it out. I found a route that started in West Olympia and did a sub-50-mile loop around the inner part of the Forest. Luckily my buddy Bisque wanted to come with me, and we were not prepared for how challenging it would be! The Forest has some SERIOUS climbs, and summer gravel is not as compact as winter gravel. We had to work much harder, and even push our bikes at time because the gravel was so loose and not navigable. Over half the ride was climbing, and the steepest grade we encountered was 19%, so it was really tough. It was also hot (by PNW standards) and I cannot think of a time I was more sweaty.
My second time venturing to the Forest was for a much shorter jaunt, and I would recommend this route for anyone who is interested in riding gravel and/or riding the Capitol Forest, but nervous about the physical challenge. We parked near the Margaret McKenny Campground on Waddell Creek Road SW, and nobody got a ticket! We had Discover Passes displayed, but since it was December also think there were not many people patrolling the parking situation.
This is a sub-30-mile route with just over 3,000 feet of elevation with a maximum grade of 12.5%. I really liked this route because although the first seven miles are a continuous climb over about 1,500 feet of elevation, then it’s a lot of cruising and enjoying the beautiful scenery!
In December my buddy Kentucky Fried and I finally completed an Evergreen Gravel Grinder! Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the race was run as an individual time trial that riders completed between December 1st and January 1st. We rode on Christmas Eve and it was COLD, but luckily the weather was clear and afforded views of all the major mountains and mountain ranges. I had never seen Tahoma so clear and up close before. It is always a stunning mountain, but that day it seemed more spectacular than usual.
There were three routes — 50-mile, 70-mile, and 100-mile — and we elected to do the 50-mile which I believe was the correct choice. It was really challenging! I don’t know if I would have made it out alive with any more elevation. There were also a few stream crossings to keep us on our toes. The crossing at the end was extremely confusing since it did not follow a well-defined trail, and led us up a sheer face on a muddy goat-track on the other side. We spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out where exactly the route wanted us to go before we finally realized it was the sketchy stream crossing we were trying desperately to avoid.
I cannot wait to do the Grinder again, and I hope to one day complete the 100-miler!
