Kettle Fest 2026

Local Weather Information: forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-118.448&lat=48.631 Check out this great article in Craft MTN magazine about the Kettlefest a few years ago! Join Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance Statewide Staff and the Evergreen East chapter for 5 days of epic riding and camping at Kettle Crest in Colville National Forest! If you can't join for the entire time, come for as long as works for you. Folks with kids, the campground is a great spot for the little ones to ride around. Enjoy some of Washington’s best backcountry singletrack in a remote, alpine setting. In an annual tradition, riders from all across the region including Seattle, Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, Bellingham, and B. C. converge to hang out, experience awesome trails and give back to the area with a day devoted to trail work. Most of the rides have a healthy dose of climbing, but there are lots of great ride options, so come join us for another awesome year at Kettle Crest! More details to follow, but we'll plan to do one full day of trail work on Saturday, swapping stories around the campfire over a cold beer and, of course, and riding some epic alpine singletrack. Please note there is no cell phone service at the campground or where we will be riding. Group rides will be leaving around 9 am - 10am each morning (this varies based on what folks are feeling) . Note: the groups rides are not scheduled (9am is just the usual time people tend to start gearing up to go out and ride) , the format is very casual. We'll be camping at the Jungle Hill Campground, which is between the towns of Republic and Kettle Falls. Feel free to use any empty site when you arrive. Depending on how many folks show up we may have to squeeze a couple folks into the larger sites, or if you have a camper/van/trailer, their is plenty of space below the campground where the community area will be set up. Note: Ebikes are not permitted on the Kettle Crest or surrounding area trails, so bring your analog bike. While our ride schedule is usually made ad-hoc, here's a sample schedule of what KettleFest usually looks like (note this is not an accurate schedule, just an example) : For the easy and medium options, we shuttle up to the top of Sherman Pass and start up the Kettle Crest trail. The hard option starts from the campground with about 1300ft of climbing to get up to Sherman Pass. After climbing on the Kettle Crest there is an optional detour to Columbia Mountain which has an awesome 360-degree view. For the easy option, riders can turn around after Columbia Mountain and descend all the way back to the campground. Otherwise, riders will continue climbing and descending along the Kettle Crest until the top of Jungle Hill where the payoff awaits…. Up West Side of Old Stage and descend the scenic Midnight Ridge trail. Up and over Copper Butte (elev. ~7100') around Scar Mountain and then up to Wapaloosie and a fun descent to Jungle Hill and the Jungle Hill Campground. Views go for miles when up on the Crest. Another full day of riding. Those intersted in making the drive out to Taylor Ridge (about 1 hour) can go out to do that. Taylor Ridge is a 18 mile ride with 2,600ft of climbing and 5,600ft of descending. Those that want to stay nearer to camp can do another varieation of the rides listed above. Have younger kids who just want to ride features? Take the short drive to Republic to their mountain bike skills park located right off of Highway 20 about 30 minutes from Jungle Hill. Gibraltar is located outside Republic, and is a worthwhile loop to ride around Quartz Mountain. Difficulty level: Intermediate with a few advanced line options Descent: 2,750 ft Mileage: 13 miles (or as long as you want to go!) Description: The Gibraltar Trail is a backcountry getaway weaving through rugged terrain and offering expansive views. Open to hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians, the trail gives way to sweeping sights of the Sanpoil River Valley to the southwest and Thirteen Mile Canyon to the southeast, with the Kettle Crest visible from along the ridge. Dog-friendly and approachable for intermediate riders, it’s a great spot to explore the Colville National Forest while taking in some of the region’s best vistas. Best ridden in the fall, spring, and early summer. Access: From Republic, head east on SR 20 for 7.3 miles turning right onto Hall Creek Road FR 99 (from Kettle Falls, head west on SR 20 for 36 miles turning left onto FR 99) . Continue for 0.3 mile turning right onto FR 2053. Follow this good dirt road 5.0 miles to trailhead. Maps link: Saturday, July 18th: Trail work day and Cookout Work Location TBD We'll start rounding up at 8:30am for a 9pm Safety discussion at the Jungle Hill Trailhead before being assigned tools and carpooling to the worksite. Bring snacks, plenty of water, and a sack lunch. After we complete our tasks, we will then return back to the campground and likely will have people wanting to ride. We'll start grilling dinner around 6pm, hang out around the campfire (or propane pit) , share stories, and mingle. If you have any questions or concerns about Kettle Fest, please reach out to Mic McLane at Mic@evergreenmtb.orgRegularLabs. EmailProtector.unCloak("ep_73ee4565", true) ; Hope to see you out there!