Hose off your bike, air up the tires and prepare to meet the devil at Hells Gate State Park
By Eric Barker
Is your mountain bike collecting dust, sitting on two flats or just plain lonely?
Well get it out, put some air in the tires and go for a ride. Remember how fun it is to be flying down a trail with the wind in your face, your eyes watering and your concentration locked on the twisting dirt single track? How about that feeling when you conquer a thigh-punishing, lung-burning climb?
You can have it all again. Devil’s Slide at Hells Gate State Park is a great way to get back into the sport you once ruled. It’s also a great introductory trail if you have never ridden in the dirt. It starts with modest climbs and fast, easy flats before taking you up a series of switchbacks. The climb puts you on top of a ridge with views of the Snake River and Asotin. Then comes the slide. It’s a steep, twisting descent that will have you squeezing the brakes and hanging your butt over the back wheel to keep you from somersaulting over the front. After the white-knuckle slide, the trail takes you on a fun, roly-poly section of short climbs and descents and as it follows the river back.
Access the Hells Gate Trail system from the state park or from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers parking area off Tammany Road in Lewiston. Trail information is posted at several locations.
Double Dare: Double down on Devil's Slide. The ride covers about six miles, depending on how you do it. If your legs and lungs are up for it, make it a 12-miler.
