Mountain Biking - Washington or Colorado?

Ok, my problem... I have decided to go back to school and now am trying to decide where. Both have what I need for schools.

but

not sure which state would be a better choice.

1. Need great DH(lift access required) and general epic mtbing spots(for when I find the need to climb too)!
2. Need great snowboarding!(need powder, not wet snow/ice)
3. Job openings for during and after I completed school
4. Just over all cool attitude of living.

So let me know what you all think... and if you have idea's for other states shoot em this way and give me some info on each.

ewww and if any of you have pictures to help convice me of which is better that would be GREAT! :D

Thanks guys and gals!

colorado.

it's the best!

Montana or Alaska

Montana or Alaska

Why do you say those states?

colorado.

it's the best!

What's the reason for you not saying WA, the state you live in? To over populated and you don't want another jackarss out there? ;) Or is there something you don't like about it?

Never been to WA but CO is great. Very nice scenary.

mainly i'm just being a jackass myself...:D

but seriously, if you move to Seattle, you will get to enjoy the WORST traffic in the USA. we trade off with NY and L.A. for worst traffic. it seriously seriously sucks.

the weather is pretty mellow but there are LOTS of grey/gray days. rain and grey.... the snow isn't the best from what I hear, I just started snowboarding a few years ago so all snow is good snow to me. (as long as it's not ice..)

I just said Montana or Alaska because they both have real mountains. There's a lot of real mountains out west here, but Montana and Alaska are really overlooked as good mountain recreating areas.

That said, you could probably be happy at any other state where the Rockies or the Cascades reside. (Colorado, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, etc.)

For example, Oregon for some reason is not usually thought of for its mountains, but here are just a few:

1. mt. hood
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2483/hood9903.jpg

2. mt. bachlor
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2483/bachelor.jpg

3. mt. mcloughlin
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2483/mclo0201.jpg

4. mt. washington
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2483/wash0402.jpg

5. mt. jefferson
http://members.aol.com/trails2go2/jeffpics/T_MtJeff_wwtrail.jpg

6. mt. thielsen
http://www.oregonhiking.com/photos/img317x.jpg


I don't think you can go wrong in any of these states. :)

Montana or Alaska

Maybe Alaska. There are very few good paying jobs in Montana!

Here's what Wahington has to offer:

wouldn't it be prudent to base your decision moreso on what schools you're interested in rathar than the scenery of the state?
If you are a trail advocate I would welcome you to washington. there are far too many folks here who tear up the trails, complain about the poor condition of them and expect someone else to deal with it.

I believe Outside Magazine just did a cover story on colleges and their outdoor perks. It was out just a few months ago.

Stay out of Colorado. Already enough folks living here.

Just come to visit and spend lots of money, then go away!

Just come to visit and spend lots of money, then go away!

Sounds like the Montana state moto! Thats why we lead the country with our people working 2 jobs to make ends meet!

Come to Montana! Start companies with good paying jobs and bennies! :D

wouldn't it be prudent to base your decision moreso on what schools you're interested in rathar than the scenery of the state?
If you are a trail advocate I would welcome you to washington. there are far too many folks here who tear up the trails, complain about the poor condition of them and expect someone else to deal with it.

Agreed, but in both states the schools will be just as good as the others... so that is why I am between Washington and Colorado.

And as for the trail advocate thing... come on you aren't a true mountain biker if you don't do/ love trail maintenance, it makes you appreciate every mile of trail even more!

Stay out of Colorado. Already enough folks living here.

Just come to visit and spend lots of money, then go away!

Hmmm maybe I'll move right next to you... just to spite you. I'll even buy the biggest SUV I can find and make sure I build a huge house and cut down all the trees even close to it to make sure I have enough room incase I want another SUV that's even bigger and a place to keep my boat, motorhome and other toys I'd buy just to piss you off!

Honestly between Colorado and Washington I can't say. I've lived in Colorado and spent a lot of time in Washington, and they are both great places.

What are you planning on studying anyways?

Where in WA would you be going to school? Seattle? Bellingham? Ellensburg? There's good riding in all those places. And boarding. Pullman? I don't know about that one.

I'd vote for WA... but the snow is wetter and heavier. Of course, you're closer to Whistler, too!

I'd vote for WA... Of course, you're closer to Whistler, too!

Great point! Whistler has some of the best bike and board riding in the world. Another point of consideration is that the trees are much bigger in Washington than Colorado. I'm personally partial to trees, so would choose Washington.

Another thing: I'm not sure which school you are looking at, but Colorado State is in Fort Collins, which isn't that hip of a place and constantly smells like cow fields. University of Colorado is in Boulder, which has excellent bike and board riding near by, although when I lived there it seemed like the town was becoming very pretentious and yuppified. The campus area was cool, though. I guess some perks there are that your closer to places like Moab and Telluride....

Seattle's a pretty cool place other than for the insane traffic. Right outside of town you have cool forest areas. It is true, though, that generally the snow is a lot heavier and wetter on the West Coast than it is in Colorado and Utah. Still some great backcountry and resort boarding, though.

Hmmm

and cut down all the trees even close to it to make sure I have enough room incase I want another SUV that's even bigger and a place to keep my boat, motorhome and other toys I'd buy just to piss you off!

Sorry, there is not one natural tree (well, maybe a couple) east of the foothills. None to cut down!!

Pullman? I don't know about that one. !

I don't know about the WA side I am sure there's pleanty of riding but the Idaho pan handle has a butt load of trails. But I have a feeling since he said Good School it has to be UW not WAZZU :D

Go to Utah

i've never been to either place, nor do i know much about them... but if i were to choose one, i'd say washington because of how close it is to british columbia.

Where in WA would you be going to school? Seattle? Bellingham? Ellensburg? There's good riding in all those places. And boarding. Pullman? I don't know about that one.

I'd vote for WA... but the snow is wetter and heavier. Of course, you're closer to Whistler, too!

Well actually there are a bunch of different schools in WA that I'm looking at, same with CO...about 14 or so in each, they are just 2 year schools to finish my degree in fire science ( gonna be a fire fighter, hopefully get into wildland fire fighting). And all of them are very close in quality and recognition.

in WA there are (naming cities)

Tacoma
Bellevue
Pasco
Lynnwood
Longview
Bremerton
Port Angeles
Lakewood
Mt Vernon
Olympia
Spokane
Walla Walla
Yakima

in CO there are

Greeley
Littleton
Glenwood Springs
Colorado Springs
Lakewood
Cortez

So that gives you a little better idea of what I'm looking at. Or there is even a slight chance that if I can get this job in BC that I'm working on, I might just move there and go to school there to be a Canadian Fire Fighter. HMMMMMM ideas ideas..

Thanks for all your input guys! I appreciate it all.. please keep it coming!

gonna be a fire fighter, hopefully get into wildland fire fighting

We have the SMOKE JUMPER school in Missoula, Montana. I believe they are the Elite. We also have many Indian Fire Fighter groups here in the state. Not sure if you have to be a member of the tribe to get into that program or not.

Good luck!

Bob

My favorite on you list is Mt Vernon my riding buddy Khuon posted some pictures of a ride we did near there last spring beautiful country everywhere else is good except Yakima it really doesn't have much to offer in the social life arena lots of desert to play in though. Bellevue and Lynnwood are suburbs of Seattle Lakewood is a bit dicey crime wise and is a Suburb of Tacoma and right next to McCord Air Force and Ft Lewis Army Bases. Olympia is another favorite of mine and offers a lot in the way of entertainment and outdoor activities. I have been through Port Angeles and Longview but have never spent any time there. The other cities you picked on the East side Spokane, Pullman, Walla Walla are all great choices.

Washington...

a) close to whistler and REALLY close to the shore
b) I am out here :)
c) Washington has mountains
d) Washington has a big street scene (from what I have read on other forums) which would make for 12 month a year riding

Hell I don't know why there is a debate here :)...as for schools I have no idea...I assume washington has a bunch as well as Colorado...:)

mainly i'm just being a jackass myself...:D

but seriously, if you move to Seattle, you will get to enjoy the WORST traffic in the USA. we trade off with NY and L.A. for worst traffic. it seriously seriously sucks.

the weather is pretty mellow but there are LOTS of grey/gray days. rain and grey.... the snow isn't the best from what I hear, I just started snowboarding a few years ago so all snow is good snow to me. (as long as it's not ice..)

I was just there and the traffic wasn't really that bad. NYC is much, much worse. The only day the traffic was even close to bad was monday the 20th when Seattle had one of the 15 highest days of rainfall in recorded history. I would much rather drive around in Seattle than in NYC anyday... at least in Seattle the pedestrians actually pay attention to the traffic signals instead of just cutting off all the cars because they need to cross the street.

I was just there and the traffic wasn't really that bad. NYC is much, much worse. The only day the traffic was even close to bad was monday the 20th when Seattle had one of the 15 highest days of rainfall in recorded history. I would much rather drive around in Seattle than in NYC anyday... at least in Seattle the pedestrians actually pay attention to the traffic signals instead of just cutting off all the cars because they need to cross the street.

I agree with you, I was in Seatle in Feb. and I actually enjoyed driving around there! Heck there was even a carpool lane, I have never seen one of those here in Chicago...

I was there even driving in morning rushour traffic... wasn't to bad, people don't seem to drive like such arsses out there.

I agree with you, I was in Seatle in Feb. and I actually enjoyed driving around there! Heck there was even a carpool lane, I have never seen one of those here in Chicago...

I was there even driving in morning rushour traffic... wasn't to bad, people don't seem to drive like such arsses out there.

It goes to show you it's all perspective but we definatly do nor compare to Chicago, or NYC when it comes to traffic.

My favorite on you list is Mt Vernon my riding buddy Khuon posted some pictures of a ride we did near there last spring beautiful country

I did a search for the pics but couldn't find any... got any links? You got me thinking WA now!!! Just gotta find a job while I'm finishing up school. :D

Just gotta find a job while I'm finishing up school. :D

What type of work do you want to do while in school?

What type of work do you want to do while in school?

Could do many things.... I have been a bike mechanic for about 8 years (mostly fulltime, but now only on the side) and have been in the IT field for about 4+ years.

So I can do quite few things....

I don't mind physical labor either... heck it might even be nice to be outside sometimes instead of seen only the glow of these lights.. hahaha.

Didn't you just move to WA? from like NC or somethign like that? If so.. how you likin it so far? (or I'm thinking of somone else on here)

Could do many things.... I have been a bike mechanic for about 8 years (mostly fulltime, but now only on the side) and have been in the IT field for about 4+ years.

So I can do quite few things....

I don't mind physical labor either... heck it might even be nice to be outside sometimes instead of seen only the glow of these lights.. hahaha.

Didn't you just move to WA? from like NC or somethign like that? If so.. how you likin it so far? (or I'm thinking of somone else on here)

Sounds like you won't have any problems finding work in the Seattle area... there's tons of bike shops and even more places needing IT work.

Yes, I did just move to Renton (25 minutes southeast of Seattle). I moved from SC (where I'm currently working my last 2 weeks before going back to Renton permanently). I moved from Charleston, SC to be specific, where there is absolutely nothing close to mountains unless you drive 5 hours. I was in Seattle (downtown) for one week while looking for an apartment and then I spent one more week living in my new apartment (in Renton). I met some great people while there, the weather was awesome (cool and clear), and the trails are everywhere! Seattle is the closest thing to my perfect location to live (Bergen, Norway) and in some ways it is better because it doesn't get dark so early in the winter (2-3pm in Bergen). When I drove through Colorado I thought I would have an interesting drive with lots of nice views in the mountains, but I found it to be very dissapointing. There was lots of brown dirt, not many trees, and around Denver it was very flat and very smoggy. Personally, I love my new home!!!

Of all the cities you listed in washington I can think of at least one trail system within a half-hours drive. If you like riding among the trees then you won't like eastern WA as much. I've only biked in the Pasco area once but it was great. Love Yakima, the cowiche canyon is awesome. The trails in most of western WA get really muddy in the winter and spring and become unrideable sometimes.

I grew up in WA outside of Seattle. If you like a lot of ridin' in the rain, then that place is for you. The best snow is at Mt Baker, they have always had the best powder in the state. I would go to CO if it was my choice, there are more places to ride and a lot more places to hit the slopes.

slc -

I'd vote for MT Vernon out of those choices, too. I had to move from there (well, Anacortes) a little over a year ago due to a military transfer. There's is incredible riding in MT. Vernon (Walker Valley), Anacortes is a 20 minute drive (Anacortes Community Forest Lands - something like 50 miles of single track!!), Bellingham is 20 minutes or so (Galbraith Mt - considered a mini-North Shore), The actual North Shore of Vancouver is about an hour and a half from Mt. Vernon, The Tree Farm is about 15 mins south and has some absolutely incredible trails. Farther south, near Seattle is Tiger Mountain, Monte Cristo (not real technical, but a nice ride to an old mining town) and so many more I can't list them all here.

MT Vernon is very central to all these places. And, I can hook you up with my old riding group. Some fast guys, some slower guys. But a fun group that rides every Tuesday and Thursday all year 'round. Plus a Saturday AM road ride, the Seattle to Portland ride, Winthrop MT bike festival trips, etc.

Do I miss it up there? You betcha! And to add salt to the wound, I transferred to TX! The biggest hill here is my friggin' driveway! But... less than a year to go here. Sorry, got off track. MT Vernon. Just do it!

I did a search for the pics but couldn't find any... got any links? You got me thinking WA now!!! Just gotta find a job while I'm finishing up school. :D

Well it is time I best get around to posting a pic and some links. The first Link is some pics west of Mt Vernon on a ride me and Khuon did last spring with another friend

http://journals.neebu.net/khuon/archives/000138.html

The next link is some photos from a ride we did last August on the Kitsap Peninsula which is on the West Side of the Puget sound across fro, Seattle and Everett

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/gallery/kitsap_penn-20030824

By the way I am the one in the Red, White, and Blue jersey, Jake is in the Yellow and green one. The first town we stopped in was Port Gardner the second town is Poulsbo where we met a fellow Cascade Bike club member who was coming back from a weekend cycling trip. The last town is Kingston Were we enjoyed a couple of cold brew at one of the finer drinking Establishments then it was a quick ferry ride home That is Mt Ranier in one of the pics on the last page

The last link is a ride that we did in My Neighborhood from Mucklteo to Monroe with another riding buddy Bruce last July. (yes you also get a chance to see me change a couple of flats)

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/gallery/mukilteo-monroe



this picture below is what I will be looking aT at sometime tomorrow on my way from Everett WA to Acme, WA by Mt Baker. The pick has Mt Baker on the left and I believe it is the Twin Sisters Peak on the right. (not twin peaks thats North Bend)

Edit: correction the twin sisters is in the middle if you look carefully you can see the tip of it. I am not sure what mountain that is on the right

unfourtantly I do not have any MTB pics as of yet but as Skiahh said there is tons of MTB areas around Mt Vernon and it is a good central spot Galbrieth is supposed to be one of the best places in the state here is another link to our local MTB club here in Seattle check out the trails they list
http://www.bbtc.org/home/index.php

ngateguy, thanks for sharing your photos and stories! I really enjoyed them!

wouldn't it be prudent to base your decision moreso on what schools you're interested in rathar than the scenery of the state?

i agree. i think you could decide on some schools that meet the minimum requirements for outdoor oppotunities and then choose the school on other criteria. it's also important to consider the "attitude" of the school as to sports and whatnot...


1. Need great DH(lift access required) and general epic mtbing spots(for when I find the need to climb too)!
2. Need great snowboarding!(need powder, not wet snow/ice)
3. Job openings for during and after I completed school
4. Just over all cool attitude of living.

my personal criteria is similar, but to understand my bias:
1. great MTBing with climbs, lift acces NOT important
2. great snowboarding!(need powder, not wet snow/ice)
3. Job openings for during and after I completed school
4. Just over all cool attitude of living. --- for me that means laid-back, sporty, "earthy", liberal or whatever - basically not snotty, conservative, boring, close-minded or whatever... say the opposite of TA&M or Baylor (to use my own regional examples from my lame home-state --- i went to UT Austin the "liberal" school)

personally, i would say almost anything in WA, OR, ID, MO, UT, CO should be pretty good... when applying to grad school 3 years ago i was looking at UW, CU and UA (Tucson - snow sports not so good)...

some cool schools: UW (seattle), CU (boulder), Missula MT (UM i think), Bellingham WA (sorry forgot the school - WSU?)... OSU (Corvalis), UO (eugene), CSU (Fort Collins)... the other Montana state school... uh... MSU in... (geez, blanking, too lazy too look it up.. but it's SE of Missoula and near Wyoming/Tetons and seemed not as cool and further from mountains on my 1-day visit there) + UBC Vancouver --- various in Salt Lake (BrighamYoung+), but it's so conservative... and you might look at northen California...

i think if i were an undergrad again, CU, UW, UM, Bellingham and UBC would be my top choices...

oops... somehow i only read the first page and then posted so i skipped all the comments on pages 2 and 3... so i see you're not looking at "universities"... but whatever, maybe i wrote something relevant anyway...

So how does one say thanks to sooo many people? You guys have all given me GREAT info! I'm gonna have to take another trip to WA and just look around more! I wish I had more vacation time... cause I'd head out that way in a few weeks, I'm taking a vacation to CO and UT for snowboarding.... (gotta drive otherwise I'd fly out to WA if I had the extra cash)

It's looking like WA is gonna be the best spot to move... all though there is a little place in me that still wants CO cause I spent more time there threwout the years than in WA... so I'm more familiar with it... i think that's the only reason.

I have found links to Seatle Fire Dept. and that has helped alot! So now it's just time to go to school and get cranking! (oh and figure out how in the world I'm gonna afford all this).

Once again... thanks guys! All the info I am getting is sooooo freakin helpful!

slc -

One more thing. I know someone up there who I used to be in the Navy with who is now a Firefighter in Bothell, I think. He's also an avid biker, though more XC (even qualified for the 24 hour solo Nationals one year). If you decide for WA, I can put you in touch with him, too.

If I remember right, he said the Everett, WA fire department has the highest starting pay in the nation for fiirefighters.

slc -

One more thing. I know someone up there who I used to be in the Navy with who is now a Firefighter in Bothell, I think. He's also an avid biker, though more XC (even qualified for the 24 hour solo Nationals one year). If you decide for WA, I can put you in touch with him, too.

If I remember right, he said the Everett, WA fire department has the highest starting pay in the nation for fiirefighters.

Man I swear I think you guys can't get any better each time.. and then... things like this pop up... sheesh! Well tell you what.. right now everything is pointing to WA. I have some friends of my parents that live out there.. I'm gonna see if I can get in touch with them and maybe head out there.(and I'm gonna owe a bunch of you guys a beer or two) So between you guys and my canadian friend everyone is starting to convice me that WA is the place.

My only worry is that WA seemed a bit more suburbanized than CO... from the times I have been threw each state. Kinda thinkin it might be some what of a Chicago/suburbia but only in the mountains.. but there are to many people there that own something so everyone is shiety about being on their land.Are there lots of rural areas in WA that aren't to far from come kind of civilization? Or are those areas WAYYYY out there? And I guess if the POW isn't that great in the winter.. then whistler isn't that far away.

Are there trails out there that you can ride on for hours and hours? Cause here in IL the most I can get in my area is about 45 minutes - 1 hour of ride time and that's if I loop stuff together multiple times.(I'm sure that was a stupid question)

You are 3 hours from Vancouver North Shore...
You are 4 hours from Squamish
You are 5 hours from Whistler (dh heaven)

and I have heard good things about trails in WA...and wouldn't you be close to Oregon too...

Sounds like an easy decision to me :)

There are lots of places you can ride for hours and hours. Hell, just in Anacortes (30 mins from Mt. Vernon) you can ride endless non-repeating loops all day if you want.

As for the drive times, from MV, you're less than 2 from the North Shore, 4 from Whistler and about 1 to downtown Seattle. 3 hours, maybe less, over HWY 20 is Winthrop and some incredible riding on the east side of the mountains and another hour beyond that is Chelan. Haven't ridden there, but have flown over it and seen what look like incredible tracks.

Yes, most land is owned and if it says stay off, then you should. There's enough public land or land that the manager has opened up to the public (most of the trails around MV are multi-use including horses and ORVs/dirt bikes in addition to hikers and us) that you won't need to poach out there. On an aside, I've seen people whine about Gailbrath being logged and how they're destroying it and we (bikers who use it) should protest to put a stop to it. How idiotic! I mean, I agree it sucks and looks horrible and all, but IT'S THEIR LAND! They're kind enough to open it to bikers and even allow stunts and stuff despite liability issues. Complain or ride closed areas and they'll just shut it down altogether, and rightfully so. Sorry for the diversion - bottom line is there're so many miles of trails out there in WA, and especially so close to MV, that I think you'd be completely satisfied in anything you want to do. Oh yeah, several of the ski areas open lifts in the summer for bikes, too.

My only worry is that WA seemed a bit more suburbanized than CO... from the times I have been threw each state. Kinda thinkin it might be some what of a Chicago/suburbia but only in the mountains.. but there are to many people there that own something so everyone is shiety about being on their land.Are there lots of rural areas in WA that aren't to far from come kind of civilization?
well, i'm just answering based on my gut feeling...

but i think Washington is LESS suburbanized that CO. i think both have a very high amount of public land (national parks, national forest, state parks, BLM etc). and on the private land i think Washington is less "build suburbia" and "MY LAND" than Colorado - mostly as people are a little more environmentally friendly/liberal... (maybe it's my political bias, but i generally associate the "me my land" attitude with conservatives...) -- plus Washington tries to limit suburban sprawl a little more than "pro-growth Colorado"

as far as finding places to ride in Washington - should be easy. in additonal to public lands there are many logging areas that have tons of trails that you can ride and other than National Parks is reltively hard to find areas where you are NOT allowed to ride.

Yes, definitely go to Washington.

Colorado is flat, the people nasty and the mountains impenetrable.

The cities are overbuilt. Stay away!!

(Oh, and I shouldn't mention that at the specific direction of the voters every bit of the net Lottery proceeds - that is 100's of millions of dollars - goes to purchase and preserve open space and build trails, etc., and that there are tens of thousands of open space acres next to or right in the middle of the metro area - Cherry Creek State Park, Chatfield State Park, Barr Lake State Park, Aurora Plains Conversation Park, almost the entire 30 miles of the Platte River Greenway, regional parks, the Platte River Park in Littleton, Roxborough State Park, Castlewood Canyon State Park, Red Rocks, numerous Jefferson County, Boulder County, Douglas County and Denver County open space parks [voters have assessed them selves a special "open space" tax in these counties], - Deer Creek Canyon Open Space, the Arboretum at Chatfield and on and on). Shh!!

Yes, environment is a very low priority in Colorado.

Yes, definitely go to Washington.

Colorado is flat, the people nasty and the mountains impenetrable.

The cities are overbuilt. Stay away!!

(Oh, and I shouldn't mention that at the specific direction of the voters every bit of the net Lottery proceeds - that is 100's of millions of dollars - goes to purchase and preserve open space and build trails, etc., and that there are tens of thousands of open space acres next to or right in the middle of the metro area - Cherry Creek State Park, Chatfield State Park, Barr Lake State Park, Aurora Plains Conversation Park, almost the entire 30 miles of the Platte River Greenway, regional parks, the Platte River Park in Littleton, Roxborough State Park, Castlewood Canyon State Park, Red Rocks, numerous Jefferson County, Boulder County, Douglas County and Denver County open space parks [voters have assessed them selves a special "open space" tax in these counties], - Deer Creek Canyon Open Space, the Arboretum at Chatfield and on and on). Shh!!

Yes, environment is a very low priority in Colorado.

Ok no Colorado... since it's flat.. man what was I thinking, I must have been on good drugs when I saw mountains there. And what was the second part? Hell I don't even remember what you typed. Glad to hear CO residents have hardly any respect for the land. ;)

Oh and since you are telling me not to move there... wouldn't you want someone like me there to help take care of and protect the environment that you have in CO? (I'm going to be a FireFighter/Wildland Fire Fighter)?