Pacific Northwest - Bellevue Holiday

Hey everyone, i'll be spending the holidays in Bellevue and wanted to get some riding done. I do mountain biking, would you have any suggestions where I can do trails? Also i'm planning to check out Bike Works 2nd hand store maybe I can get a deal there. Anybody here familiar with their price range or would anybody here know of anyone selling their bike cheap? Also i've read about I-5 Colonnade, is it a good spot?

Hope to hear from you guys! Cheers!

You might check out this site for trails to ride

http://evergreenmtb.org/home/index.php

There is also the John Wayne trail/Iron Horse State park that starts just outside of North Bend. As well as the Snoqualimie Valley trail.

Hope you enjoy your stay here

St. Edwards St. Park
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Saint%20Edward

Specifically, check out the Evergreen Trail wiki:

http://evergreenmtb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

St. Ed's is a fine place to ride, but can get crowded, and some of the best trail combinations are a little tough to find if you don't know the area. Other places to check out (see the Evergreen Trail wiki entries):

Tokul East
Tokul West
Griffin Creek
Tolt MacDonald
Tapeworm
Willows
Grand Ridge
Lake Sawyer
Cherry Valley

There are all within an hour drive of Bellevue. If you want to drive further, there is Galbraith Mountain in Bellingham (well worth the drive!), Anacortes Community Forest in Anacortes and Banner Forest on the Kitsap Penninsula (fun to take the ferry over, ride your bike onto the ferry, about 3.5 mile ride to the trails).

If you want a ride partner, you might post onto the Evergreen Yahoo Group (http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/bbtcmembers/messages) or look at the ride calendar on the Evergreen website. Non-members are welcome to join rides, you just need to register on the website (it's free) and sign up so that the ride leader knows you are coming.

Have a great time!

[add on edit: Definitly check out Colonnade if you have time. It's more of a skills-building type of place, but you'll be amazed how much is packed into a small space under the freeway!]

Also i'm planning to check out Bike Works 2nd hand store maybe I can get a deal there. Anybody here familiar with their price range or would anybody here know of anyone selling their bike cheap?

Bikeworks is a wonderful community asset but their bike selection isn't large. You should call in advance.

You can find a bigger used bike selection at Recycled Cycles, near the University of Washington.

However, in my experience, the *best* used bike store in Seattle is Seattle Craigslist. If you're willing to deal with the whole "Craigslist experience," there are tons of used MTBs on there every week.

Good luck!

not really convenient to chase craigs list deals when you are just here on vacation....

Thanks guys for the replies. I actually checked out Craig's list and the bikes posted are pretty interesting.

Also will do post on the Evergreen Yahoo Group as soon as I get my plans sorted.

I'm looking forward to a great biking experience in Seattle.

Cheers!