Empress Mountain Trail
- 3.1 mi
- round trip
- 2,067 ft
- climb
- Mixed
- surface
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Empress Mountain Trail is a mountain biking route in Washington, about 20 miles from the town of Port Crescent. It is an out-and-back ride of roughly 6 miles, with a total elevation gain of about 2,067 feet. The trail starts and ends at about 1,243 feet, and the high point is around 1,944 feet. The climb is rated easy, and the steepest stretch comes at about 2.7 miles in, where the grade reaches about 21%. Summer is the most comfortable time to ride. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July and August highs in the mid-70s with only about five wet days a month, while winter brings highs in the low 40s and rain on most days. That station sits well below the trail, so temperatures on the route run cooler. Several other mountain biking routes lie within a few miles. Sheilds Lake Campsite Trail is about 1.6 miles away, Sooke Mountain Park Road about 1.8 miles, and Croutons and Willow each about 3 miles.
Local outfitters
- Elwha RV Park25 mi away
- Salish Trails Campground31 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit Empress Mountain Trail
Best months: May–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
41° / 33°
18 wet
Feb
44° / 33°
16 wet
Mar
50° / 35°
17 wet
Apr
56° / 38°
14 wet
May
63° / 43°
12 wet
Jun
67° / 47°
9 wet
Jul
74° / 51°
5 wet
Aug
75° / 52°
5 wet
Sep
68° / 48°
8 wet
Oct
56° / 42°
15 wet
Nov
46° / 36°
18 wet
Dec
41° / 33°
19 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Elwha Rs, WA, 30.7 mi away at 360 ft. The station sits about 1,600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more rides worth the drive
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Canada Cup Trail
~13 min drive
An out-and-back mountain bike trail in British Columbia, Canada.
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Sheilds Lake Campsite Trail
~3 min drive
0.16-mile easy gravel road trail in Washington with 7 ft of elevation gain.
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Croutons
~5 min drive
0.29-mile out-and-back trail in Washington with 121 ft of elevation gain.
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Canada Cup Trail
~13 min drive
0.44-mile out-and-back singletrack in Washington with 19 ft of elevation gain
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Hey Darryl
~18 min drive
0.3 mi · Expert
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Swipe Right
~20 min drive
Hard singletrack out-and-back in Washington, 0.38 miles with 449 ft gain.
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Sooke Mountain Park Road
~3 min drive
1.24-mile out-and-back gravel road in Washington with 129 ft of elevation gain.
RIDE
Willow
~5 min drive
0.56-mile out-and-back gravel trail in Washington with 181 ft of elevation gain.
RIDE
Hwy.1
~15 min drive
0.25-mile out-and-back trail in Washington with 131 ft elevation gain.
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Quimper Connector
~5 min drive
A 0.7-mile mountain bike trail in British Columbia, Canada.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
