Sundown Cutoff
- 0.2 mi
- round trip
- 101 ft
- climb
- Singletrack
- surface
- Out and back
- route
- Mar–Jun, Sep–Oct
- best months
Sundown Cutoff is a short, easy mountain biking route in Hells Gate State Park in Washington, managed by State Park and Recreation. The trail is an out-and-back that covers about 0.36 miles, with a total elevation gain of 101 feet. The climb is back-loaded, with the steepest stretch at about 0.07 miles in, and the route reaches a high point of 878 feet before returning to its low point of 812 feet. The most comfortable months for a ride are typically late spring and early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Lewiston, Idaho, show May highs around 72°F and September highs around 79°F, while July and August average highs near 90°F. Dogs are allowed on this route. The trail sits within Hells Gate State Park, and several other mountain biking routes lie close by, including Endurance and Old Billy. Climbers can find the Hells Gate climbing area about a mile away.
Best time to go · Mar–Jun, Sep–Oct
Best time to visit Sundown Cutoff
Best months: March–June and September–October. 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
42° / 30°
11 wet
Feb
47° / 32°
10 wet
Mar
55° / 36°
12 wet
Apr
62° / 41°
11 wet
May
72° / 48°
11 wet
Jun
79° / 54°
8 wet
Jul
91° / 61°
5 wet
Aug
90° / 60°
3 wet
Sep
79° / 52°
5 wet
Oct
63° / 42°
8 wet
Nov
49° / 34°
11 wet
Dec
41° / 29°
11 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lewiston Nez Perce Co Ap, ID, 2.4 mi away at 1,436 ft. The station sits about 600 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more rides worth the drive
RIDE
Endurence Cutoff
Next door
0.14-mile easy singletrack in Washington state park with 10 ft gain.
RIDE
Endurance
Next door
1.03-mile moderate singletrack out-and-back in Washington with 255 ft elevation gain.
RIDE
Devil's Slide
~2 min drive
0.61-mile out-and-back singletrack in Washington's state park system, 645 ft gain, rated black diamond / difficult
RIDE
Old Billy
Next door
0.61-mile easy out-and-back trail in Washington with 13 ft of elevation gain.
RIDE
Gunpowder Ridge
Next door
0.83-mile moderate singletrack out-and-back with 46 ft gain in Washington
RIDE
Kip's Cutoff
~2 min drive
Hard singletrack trail in Washington, 0.18 miles with 178 ft elevation gain.
RIDE
Griffin's Cutoff
Next door
0.30-mile out-and-back singletrack in Washington with 7 ft elevation gain.
RIDE
The Rollers
Next door
0.82-mile singletrack out-and-back in Washington with 411 ft elevation gain.
RIDE
Bypass
~2 min drive
0.12-mile out-and-back singletrack in Washington rated difficult / black diamond.
RIDE
River Run
Next door
0.54-mile easy singletrack in Washington with 156 ft elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
