Summit Ridge Trails joins Black Diamond Open Space near Lake Sawyer. It holds 29 mixed-use trails totaling 9 miles outside the natural area. Meanwhile, Flaming Geyser State Park by Green River Gorge is near the south.
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Summit Ridge at a Glance
Access: Maple Valley Black Diamond Road (trail map)
Round Trip: 6.2 miles
Elevation Range: 600′-680′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Hopeful
Real Life Church Property
This newer biking area is an offshoot of Black Diamond Open Space. Since Real Life Church owns the property, the trails took on religion-themed names. Because it was all forest, the place didn’t feel open like the others.
Despite the alluring name Summit Ridge, trails never went through a “crest” per se. The upper road in the northeast also avoided the tiny mound from the south. The elevation range was about 100′, with the lowest point in the northwest.
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Through the Secluded Open Space
Other than exercising, there wasn’t much to the hike. But the place did offer constant tree views and birds chirping throughout. En route were small stagnant pools and several creek beds, but only one had a running stream.
Like other open spaces, I linked many trails to get the most distance. From the southwest entrance, I worked my way clockwise. Then I went through Redemption, Salvation, and Holy Roller, to the most twisty trails inside Tribulation.
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Leaving Summit Ridge Trails
There wasn’t an outer path to bypass the inner trails in case of congestion. Many extended one-ways required some time to exit the other end. Tribulation had the most technical bike tracks, which also took the longest to finish.
It’s amazing how many trails had crammed into a small space. Perhaps it was the rainy outlook, but I didn’t cross paths with others. But I heard bikers grunting, and people spoke in a murmur as I lazied down Real Life Road.
See more trip photos here.