Banana Slug #4 - Butler Valley Loop

Banana Slug #4 - Butler Valley Loop

The ride will start promptly at 10:00 a.m. from Taylor Way in Blue Lake - The start/finish will be set up near the Mad Scramble Death Spiral just past Fish Brothers, 203 Taylor Way.

Route description The loop will be ridden counterclockwise to Arcata and up Fickle Hill Road with a "shortcut" through Arcata Community Forest as an option. The ride is a bit shorter going this way, but don't let it fool you; the missing miles are made up for in elevation gain and gravel road goodness. This route is about 45 miles with around 5000 feet vertical gain. Road conditions vary from clean, smooth pavement to pot-holed, rough pavement, to loose, rocky, washboard gravel. Road bikes are not a great choice but very doable. If you "shortcut" through Arcata Community Forest, please keep in mind that the route is multi-user, two-way, and it is the weekend. Save the race pace for the Fickle Hill Climbs once you exit the woods!

Strava Route - no shortcut

Google Maps Route - no shortcut

Ride with GPS Route - shortcut through ACF

As always, we require you be a member of RCMBA to participate. Annual memberships are $39 or you can join on a monthly basis for $5/month. To join, go to our website home page www.redwoodcoastmtb.org and scroll to the bottom and click on the JOIN RCMBA link. It will take you to International Mountain Bicycling Association JOIN page as we are a chapter of IMBA. After entering your information you will be presented with a pull-down menu; select Redwood Coast Mountain Bike Association.