A Hit-The-Trails Book For Bikers

“The Mountain Biker’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest,” by Laurie and Chris Leman (Falcon Press, telephone 800-582-2665, $14.95).

Mountain bikers with a car-top rack and a yen to travel through Washington and Oregon will find years of adventure in this book.

“We rode over 100 trails to come up with the 82 rides,” said Laurie Leman, who lives with her husband, Chris, in Ketchum, Idaho.

Each ride is presented with a detailed description, photo and a helpful map.

The couple already had written a mountain biking guide to Southern California, so they knew how to tap Forest Service and other public land agencies for information that would narrow the search. But they still had to make three field trips - six to eight weeks at a shot - to do the research.

The book includes 47 rides in Oregon and 35 in Washington, including five in the Methow Valley, five in the Colville National Forest and two near Spokane.

“We found Forest Service people to be quite receptive to mountain bikes,” Leman said. “They realize the bikes are there, and are open to finding ways to share their trails.”

, DataTimes