Banner Forest is a one square mile park that offers over 20 miles of tight and twisty cross country mountain bike trails. Despite the small size of the park, Banner Forrest packs a punch, the trails are densely packed and pretty fun. The mountain bike trails at Banner Forest are all cross country style, there are not any machine built flow, or jump trails here. Check out 360 Park in Gig Harbor for that style of riding. For mountain bikers on the Kitsap Peninsula, Banner forest is an awesome local riding destination.
   

Total  Distance	20 Miles	Difficulty	Beginner, Intermediate
		Style	XC

   

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The mountain bike trails at Banner Forest form a tight web, weaving throughout the park. There is good signage on the main trails, too. While it may feel easy to get turned around with all of the twisty trails, the park is small, so it’s hard to get lost in a bad way. In fact, getting “lost” in the Banner Forest mountain bike trail system is probably the best way to explore the area. An access road runs in a “U” shape through the park with its ends on the north and south end of the park. There are not a lot of hills in the park, so the trails are mostly flat. Mountain bikers of all ability level will be able to enjoy Banner Forrest. There are some technical sections, but overall the cross country style of these trails makes them approachable for all.

Some of the best trails at Banner Forest are:

• Wired Brain - Fun and twisty single track, with some elevation change. Located in the southeast corner.
• Capitulate - Tight turns and some log skinnies. Located in the southeast corner.
• Wormhole - Longer singletrack riding. Located in the southeast corner.
• Curveball into Mish Mash - Curveball is high speed riding and Mish Mash is one of the longer trails at Banner Forest. These trails are on the north side of the area.
• Oakland & San Francisco Loops - These loops have some of the best elevation change at Banner Forest. They’re located in the southwest corner of the area.

From Tacoma and the south, exit Highway 16 for Mullenix Road turning right. After about two and half miles turn left on Olalla Valley Road which is one of the border of the park. The main Parking lot is off of Banner Road at the northeast corner. There is also parking off of Olalla Valley Road.
 

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As is typical in Washington, the mountain bike trails at the Banner Forest are wet in the winter and dry in the summer. The trails that are more central in the park tend to drain more slowly than those on the exterior. Avoid these central trails after rain storms, and stick to the well-draining exterior trails.
 

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