I mountain bike Devil’s Creek as much as any trail on the Kenai because 1) it’s a great ride in and of itself, and 2) it’s a great access to other rides!  Climbing Devil’s allows a descent down Resurrection to Cooper Landing, down Resurrection to Hope, or to the Summit Creek Trail to Summit Lake.  It’s also a great trail to mountain bike as an out-and-back because (the first 1.5 miles notwithstanding) it’s all climb or all descent!

The first 1.5 miles of the trail descend out of the parking lot to a bridge and river crossing, and then continue cross country for a bit.  Once the climbing starts, it’s somewhat steep with 2 particularly challenging switchbacks, but then it mellows out for a slow and steady climb to the pass.  There are many creek crossings without bridges so it’s a bit of hard ride to keep dry feet for, but they’re all doable.  The trail is very rideable though there are some rock sections at the top that offer moderate technical challenge.

The second switchback – totally rideable but steeper than it looks!

Typical section climbing out of a creek crossing

Amazing the difference in color by season!

Nice gradual climbing with plenty of flat-ish recovery sections make this ride a joy (and slow the descent down a bit!)

Plenty of stream crossings . . . much nicer in the warmth of summer than the chill of fall for sure!

The rocky and somewhat tech section near the top

It’s a solid 2 hour climb to the pass and lake . . . there’s a sign to tell you that you’ve reached the actual pass because you’d never know it without the notification (just seems like a flat valley).  It’s worth continuing on around the corner to the lakes and onto the cabin if you’re interestsed in looking down the Resurrection Trail in any direction.

Top of the climb – pass is just ahead . . .

It’s definitely worth riding around to the lake!

If I want to swim, I generally do it from the point that crops out in this photo 🙂

The descent is consistently down and super fun, though not a fast downhill in the sense of downhills . . . what makes it really climbable makes it a somewhat slow descent (by descending standards).  It’s more Seward-side of Lost Lake than Primrose side!  While the trail remains an okay climb, it can get a bit overgrown mid-summer to make for a good descent.

Overall, mountain biking Devil’s Creek is a must-do ride on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula!

If you like this trail report, check out the full guide to Alaska biking here!