What are some favorite routes in the area? I'd like to get over there more but have only ridden Chickamin Tie/Upper Chick Tie up to Mad River and also Basalt.
The full Alder Ridge descent looks tasty, at least on a topo map it does.
Early season, up Minnow Ridge, return by Chickamin Creek, is a nice little loop. Later on, there are so many options. Everything over there is condition dependent. Alder Ridge is a very direct route up, personally I'd rather descend Chick Tie though, mostly due to scenery and variety. A few routes I've done over the years:
Alder ridge to Mad Lake out and back
Upper Chick tie TH to Klone Peak, two little lakes, Mad River trail, back via Chick tie
Borneo's classic Fall 5000: a loop involving Maverick saddle, Mad River trail to Mad lake, Chick tie, Minnow Ridge, and theoretically (because every time I've tried, by this point it was dark and we finished on the road), lower chiwawa to whereever you started.
Alder ridge to mad river trail to lost lake and back on mad river.
From Maverick Saddle, up mad river, up Jimmy Creek to Cougar mountain, then to Klone via Hunters, Middle Tommy and blue creek, and back via mad river.
If you're Igor, any of the routes to Klone, then do the middle tommy descent to the entiat side and come back up north tommy.
IMO, the best way to make loops up there is to look for lesser used trails. Mad River just gets pounded from motos and Alder Ridge almost as much. They turn into dusty, whooped out trenches by late summer. Hitting the area after some precip and avoiding the heaviest use trails makes the experience a lot better.
