The Sinks Trail is a secret gem hidden away in the backwoods of the Blue Mountains. It is named after the sunken ground that it skirts on the bottom end of the trail, which is a special area held sacred by the Native American tribes. When you visit and ride this trail, you will respect it too.
From the bottom, the trail meanders through the woods at a very manageable incline, but the return is a ripping descent. It is one of the most fantastic downhill rides anywhere. The only real drawback of this trail is that you will wish it was twice as long, but in reality it is so good you'll want to do it twice.
The bottom and top are easily accessed from National Forest Rd. 63 (the top via spur road 030), which makes it a perfect trail to shuttle people to either end. The trailhead is marked with a sign on Rd. 63 where you can park at a green gate, unload, and ride around it to find the trailhead just down the closed road. It would be a good singletrack practice ground for beginners or a family trip. With Jubilee Lake nearby, there can be fun in addition to the riding.
The top of the trail has no distinction. You just emerge at an opening where the trail splinters off in a few directions. You should turn around and ride it straight back down, but if you want to cross Mottet Creek (dry later in the year), you can find the spur road that cuts straight over to Rd. 63. At this point, you are only about a mile from Jubilee Lake, which can be accessed by continuing straight up the mountain on an old road. The road crests over the top and finds a singletrack that puts you down at the Jubilee Lake Perimeter Trail, right at a rope swing. Bikes are not allowed on the lake trail. The Forest Service indicates there are future plans to continue the trail up to Jubilee Lake to establish a new trailhead.
The top of this trail can connect to the Rough Fork Trail via Jubilee Lake (as described above). The Rough Fork Trail provides access the South Fork Trail of the Walla Walla River. See the connector description and map for more information.
From Sinks Trail, you can also connect over to the Eagle Ridge Trail at Luger Springs.
