LEAVENWORTH — Stevens Pass Bike Park announced dates for a soft public opening: Oct. 1 and 2.

Two trails are ready for riding: An advanced single track and a wider intermediate trail. The intermediate flow trail is only finished until about mid-mountain, where bikers will ride a service road down to the lift.

“The trails are still pretty soft,” said Stevens Pass spokesman Chris Rudolph. “People need to be prepared for an experience that’s more natural and raw, rather than something that’s completed, ridden and packed in.”

Operating hours and lift ticket prices are not yet final, but the bike park will likely open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for its first weekend. Lift tickets will be in the $20 range, Rudolph said. The park will release more details next week.

The Drop-in Alliance, a group of five-year season pass holders, will get an exclusive preview of the bike park this Saturday and on Sept. 24. Stevens Pass offered 200 memberships for $1,000 each last spring and sold out within two months.

Staff planned to open by Labor Day, but late snowmelt delayed progress.

“We started seven weeks behind and opened four weeks late,” Rudolph said. “We made up three weeks. We were building trails around the clock, and the crews worked 50-hour weeks instead of 40. They are pretty tired, but they’re stoked. They’re doing a good job.”

Rudolph said the staff is considering adding dates after Oct. 1 and 2, but it depends on the weather. In mid-October, winter begins to set in at Stevens Pass and the resort will start preparing for ski season. Crews must dismantle the bike lifts and wooden lift ramp before the snow.

In the meantime, trail construction will continue through opening weekend. As mountain bikers test the two open trails, crews will finish the intermediate flow trail and start a hand-built intermediate trail.

By 2013, the crews will finish a total of five trails, ending with a 3-mile beginner trail. The trails are expected to cost about $925,000, or $93,000 to $98,000 per mile.

Bike park staff posted a video of the new trails on their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/stevenspassbikepark, Tuesday evening.

Rudolph said he expects a crowd on opening weekend, from the Seattle area and North Central Washington. Mountain bikes are available for rent at Das Rad Haus in Leavenworth.

“The feedback we’ve been getting (on the trails) has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “People are super psyched about what we built, and they’re excited to see more.”

Rachel Hansen: 664-7139

hansen@wenatcheeworld.com