readers trails

[jeffhop]

i read a post a few weeks ago and someone asked wouldnt it be cool if we could see where everyone is riding so i thought id start a thread on the subject (as im a nosey old git!!) anyway i live in the north east of england and my local trails are in hamsterley forest, if any uk based riders have been up here im sure you will agree that its a fairly good place to ride, but its getting better and is well worth a visit for anyone thinking of a weekend away in good old england. have a look at the website and let me know what you think

http://www.hamsterley-trailblazers.co.uk/

[shovelon]

  I ride in the good ole' Santa Susanna Mountains of SoCal. The area is most famous as the hidout of the Mexican bandit Pancho Villa. And the rancho where Charles Manson(Leader of the cult that murdered several people close to Hollywood in the 70"s) hung out.

 Also ride in the Sant Monica coastal mountains above Malibu.



Terry

[bikendan]

i used to live in ventura county, california and rode in the santa monica mountains, cheseboro canyon and sycamore canyon.
but i now live in napa, california, former home of one of the world cup races. i ride the skyline park where the race was held, (it's right in my backyard). i also ride in angwin, annadel state park and china camp state park. these are all within 30 minutes of home. and annadel is one of the best state parks for mountain biking.

[Simon]

I mainly ride at The Queen Elizabeth Country Park
which has 2 dedicated mtb trails,one expert track and the other a family friendly track and the park is only a short ride from my house,
I also ride on the south downs way which is also a short ride to link up with,this trail is approx 100 miles long and starts from the city of Winchester and finishes at Eastbourne,mainly I only ride parts of it but this year I intend to ride the whole trail,this is normally done over a 2 day period,Sprucey has completed this ride more than once,
I also ride occasionally a local trail called the Hangers which is basically an ancient right of way (bit like the southdowns on a much smaller scale),
another ride is a short drive away called the Devils Punch Bowl,which is just a very large hole shaped like a bowl, within it are many trails amongst the trees and vegetation,not a bad ride for just going some where different,  
We intend to hopefully get some rides in a bit further a field this year and hope to visit some trails in Wales,
Simon.

[shovelon]

Hey Bikendan,

I ride Sycamore as often as I can. Twice a year or so we take the RV to camp at the campgrounds and bike all weekend. The Guadalasca-Backbone loop is killer. I ride Cheseboro maybe twice a year, not as much when it is hot. Been doing Mount Wilson lately, and Redbox to JPL. Done it?

Cougars are high in the mountains now, but are numerous, watch out. Tracks everywhere.

Simon, we have a "Devil's Punchbowl" in the Angeles National Forest also. Although I have never been there I have heard it an awesome site. Will have to go.

Jeff, UK sounds awsome!

Terry

[Dennis]

Hi,

Please everyone, tell us what state/region and what country you live/ride in. I, for  one, am not into guessing. Having said that, I think this is a great thread. I am fascinated by all the different places we ride in.

As for me, I live on an island, Long Island, to be exact. It is a long island. It is part of New York State, USA, and where I live, on the north shore, is about 30-40 miles east of New York City.

Believe it or not, the north shore is quite hilly and there are plenty of woods left. I mainly ride two trails. One is called the Nassau-Suffolk (its on the border of these two counties) Green Belt Trail. It runs North-South and goes from the north shore of LI to the south shore. along the way, one has to cross a couple of major roads/highways, but the riding is good. all narrow, winding single track. the southern end of the trail is basically flat and goes through some meadows (old farmland), through a park (Bethpage State Park), but it is constantly winding so is challenging that way. The northern is extremely hilly and rooty, winding, singletrack through trees. its easy to catch a handlebar on a tree on most parts of the trails around here. The down and back trip is around 20 miles (I usually ride to the state park, sit down at a picnic table and eat lunch.)

The other trail I ride most often is called the Stillwell Park Triangle Trail. This is a loop trail that is about 5miles around or so. It is very challenging and has whoops and steep uphills, down railroad tie steps and other such fun stuff. It has many personalities from hard pack to sand to a rock garden, and roots. It connects to the Green Belt so many times I ride almost the  loop, down to Bethpage park, and back up to finish the loop. that is about a 25 mile ride altogether. Further east on LI, ( I live about halfway out) there is another loop trail that many people ride. It is called the Rocky Point Trail and is in a state park. It is a 20 mile loop. I haven't ridden there since it is about an hour away, and the other trails are only 5 minutes by car from my condo.

I have also ridden in Connecticut, Vermont, Washington State, and Baja California (Mexico). However, I guess I am used to tight singletrack through trees and so I actually prefer riding here on LI, although I would like to visit and ride the many different places where you guys ride.

Looking forward to reading more of these posts. It would be great if we posted a pic of these places. I promise to take a pic or two soon and will post them soon.

[smiley=groucho.gif]

[shovelon]

My location is about 10 miles northwest of Los Angeles, California. I live in the San Fernando Valley(same place as the Northridge earthquake of 1994). The Santa Susanna Mtn. range has my favorite trail system. Chumash trail to Rocky peak road, to Hummingbird trail, swinging behind the Jewish cemetary back to Chumash. This 10 mile loop is about a 15 minute drive from my home.

Sycamore Canyon takes me about 30 minutes to get to. I have to pass the Ronald Reagan presidential Library along the way.

Mount Wilson trail system is about 40 minutes in the other direction passing through Pasadena California. Mount Wilson is home to an observatory, but is most busy as the location for television, radio, and satilite relay transmitters above Burbank and Hollywood.

Terry

[Carbon_Angus]

i honestly ride my road bike 80% of the time just around the "neighborhood".  there are some very good places for mtn bikiing but I just seem to pull the 5200 out of the garage more than the others.

http://www.pebblebeach.com/page.asp?id=1241

[smiley=beer.gif]

[Carbonman1]

I live in the East Bay communtiy of Richmond, California (San Francisco Bay Area).  I read somewhere that your favorite trail is the one you ride the most.  I ride about a half of a mile to one of the many trailheads of the East Bay Parks system.  There are endless miles of interconnected fire roads and occaisonal double tracks located in various regional parks that follow the ridgelines of the East Bay hills.  I ride them often.  It is hard to believe that so much uncrowded riding is available so close to a major population center.  I can put together loops of 15-30 miles to suit my mood.  Further to the east is 3800' Mount Diablo which can be brutal.  I also frequent China Camp State Park (30 min. away).  Then there is Tamarancho (Boy Scouts fee trail) which is awesome.   There is always Mount Tamalpais and the Marin Headlands if I want to deal with self righteous hikers.  Enough to wring out my K2's....

[Dennis]

Carbon Angus,

thanks for including a link to your area (as a couple others have done) and for being honest about your ratio of road to offroad riding. I too do the majority of riding onroad. currently, I am road riding on the weekends, and then offroad during the week when I am able, maybe 1 or 2 days a week. I like to ride on road when there are fewer cars on the road (weekend mornings) and off road when there are fewer riders on the trails (early weekday afternoons).

here is a link to the local mountain bike club. this website also includes trail maps for the major trails here on LI.

I am fascinated by this thread.

http://www.climbonline.org

[smiley=groucho.gif]

[Mr.Ed]

 I live in the Carson Valley, Nevada. Which means we all hit the trails down here in the valley during the winter and spring. When I ride to work, I have been known to hit the trails on the way home. The closest to my house is about 3 minutes, by bike.

When the weather gets warmer and snow in the mountains melts, I can be found riding the trails around Lake Tahoe. Kingsbury to Spooner ( the bench ride ), is probably the most popular. but I also like Big meadow, to Round lake, to Dardenelles Lake, to Christmas Valley.

Countless miles and trails to chose from, just depends on the mood, and how technical I feel like riding.



Ed

[will]

As a frequent traveller, this is the best thread yet! As you all know, it's tricky to show up somewhere with an MTB outfit and get decent trail information from "civilians."

("Jethro, didja see that feller ridin the woodsbike with short pants?")

I ride mostly in the pineywoods of East Texas. We've got the Tyler State Park with 13 miles of singletrack. It's a little technical in some areas and has some 300' elevation changes. (Not quite like back home in New England, but decent.) There are other secret trails, but seem to be turning into golf courses and "luxury homes" at an alarming rate. When will it stop?

I often ride in the Ouachita mountains of Eastern Oklahoma/Western Arkansas. (Part of the job... ) The Fort Smith area is full of scary singletrack characterized by steep hills and football sized rocks. Many of the trails are near suburban areas for great access. There are also genuine wilderness trails in the Winding Stair National Monument. (Very remote. Don't get hurt!)

The 856 is great for East Texas, but may be a little overmatched in Arkansas. At least until I "Simonize" it!

Looking forward to some more Colorado and Arizona trips this summer/fall.

[thomas]

I live in Orem, UT about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City.  The snow capped Rocky Mountains are in my back yard and the rich red desert is about 3 1/2 hour drive away.  If you haven't seen this web site www.utahmountainbiking.com check it out.  It has a fix it, first aid, trails, maps, and even videos.  The site is free and packed with info.

[Carbon_Angus]

Carbon Angus,

thanks for including a link to your area (as a couple others have done) and for being honest about your ratio of road to offroad riding. I too do the majority of riding onroad. currently, I am road riding on the weekends, and then offroad during the week when I am able, maybe 1 or 2 days a week. I like to ride on road when there are fewer cars on the road (weekend mornings) and off road when there are fewer riders on the trails (early weekday afternoons).

here is a link to the local mountain bike club. this website also includes trail maps for the major trails here on LI.

I am fascinated by this thread.

http://www.climbonline.org

[smiley=groucho.gif]

which county are you in i have a non riding bud who lives areound the Babylon area,  he'd tell me some horrific traffic stories about getting into and out of NYC at times. i used to ride a ton on my mtn bike...when the kids were younger and my life was simpler..maybe again someday. the road bike gets out to ride, but the hardtail is my to-the-beach-bike...the Oz is for trail stuff..now just more into fitness and recreational riding.  might take up surfing...might [smiley=laughing.gif]

[smiley=beer.gif]

[Dennis]

Carbon,

I live in Suffolk County, but right near the border with Nassau County. Babylon is quite near where I live. Thankfully, I work about 15  minutes by car from where I live. No NYC for me. I can hardly remember the last time I went in there. The traffic is horrendous!! so much so, that when I leave the island (which is quite often) I go east to Port Jefferson to take the ferry across the Sound to Bridgeport, CT.  A much more civilized way to travel. Plus, I get a little over an hour to grade papers and have a bite to eat while on the ferry.

Go Surfing!!! I used to surf when I was in hs (LI surf is fairly small, but still fun). Quite a few years ago I got into windsurfing and do that when I am not out sailing big boats or riding bikes. I even built my own windsurf board which I still use. It is really cool to sail on something I designed and built (made).

have a great day.
[smiley=groucho.gif]