Review: We were invited to try this newly maintained and signed approx. 3 mile singletrack trail this week and we found it to be a lot of fun. Won't appeal to the speedsters, but it had many log rideovers that were expertly done and safe to ride. Tight turns and climbs and divedown hills were great to ride. There are several bridges over drainage creeks that added character to the trail. Tentative plans to ride Tuesdays at noon weather permitting. Check out Van Buren MTB on Facebook for more info.

Similar Trail: Jermain Park in Toledo

Review: I've ridden this trail many times and like others have posted yes in comparison to alot of trails it is a very short 3.5 mile trail. However the trail maintenence has not been the best in the past it has been getting better. I personally agree with always getting a Trail map anywhere I go. To get to the trail head I would recommend Parking on the south side of the lake just off Township Road 229 near Shelter House 3 located at 41-07.942N and 083-37.922W. From there, ride out towards the bathrooms then along the tree line till you get to a gravel two track, turn right,Ride along this double track trail/road until you see the very evident and well-marked Scarlet Haw trailhead at 41-07.913N and 083-37.991W, Just Past the Scarlet Haw on the right is The acual Mountain bike trail Starting point When you get to the first T in the trail Go to the left (looks like it was marked on the ground at one time but is faded out)at the next intersection of trails Off to the right there is a Nice rolling Jump there up can play on but the trail acually continues straight at that point. There is Several log crossing on the trail with some bypasses. Can't build alot of speed more of a technical trail more geared toward the advanced riders but beginning riders would also enjoy this trail. Overall really nice trail. I noticed on the parks Trail map you can ride the other trails on the north side of the lake and on the east side off Township road 229 However the trail on the north side have a few trees down currently It would be nice to open those up as well..the trails on the east side of Township Road 229 are mainly walking and horse trails You can Ride them as well but would not recomend it (the horses have those tore up pretty good. You can try but may end up getting yanked off bike by the mud holes if its wet or get the fillings rattled out of your teeth if it's dry...LOL)

Similar Trail: Findley state park, Jermain park

Review: The main riding area is on the S side of lake. I only found a small piece of trail N of the lake. There are also equestrian trails E of twsh 228 shown on the Park map from their web sight. I agree mostly with the last review. of the trail I road Lakeshore/interpretive well maintained. They have options to drop in the gullies near the lake or cross up stream for easy ride. Coming off an injury it was a good place. lots of families around. All trails appear to be open to bikes, and hikers on bike trail. Some trails have big dead fall trees. Camping available.

Review: I've ridden nearly every mountain bike trail in Ohio and drove from Columbus to Van Buren to ride this one today but was sorely disappointed. Despite being in an Ohio State Park, the trails are poorly maintained and the blue blazed mountain bike trail is awkward to ride. There are too many tight turns to build sufficient speed to do the log ramps. The best part of this trail is that it's less than 10 minutes from I-75 to the trailhead. So here's what I would suggest to make the most of a visit to Van Buren State Park: Print out a trail map from the Ohio State Parks website. Park on the south side of the lake just off Township Road 229 near Shelter House 3 located at 41-07.942N and 083-37.922W. From there, ride out the driveway, turn right, and ride 50 yards to the main trailhead road at 41-07.864N and 083-37.872W. Ride along this double track trail/road until you see the very evident and well-marked Scarlet Haw trailhead at 41-07.913N and 083-37.991W and turn in there. The Scarlet Haw is one of five hiking trails that allows mountain bikes and from there to can connect to the other trails including the Blue mountain bike trail. I found the Lakeshore and the Interpretive (Nature) Trails to be the best-maintained with the best bridges and scenery. Follow these trails to the extreme western end of the lake to check out the dam and the south side of the spillway then dive down into the woods for a closer look. Ride the double track White Trail back to the parking lot. Next, ride north on Township Road about 100 yards to get across the water and turn in to this parking lot where you'll find the northern legs of the Interpretive and Lakeshore Trails that will take you all the way to the north side of the spillway. There's a nice S-bridge on this route. Finally, I would avoid the Pink (south), Red (north) and Yellow (north) trails because they are bridle trails. You are allowed to ride these trails, but your time would be better spent riding the Lakeshore and Interpretive Trails on both sides of the lake for more of what I would consider to be mountain bike riding.

Similar Trail: If I was in northwest Ohio and wanted a nice ride, then I'd ride along the Maumee River from Farnsworth through Bend View to Providence Metro Parks then go up to Sidecut Metro Park and explore the river.

Review: This was a fun and challenging trail. Some of the downhills to bridge crossings are very challenging and take a lot of skill and commitment. It consists of mostly technical riding. There are very few areas to get any speed and the log crossings break up the flow at times. Overall its a fun trail and I will be going back quite often.

Review: Not a bad place to ride after work or a quick morning ride. I found that almost all of the trails are multi-use trails, the trails on the lake side are mountain bike and hiking only. The horse use trails are torn up so bad in spots they are completely unridable after a small amount of rain. The trails on the MTB side are pretty well maintained except somebody thinks that you need a log pile every 100 yards. This makes riding here and maintaining any kind of speed or flow almost impossible. Overall I like riding here, just don't expect any epic climbs or white knuckle down hills.

Review: Great trail, sleep slopes and some up hills that will challenge the best of riders. some different trails to ride on, all are fun and are a great workout. Be careful of the mud holes, look like nothing but will put you on your b*** if not careful. They have worked some trees into the trail and some great technical parts also. couple of spots there are trees you have to go between, they are just wide enough for the handle bars so be careful. Great fun and a good workout too. Happy riding my friends:)

Similar Trail: nothing comes to mind

Review: Can a 3 mile trail suitable for beginners still be fun enough to keep advanced riders awake., I think this trail says yes. Just 2 miles off I-75. So if in the area give it a try and see if you agree. Trail is loaded with technical features of varying difficulty that are either on the side, or have a bypass. Although there are many miles of trail in the park that can be ridden, the "Blue Trail" is the MTB trail. (Ride clockwise) http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/vanburen/tabid/794/Default.aspx

* Review edited 4/16/2010