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Van Buren Mountain Bike Trail
Findlay, Ohio
MTB TRAIL STATS
Avg Rating:   |
5 trail reviews |
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Status: updated 2/6/12 by oneeyeredeye |
Difficulty:  Intermediate |
| Length: 10 miles | Global Rank: #2065 |
| Tread: Singletrack | Configuration: Network |
| Ridden: 7 | Wishlist: 3 |
| Avg. Speed: 5.58 mph | Avg. Time: 0hr 43min |
| Elevation Gain/Loss: +156/-131 ft |
Directions
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Description: Steep slopes, soft dirty and few logs in the way.
To view directions to Van Buren mountain bike trail, please login. If you don't have an account, sign up for a free account - it only takes a minute.
Description: Steep slopes, soft dirty and few logs in the way.
added on September 25, 2009 by 
TRAIL REVIEWS review this trail
reviewed by Trail_Jogger on October 7, 2011
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.
reviewed by jkrout on September 6, 2011
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.
reviewed by Headshok88 on August 8, 2010
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.
reviewed by mattox09 on May 26, 2010
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
reviewed by RoadWarrior on April 15, 2010
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
