August 1, 2016
Review: I really liked Lebanon Hills. I had never ridden it before, and had always shot up to Cuyuna for riding so I thought I'd be a bit underwhelmed with Lebanon - not the case.
Pros:
- Great place to practice drops, rockgardens, and log jumping.
-Well packed dirt made for fast riding and enabled tight, fast turns without much slip.
-Great facility at the trailhead with water, bathrooms, tools, pumps, picnic tables under shade, etc.
-Good trail layout and design. I Like that the most technical terrain is located in the core of the park, allowing intermediate roders to stick to the outer trails and do a fun loop all the way around, without having to check the map every 5 minutes to ensure you don't get stuck in a spot thats above your ability.
-The skills park is pretty cool on the way out.
Cons:
-Lebanon Hills is a much larger regional park. Be sure to park at the correct trailhead as the trails leaving the other trail heads are for hiking only.
-Not as large as Cuyuna, but hey, still cool.
-Almost no loose rock to scramble through - although plenty of half buried rock to play on.
All in all, a pretty great trail system. My new 2nd favorite in MN. I will go to Lebanon for honing my drops, jumps, rock and log hopping and I will go to Cuyuna for more of a weekend adventure, all day riding, and flow factor.