West Hartford Reservoir

Review: Great mix of trails ranging from intermediate to advanced. Plenty of tough hills to climb which makes for some long downhill singletracks. A few ramps and skinnys but mostly natural burms and rough terrain to challenge you on the steep sections.

Review: Stay on the blue trail (Metacomet) and you will not get lost but expect to see lots of jumps, drops, and techical features.

Review: I've been riding here about 20 years. I'm considered a local, and exploring the Rez through the years I have found some really good stuff to ride. Must climb to start from RT 4 parking. Pass Kilkenny Rock on top and look for a few ST to get you beyond the power lines. Much of the STs are old and not maintained-so lots of rocks, roots etc...but that's part of the charm here. Trails are not marked well, no decent map. Best way to experience the Rez is to get lost, knowing the area is bordered by Rt 4 WH, Old Mountain Rd Farmington, Deer Cliff Rd Avon, RT 44 WH, Mountain Rd WH. Power lines run north to south and I have always used them to orient myself when looking to get home before dinner! The Rez has always been underrated, particularly fun for the afterwork Ride in the Hartford area.

Similar Trail: Case Mtn

Review: Adding on to my last review there are not too many trail markers but once you see blue on the trees just follow it. you can get a trail guide at https://themdc.org/assets/uploads/files/Recreation/WHtrailsMapWeb_12_2013.pdf

 

Review: I have that map downloaded on my phone, I find it to be very helpful for navigating the more obscure trails at the res.

Review: This trail is is beautiful. The Rez has great xc, enduro shit, and even some great downhill that will challenge anyone. When you get to the top of the rez there is some tech XC riding, some good sized drops, but there can be a rough fire road climb to the top. On the way down there are some great jumps including a 8 foot boner jump, and a huge 10-15 foot step down. The blue trail AKA metacomet downhill part is amazing and any rider can ride it but there is endless speed you can ride it with. once down the blue trail, you can enter the playground. This is a great area to improve jumping skills, but the first jump is high risk and low reward. I have done it many times but but a couple times have gone wrong. When you get back into the paved road area off of canal road there are some smaller trails that are just great for and person with any amount of experience. I have been riding the Rez for 3 years now and there is a reason I do not leave that much. I ride a trail hard tail, my friend rides and 160mm enduro bike, and one of my other friends even rides a Santa Cruz V10 and just sessions the downhills. Anyone can ride this place and have a ton of fun...Hope to see you out there

Similar Trail: penwood state park

Review: Fun place to ride if you live locally...I can bike to the trail in about ten minutes, so I find myself here often. With that being said, it's not a place I'd drive more than 15-20 minutes to ride at. The trails seem like they aren't really maintained, no trail markers, and the riding lacks a lot of technical features or drops. Don't get me wrong--the Res is fun, there are just much better places to ride in the greater Hartford area

Review: An interesting place to ride. Would benefit from markers and well designed trail map, but worth exploring if you have time.

Similar Trail: Nepaug

Review: I've been biking here for about 4 years. If you don't know where you are going and you wander too far out, you will get lost. The are no signs, and all online maps are crap. Once you figure out where to look for good ST, its great. There is a good outer loop which is about 8-9 miles. Go with someone who knows the area. Som good drop offs, cool roc features, logs, jumps, skinnys, rock gardens, steep climbs. A little bit of everything. There is even a fun downhill section with a few jumps and a drop off and a little skills park area with a bunch of manmade features. Good for about a 1 1/2 hour ride. For a good portion of the outer loop. Its also pretty easy to cut back out onto the DTs that runs between the 44 side and the Farmington Ave side just in case you run short on time. All of the ST is very beaten up and overused, and some parts of the trail have about 4 ways to go over or avoid one obstacle. Lots of roots, so make sure its completely dry.

Similar Trail: Penwood

 

Review: kamoot has a great online map for the res

Review: Great variety of trails. Rocky great for fat bikes. Lots of technical parts with some rock drop offs.

Review: I have to echo the others and say there is a LOT here, if you get to know the place. There are few signs, and few maps. But a lot of trails of almost every level. From asphalt, to gravel roads, to dirt roads, double track, single track. Large sections are easy and perfect for beginners, or fitness training. But there are also some sections that are black diamond expert, if you know where to look.

If you aren't sure where to go, stick to the main trails, and don't wander too far off. Take a GPS or good app. Or go with someone who has been there before.

One final thing. Singletracks has this park having 10 miles of trails. That can't be right, especially if you consider all the side trails. The true number could be triple this.