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I spent two weeks last October traveling back East from Colorado. I used Singletracks rankings and the Five2Ride series to help plan my trip. Rain spoiled a couple of my stops but I was able to ride several awesome trails, most for the first time.
- Switchgrass in Wilson, KS
- A nice break from I-70 driving, but several of the trails were closed. There were some fun features to climb but it was hard to carry speed through the numerous turns.
- Berryman Trail near St. Louis, MO
- Carvin’s Cove in Roanoke, VA
- I got rained out on these trails but did enjoy an epic homecoming game between Virginia Tech and North Carolina.
- DuPont and Bent Creek near Asheville, NC
- I have good friends in Asheville and have ridden these great trails several times.
- Big Bear Lake near Morgantown, WV
- I had a blast here. The terrain was rocky and challenging, but so much fun.
- Swope Park in Kansas City, MO
- Very fun and a great stop for MTB and BBQ.
Berryman Trail was without question the best trail I rode for the first time in 2019. The Civilian Conservation Corps built this trail in the 1930’s. Whoever laid out the route, 40 years before mountain bikes even existed, was definitely a prophet of flow. I believe many sections have been reworked through the years, but it was still incredible to have so much fun on a trail that is over 70 years old.
Riding the Berryman was like spending 4 hours on a human-powered roller coaster – cruising down and around swooping curves then climbing as hard as your legs will crank to do it again. In many cases, you can see the top of the next hill, so it is possible to hammer and maintain your speed. Exhausting, but possible. It is kind of like a 26-mile backcountry version of FATS, so not very technical and the climbs aren’t that steep.
An abundance of humidity and spiders were the only negatives. I have never broken through so many webs but the humidity was a little worse. Towards the end of my ride, I saw a spider crawl across my sunglasses, but I was too tired to stop and surrender the little momentum I was still carrying toward the next climb.
The Berryman Trail is a little out of the way but it is definitely worth the stop.
What was the best trail you rode for the first time in 2019?
- Switchgrass in Wilson, KS
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Regular trail. Pinhoti 2 at Mulberry Gap, Elijay Ga Downhill park trail. M to O Snowshoe WV.
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Interesting question. For me, it’s a toss up between the following:
- trails at the Quantico Marine Corps base in VA
- trail systems at Allumuchy State Park & Stephens State Park in NJ (separate parks that can be linked)
- Patapsco Valley State Park (Woodstock/Daniels section)
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Last year was a good year for new trails, two come to mind.
Grand Targhee Bike Park in Alta WY. Great lift rides as well as several other options for XC riding.
Mt Emily Rec. Area (MERA) La Grande OR. 40+ miles of trails in a nice area.
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Great question. I was lucky enough to check three sites off my first time list in 2019 (and I’ll be back to all three). 1) Santa Cruz Soquel Demo Forest Flow trail – best downhill flow I’ve ever ridden, although the climb out was a crusher; 2) Squamish Diamond Head area including Half Nelson – quality of the flow was just as good as Soquel, but I give the edge to Soquel because it was much longer; and 3) Whistler DH Bike Park – nothing I can say about it that hasn’t been said already. Here’s to everyone getting out looking for new runs!
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I think I only rode new trails on two occasions in 2019.
West Creek – Parma OH
This was most satisfying because I helped build it and I was able to share it with my family (kids, wife and parent). It is not technical but built to be sustainable. A great addition to Cleveland riding.
Jakes Rocks – Warren PA
Had been before but tried some new-to-me trails. Overall great experience. Had high hopes for Black Snake – a DH only trail but was too white knuckle to truly enjoy on my XC oriented hardtail (did not make a single double and skipped the non-optional drop). The climb back on Devil’s drop was brutal even with my super bailout 22×40 gear combo. I was spent after that. I guess my favorite was Seneca in the downhill direction.
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Finally got around to riding a good portion of the Corner Canyon trail system in Draper UT late this summer. We started on Levitate, went to Jacob’s Ladder and Ghost Falls, climbed back to Rush and exited on Limelight. All in all it was a really fun day with a really good group of riders.
I also made my first trip(s) down Wasatch Crest this summer which were fun, but I wouldn’t call amazing.
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The new trails last year for me that were impressive and surprisingly good were those in central Florida. Santos, Balm Boyette and definitely Alafia are all a trip and made me rethink what is possible in a state that I otherwise was not a fan of. Actually going back there next week with a bunch of our NICA team kids/coaches/dads.
Outside of that, I always find new ways to see/ride my local trails. Hitting lines differently on different bikes (my full-suspension vs. my hardtail and even taking an eBike out) keeps it interesting.
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Whistler for the first time- So much fun, thought about selling my house and moving.
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Lake Tahoe area…
Sierra Canyon Trail
WOW
And the views…
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I love riding new trails. My best in 2019 was when i checked out Rogue one part 2 at Sleepy Hollow in Vermont.
What an amazing trail. super techy and scary, It had my attention and is a fine example of modern day trail building. Cheers!
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Turbo Diesel at Angel Fire!
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DTE Foundation Trail is not new to me, but they added the Sugar Loop. It is a flow trail system, and the Sugar Loop is the most technical (though not too bad). The grades are steeper than the rest of the system too. The whole system is a blast, Sugar Loop was a great addition.
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Excellent trails I hit for the first time in 2019:
Alabama/Birmingham – Oak Mountain
Arkansas/Boxley – Upper Buffalo Headwaters
Arkansas/Mountain View – Syllamo Trails
Georgia/Trenton – Five Points
Idaho/Twin Falls – Indian Spring (aka Sugar Loaf)
Oklahoma/Tulsa – Turkey Mountain
North Carolina/Asheville – Laurel Mountain
North Carolina/Black Mountain – Kitsuma
North Carolina/Brevard – DuPont State Forest
Tennessee/Chattanooga – Raccoon Mountain
Utah/St. George – Barrel Trail, Kentucky Lucky Ckicken
Utah/Vernal – Racetrack/Corkscrew
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Two Turntables and a Microwave at Sandy Ridge (Oregon) and a whole bunch of stuff linked together at Post Canyon (also in Oregon)…..140 to BMS Connector too Bad Motor Scooter to Upper Grand Prix to Lower Grand Prix
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I originally thought Bennett’s gap was a new favorite until the next day riding Squirrel gap in Pisgah. Both are must rides every time I go as much as ridgeline in DuPont use to be.
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Flume trail at Lake Tahoe. Those views cannot be beat
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Rio en Medio above Santa Fe, NM. I would say it’s the gnarliest trail I’ve ridden. Several steep chutes on broken tombstone sized slabs with tight turns, big trees and enough exposure to make line choices REALLY matter.
If you love the gnar (Gold Bar, Free Lunch etc.) and want to turn it up to 11, that’s my choice!!
I would not recommend it if you can’t clean all the blue dot features on Gold Bar, all of Hangover etc. It’s a looooong walk for an ego check.
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On the Rocks (at Ginny Trail) Masonville, CO
A real achievement for the people who got this built — a slow tech advanced trail in my back yard!
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Probably Mailboxes @ UCSC,
Annadel State Park was also super fun, looking forward to going back to both now that spring break is here.
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Stowe, VT area…rode Cady Hill, Luce Hill(Von Trapp network), and Adams Camp.
Great riding with a nice mix of Natural and machine built flow trails. Great scenery with lots of vertical. Favorites include Kimmers, Pipeline, Florence, and Bear.
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Big South Fork was a great ride. Was so worth the 4hr detour on my business trip. I have to be honest, I stopped and rode this epic again on the way home!
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<p style=”text-align: right;”>Northwoods Trails (Hot Springs) and the Monument Trail at Hobbs SP (outside of Rogers) in Arkansas.</p>
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5 points and Raccoon Mountain near Chattanooga and the Noxubee trail system in Mississippi. The gravel in Talladega National Forest was also a great discovery for me.
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