Where's the good stuff hiding?

avc8130

Active Member
Went to Stokes today for the first time. Followed the published map and didn't really find anything worth riding again. Everything we rode was wide 2-track. Is there GOOD mountain biking in Stokes?

ac
 

hardtale70

She's Gone From Suck to Blow
Shop Keep
If you were on the north side of 206 and call that "wide", then no there's nothing for you there...........
 

avc8130

Active Member
If you were on the north side of 206 and call that "wide", then no there's nothing for you there...........

206 runs North/South so which side is the North side?

We rode the following trails:

Coursen
Swenson
Tinsley
Blue Mountain
Silver Mine

Other than 1 section on Silver Mine, there really wasn't anything a Jeep Wrangler couldn't handle...

ac
 

hardtale70

She's Gone From Suck to Blow
Shop Keep
That's the "little" loop on the North side. If you really found silver mine off blue congrats, cause its so not even a trail most peeps can't find it.....So yeah that's some good stuff, you'd dislike the rest as well.
 

The Kalmyk

Well-Known Member
That's the "little" loop on the North side. If you really found silver mine off blue congrats, cause its so not even a trail most peeps can't find it.....So yeah that's some good stuff, you'd dislike the rest as well.

I'd like it there!!! Best kept secret.
 

avc8130

Active Member
That's the "little" loop on the North side. If you really found silver mine off blue congrats, cause its so not even a trail most peeps can't find it.....So yeah that's some good stuff, you'd dislike the rest as well.

If Silver Mine is blazed Orange, we rode it. It started out pretty wide and then turned into some fun single-ish track with nice rock gardens.

Other than that section, everything we rode was more cardio than skill.

ac
 

hardtale70

She's Gone From Suck to Blow
Shop Keep
You must have come in from Kittle....and that is just a 1/4 mile of rock, not a garden:D If you go back and do that in a anti-clockwise direction, a 1/4 way down tinsley you can throw a right on the goat trail down to the cabin where Swenson continues, it's more to your taste. Also if you go farther out throw in Criss trail from NE to SW. It's a glacial riverbed that's obnoxious tech. The park seems easy but it will wear you down and break you with it's combination of trails
 

avc8130

Active Member
You must have come in from Kittle....and that is just a 1/4 mile of rock, not a garden:D If you go back and do that in a anti-clockwise direction, a 1/4 way down tinsley you can throw a right on the goat trail down to the cabin where Swenson continues, it's more to your taste. Also if you go farther out throw in Criss trail from NE to SW. It's a glacial riverbed that's obnoxious tech. The park seems easy but it will wear you down and break you with it's combination of trails

True, it was pretty consistent for that section...just rocks everywhere. Honestly, it was quite ride-able and offered a nice challenge compared to the rest we found.

Yes, we parked at Kittle.

It was very obvious that we were riding Tinsley "backwards". There wasn't a lot of "riding" happening up the hill for me. That climb is no joke.

I see a lot of the trails are like Criss, they don't seem to go anywhere? I guess the intent is your ride out and back?

I also saw that they are reblazing just about everything BLUE next year? To make an official 15 mile loop.

ac
 

hardtale70

She's Gone From Suck to Blow
Shop Keep
There's basically a S, M, L loop in Stokes as you start to throw in Howell, then you link to HP and go XL, then you link HP through the Lusscroft trail system and go stoopid L. All require many road connections like Criss does but they become a welcome break after a bit . Sounds like you'd love Moosic Mt out by Moscow PA. It's scenic and the definition of rocky brutal tech.
 

jeffstick

JORBA: Waywayanda
JORBA.ORG
There are many sections of the "new" blue loop that is not rideable. That loop uses much existing trail and connects it with new stuff the superintendent decided to put it. Some of it is useable by bike but much of it is just straight up and down. It was put in ass backwards if you ask me as it was blazed before any trail built or not built in this case as it would seem they are expecting people to just walk it in. You will see blue blazes go off into the woods with no real "trail" being built.

As Hartale70 says when you ride this place you connect the dots using several road connections which become a welcome as even though you say the trails aren't that technical or single the place wears on you. If you do any of the 15-20 mile loops within the park even using the road connectors you will feel it at the end of the day. Then tie in High Point for a nice 35 mile loop.

I ride this place practically every weekend and the long rides are great but then again I'm not looking for miles of single track ribbon I'm looking for the more epic long ride.
 

avc8130

Active Member
Ok, so this is just the "flavor" of Stokes. Got it.

I don't really have the time to get out for endless hours these days to plod down 15+ miles. I'm usually looking for ~8 miles that gives me a good challenge. Stokes and Allamuchy are about the same time away from me. I'll probably stick with Allamuchy.

ac
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
If @jimvreeland wasnt such a southerner he could get his fill using both Pa and NJ 83,000 acres of federal lands to combine it with state parks of stokes and high point. Where trail to road ratio is about 75/25. Trust me most roads are either dirt or pot hole mess.
 

gingertooth

Active Member
stokes has some really fantastic riding not to mention its beauty. the majority of the trails marked have been turned into double track but there really is a large network of trails around there that could bring you in any direction. Some unmarked and some not really legal. I would say it has some of the nastiest rock gardens as well which are worth riding so i would say get a map and explore and try to connect to Jeffstick since he knows it better than all
 

hardtale70

She's Gone From Suck to Blow
Shop Keep
The majority of the marked trails used to be ROADS. Y'all realize that everywhere we ride in this area was clearcut martian landscape like 100-150 years ago right?
 

avc8130

Active Member
The majority of the marked trails used to be ROADS. Y'all realize that everywhere we ride in this area was clearcut martian landscape like 100-150 years ago right?

Yup, I didn't realize that until I rode it. I had heard it was "good", but I wasn't expecting it to be "road". Live n learn.

ac
 
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