Critique my Wawayanda Loop

[Norm]

The target audience on this loop is to get to a solid ~2 hour ride that I can take D on, as well as the advanced NICA kids. In general I am looking to avoid the most technical/extreme trails unless absolutely necessary to make it work.

Starting at Cherry Ridge, here is what we did today:

BOUSs. Beavers of Unusual Size - Norm Z's 10.7 mi mountain bike ride

Norm Z rode 10.7 mi on Mar 8, 2020.

www.strava.com

The first part of the loop is solid:
Porcupine
Rockadendrum
Mojo Swamp (Fishermans)
Hemlock and Load

After that we did Lookout to Cherry Ridge to Timber to Sitting Bear (and the part before it). I wanted to hit Sitting Bear, but the connection from the end of Hemlock to the start of Sitting Bear was forgettable, and best left off this loop.

Also, from the end of Sitting Bear we took Red Dot/Two Bridges to Cherry Ridge and that is also disposable as there's nothing much of note there.

I'd like to get these trails into this loop:

* The ones mentioned above through Hemlock
* Sitting Bear
* Maybe Tombstone/Pines/Gravity/Thirsty Dog or some combination of those

Other trail names I know are Pumphouse, Pickle, The Wall.

Probably best to avoid Splitrock and Rattlesnake. Even the Wall may be on the edge.

The park is pretty easy to escape from if we decide we're in too deep, which is a good thing. Just looking for some general input on the best way ti loop the park together into longer & longer loops. Also looking to learn the hard way so I start to remember this park.

 

[Glenn Rides After 4 PM CST]

I thought it was perfect.
Best loop I ever rode there?

 

[2Julianas]

I’ve got good ones on Strava that include Buddha and Splitrock and end back at Cherry Ridge. Wanna come next time!

 

[V-Dub]

For your target audience it may be better to start over by the boat launch and go up Pump house to South end then up Timber. There's generally a little less tech on that side of the park

 

[Norm]

For your target audience it may be better to start over by the boat launch and go up Pump house to South end then up Timber. There's generally a little less tech on that side of the park

We took Zac (stepson, 8th grade) on that loop today. He made it halfway through Sitting Bear then started asking for the helicopter rescue. But in a month from now he’ll be good with it. I’m not looking at NICA general but NICA very advanced.

 

[sundaydoug]

The crazy thing about this park is that in order to hit everything good you've got to do a BIG ride. That being said, the loop you have looks pretty good. If I was looking to do a 2hr-ish loop for advanced NICA riders I'd do this:

Starting at Cherry Ridge lot:
Wall
Mojo Swamp
Hemlock
Pickle (tricky in spots, but fun)
Turkey Ridge to Pines
Up Pines and down Tombstone
Turkey Ridge to Pump House
Pump House to South End to Sitting Bear
Sitting Bear all the way to the boat launch area
Double Pond to Plymouth Lane (assuming it's dry, Double Pond can be a real mess in the wet)
Plymouth Lane is one of my favorites, but it's got a few bridges sketchy when wet
Plymouth Lane to Banker back to the Cherry Ridge Lot

Attached is a crude attempt at explaining this in image form...

 

[mtbiker87]

I lead the OOS guys on the following route a few weeks ago. Everyone had fun, and we had no casualties. The few experienced guys on the ride agreed that it was probably the best route for the group we had. The less experienced guys enjoyed it, and wanted to do it again.
Park at the boat house.
Around the lake to wing dam.
Wing dam to sitting bear.
Sitting Bear to Pumphouse. Pumphouse to Cherry Ridge.
Cherry Ridge to Cabin.
Cabin to Turkey Ridge.
Turkey Ridge to Tombstone.
Tombstone to Rattlesnake.
Rattlesnake to Pickle.
Pickle to white.
White to Cherry ridge. Timber back to sitting Bear the opposite way.

 

[mtbiker87]

To improve this, you could cross the pipeline and go down Pines, rather than Rattlesnake, take pines to Turkey Ridge, to Pickle, and instead of climbing white, go right at the end of Pickle, to Old Coal, to Red Dot, then Double Pond back to Lake. If you prefer coming in from the other side, then @sundaydoug's route is spot on.

 

[jklett]

I lead the OOS guys on the following route a few weeks ago. Everyone had fun, and we had no casualties. The few experienced guys on the ride agreed that it was probably the best route for the group we had. The less experienced guys enjoyed it, and wanted to do it again.
Park at the boat house.
Around the lake to wing dam.
Wing dam to sitting bear.
Sitting Bear to Pumphouse. Pumphouse to Cherry Ridge.
Cherry Ridge to Cabin.
Cabin to Turkey Ridge.
Turkey Ridge to Tombstone.
Tombstone to Rattlesnake.
Rattlesnake to Pickle.
Pickle to white.
White to Cherry ridge. Timber back to sitting Bear the opposite way.

That was a really fun loop, it was my first time up there. I didn't think that there was anything too technical. I would say that it would be good for advanced NICA kids.

 

[sundaydoug]

To improve this, you could cross the pipeline and go down Pines, rather than Rattlesnake, take pines to Turkey Ridge, to Pickle, and instead of climbing white, go right at the end of Pickle, to Old Coal, to Red Dot, then Double Pond back to Lake. If you prefer coming in from the other side, then @sundaydoug's route is spot on.

Another option would be to skip Hemlock and Pickle and head up Old Coal coming off of Mojo. Assuming it's dry (slogging up Old Coal in the wet is straight awful) head up Old Coal to the intersection with Turkey Ridge. Take Turkey Ridge to Gravity then head up Pines and down Tombstone.